Hard Drive TypesHard drive types have changed a bit over the years. Here's how to tell the different technologies apart and some advantages and disadvantages of each type.
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is an interface technology in which hard drives use a two inch wide "ribbon cable" as the connection between the drive and the "motherboard". You may have seen them in some older computers. No more than two drives can be connected to any single IDE ribbon cable.
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is a set of standards for the physical connection and transferring of data between a computer and its peripheral devices. SCSI technology also uses a ribbon type cable and is most commonly used for server hard disks and other computers which require good performance. One of the unique features of a SCSI configuration is that up to 7 devices can be connected to a single ribbon cable, including printers, disk drives, and scanners. However, even though SCSI has several advantages, IDE/ATA became more popular due to the fact that IDE/ATA devices tend to be much cheaper.
SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), was designed as a successor to the Advanced Technology Attachment standard (IDE/ATA). It is expected to eventually replace the older technology (retroactively renamed Parallel ATA or PATA, also known as IDE or EIDE). Serial ATA adapters and devices communicate over a high-speed serial cable. SATA offers several advantages over the previous parallel ATA interface, such as: faster data transfer, the ability to "hot swap", which means you can add and remove devices while the computer remains powered on, thinner cables, and more reliable operation.
All of previous drives that I mentioned use electromechanical technology to operate. In other words, they have internal moving parts. Each disk or "platter" inside the hard drive is coated with a magnetic material and spins at high speed. That's why you will see a hard drive showing 7200RPM on the case, where RPM stands for "Revolutions Per Minute". An "actuator" arm moves the "read-n-write heads" over the disk surface to either read or write data onto the platter. It is very much similar to playing a record album on a turntable. SSD (Solid State Disk). The newest technology in Hard drives is the SSD or Solid State Drive. Unlike the electromechanical types of hard drives, the SSD drive has no moving parts. No moving parts means that they are silent. SSD drives can be found with either the IDE type connector or the SATA type connector which are more expensive.
Traditional versus a Solid State Drive If you are on a budget, IDE Hard Drives are still being made and are the least expensive of the group. If you can afford a bit more, get the SATA technology. It's newer, faster, and more reliable than the IDE, which may not be around much longer. SCSI fans love them and swear by them but they remain an expensive choice compared to the IDE and SATA type. SSD (Solid State) drives are the newest of the bunch and quite a drastic change in technology. New and different technology always means "expensive", at least at first. We'll have to see how well the Solid State Drives perform as more and more people try them. That's it for the Hard Drive types. As always shop around for the best price since prices can vary greatly from vendor to vendor. Return From Hard Drive Types to Computer Basics Return From Hard Drive Types to Tutorials
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Three of the most common and widely used hard drive types are IDE, SCSI, and SATA or Serial ATA.
