A hard disk or hard drive is one of the main elements of any modern computer, which is responsible for storing information. The device consists of magnetic disks - aluminum or glass round plates and a read / write head. The main quality characteristics hard disk is the capacity, speed of reading and reading data, rotation speed, sector seek time, noise level and shock resistance during operation (for HDD). In addition, for many users, when buying a hard drive, it is very important characteristic is the reliability and durability of the device.
Best HDD hard drives for a desktop computer for 1-2 TB
HDD ( Hard drive Disk) is the most popular type of storage for a personal computer. Such hard drives have been on the market for a very long time and are still in high demand due to large capacity, affordable price and relatively long term service. The main disadvantage of HDDs is their low resistance to mechanical damage. In particular, such devices are afraid of shock and shock during operation. Therefore, when choosing a reliable HDD, it is important to look at parameters such as shock resistance during operation and storage.
The most popular manufacturing companies HDD hard disks for desktop computer are Toshiba (Japan), Western Digital (US) and Seagate (US).
3 Western Digital WD10EZRZ
Best 1TB HDD in terms of value for money
Country: USA
Average price: 3 449 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.6
Inexpensive model Western Digital WD10EZRZ takes the third place in the rating of HDD hard drives for personal computers... The drive has a volume of 1 TB, having an affordable price, which makes it quite popular in the market. Thanks to support for 4 KB sectors, the disk uses its usable space as efficiently as possible. The read and write speeds are the same and are 150 Mbps.
Among the advantages in the reviews, buyers indicate fast work, low noise level and small working temperature... The device consumes a little, only 3.3 W, so there will be no need to replace the power supply when installing a disk. An important parameter of the drive is the jump time between different tracks, which here is 0.4 seconds, which ensures a high speed of work. The disadvantages include only some difficulties with the setup.
2 Seagate ST1000DM010
Low price
Country: USA
Average price: 3 040 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.7
A very affordable model from Seagate becomes the silver winner of the rating. In terms of its characteristics, it is very close to the WD representative, but at a slightly lower cost it offers more high performance... Volume - 1 TB - the best option for most home users. The stated read and write speeds are 156 Mbit / s, but user reviews speak of even higher figures - up to 200 Mbit / s for sequential reads.
Also, the advantages include a relatively low noise level and minimal heating: under load, the disc heats up to 41 degrees, although the maximum allowable is almost a third higher. The only complaint about Seagate is its overly strict energy management controls. Yes, the hard drive consumes 5.3 W, but due to the factory settings, the disk goes to sleep very quickly, which is why, when switching music tracks, for example, there is a noticeable delay.
Today, there are three main types of hard drives: HDD (Hard Drive Disk), SSD (Solid State Drive) and Hybrid (HDD + SSD). Which type of hard drive is best? There is no definite answer, since each has both its own advantages and disadvantages:
|
Hard disk type |
Advantages |
Flaws |
|
HDD (Hard Drive Disk) |
Large capacity Low price Popularity (availability on store shelves) Good reliability |
Not resistant to mechanical damage and shaking Slow reading speed Vibration during operation Low access speed |
|
SSD (Solid State Drive) |
Absolute noiselessness Low power consumption Resistance to mechanical damage Compact dimensions Higher data transfer rate |
High price Limited storage space (typically up to 1 TB) Sensitivity to power surges |
|
Hybrid (HDD +SSD) |
High performance Low power consumption Reliability, resistance to damage and shock |
Limited memory Poor assortment |
1 Toshiba HDWD120UZSVA
Largest volume (2 TB)
The country:
Average price: 4 554 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.8
Leadership in this category will be given to the most capacious hard drive. A Toshiba model with a capacity of 2 terabytes might have seemed redundant and expensive a few years ago, but today, due to the increasing volume of information and the technology's cheapening, it becomes quite relevant.
The device is made in a 3.5 'form factor. The rotation speed of the disk is 7200 rpm, which provides an acceptable speed of 150 MB / s for writing and reading. The manufacturer claims that the drive produces only 28 dB of noise during operation, which is confirmed by users in the reviews. Among the disadvantages is high heating. Temperatures easily reach 50 degrees, with a critical level of 65 C. Among the pleasant features, we note the self-diagnostic function of the disk, which is designed to extend the service life and maintain the operating speed at the initial level.
The manufacturer offers only a two-year warranty, but users talk about trouble-free operation for 4-5 years, and therefore there is no doubt about the reliability.
Best Desktop Hard Drives Over 2TB
For most users, 1-2 terabytes of memory is enough for personal use. You can store all your files, music, and even your favorite movie collection. But sometimes significantly more memory is required. Videographers, editors and other professionals working with very large files need 3-4 or even 10 TB of memory. For such people, we have selected the four most capacious hard drives.
4 Western Digital WD Blue Desktop 4 TB (WD40EZRZ)
The best option for home archives
The country:
Average price: 8 200 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.6
Let's open the category to humble enough hard disk the infamous Western Digital. The official capacity of the disk is 4 TB, in reality, users complain about the availability of only 3.63 TB. On the other hand, the average cost allows many disadvantages to be forgiven.
The disk rotation speed is 5400 rpm, the cache size is only 64 MB. Because of this, the overall performance is low - with sequential read / write, the speed is kept at the level of 149-155 MB / s. But such modesty allowed to make WD Blue Desktop 4 Tb as quiet and cold as possible. During operation, the noise level does not exceed 28 dB, vibrations are almost completely absent, and the temperature, even at maximum load, does not exceed 40 degrees. This allows you to assemble very quiet, reliable computers with several disks at once - you have assembled a couple of such HDDs in RAID 1 and you do not have to worry about data safety.
3 Seagate ST3000DM007
Affordable price
The country:
Average price: 6 690 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.7
The top three HDDs for desktop computers include the BarraCuda model from Seagate. The price per terabyte is higher than that of the previous participant, but the majority of ordinary users will probably be more interested in the bronze medalist. Capacity of 3.5 'disk 3 TB. This is more than enough to store a personal archive of photos, music and TV shows.
The rotation speed of the disks is again only 5400 rpm, but due to the larger cache - 256 MB - slightly higher read / write speeds are provided - about 180-185 MB / s. Also, users will appreciate the low noise level: 27 dB during operation and only 22 dB when idle - it will not even interfere with sleep! Heating is also extremely insignificant - users talk about 26-28 C under load. Finally, it consumes only 3.7 watts of the disk while running.
There is practically no information about the reliability of information from users. Officially declared service life 1800 days (5 years), 720 days warranty.
2 Western Digital WD Black 6 TB (WD6003FZBX)
Highest speed of work
The country: USA (produced in China, Malaysia)
Average price: 19 480 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.8
While Western Digital's “Blue” line is intended for home use, then “WD Black” is positioned as a tool for professionals. The capacity of the model is 6TB. Such volumes will be useful, for example, for operators and editors who have to deal with "sources" of several tens or even hundreds of gigabytes.
The disk spins at 7200 rpm, which, in combination with a 256 MB buffer, provides write and read speeds of 225-230 MB / s - a record in the class. In this case, you will have to put up with a fairly high noise level: during operation, the disk gives out 36 dB, in idle time - 29 dB. Also, the user will have to ensure good ventilation in the PC case, because the operating temperature range is small (from 5 to 55 degrees), and the heating level due to high speed the work is too high. Power consumption - 9.1 watts.
In addition to high speed, the manufacturer guarantees maximum storage reliability. Official guarantee of 1800 days. What are the disadvantages? High price. 1 TB of memory on this disk costs one and a half times more than competitors (~ 3250 rubles)
Top hard drive manufacturers
As in any other field, there are clear leaders among the drive manufacturers. Let's take a look at some of them.
- WesternDigital... Founded in 1970, this American company began producing its own hard drives back in 1988. Vast experience allows the company to always be on the crest of the wave, to produce the most technically advanced devices. WD was the first to release 10,000 rpm HDDs, the first to create 10TB drives, and much more. Also, the company's products are famous for their very high reliability.
- Seagate... Another company is from the USA. The company released its first "screw" in 1980. In 2009, Seagate's reputation was tarnished by low-quality Barracuda11 hard drives, but in last years, judging by the reports large companies and user reviews, product quality has improved significantly. The company's products are distinguished by the best operating speed on the market. Seagate is also the largest manufacturer of hybrid HDD + SSD hard drives.
- HGST (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies). Previously independent, and since 2012 a subsidiary of Western Digital. The products are also highly reliable, but the assortment is significantly different. HGST specializes in the production of 2.5 'hard drives for notebooks or all-in-ones.
1 Toshiba HDWR11AUZSVA
Best price for 1 TB
The country: Japan (made in China)
Average price: 20 228 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.8
In contrast to the previous participant, we offer a model with a minimum memory cost. For 10 TB, you will have to pay only 17-18 thousand rubles. The scope of the model is still the same - storage and processing of high quality video materials. Of course, you can also look at larger models - other manufacturers offer hard drives up to 14 TB for home use - but the cost of one terabyte of memory in this case will be much higher.
In addition, our leader can boast not only quantitative but also qualitative indicators. The disk spins at 7200 rpm, the cache size is 256 MB - read and write speeds are kept at 200 MB / s. The model undoubtedly belongs to the noisy - even at idle, the noise level reaches 34 dB. Unfortunately, due to the novelty of the HDD, there are no reviews about its reliability, but the manufacturer provides a 730-day warranty and claims 600,000 MTBF - an excellent result.
Best HDD + SSD Hybrid Hard Drives
Hybrid HDD is considered a better storage device because it combines positive sides HDD and SSD drives... The hybrid drive first saves data to flash memory and then transfers it to magnetic drive... This increases the speed of information transfer, increases the lifespan of the media and reduces energy costs. The only one significant disadvantage"Hybrid" is a high price tag.
2 Seagate ST2000DX002
The most capacious hybrid hard drive
The country: USA (produced in Thailand)
Average price: 7 300 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.7
You need the capacity of a classic HDD with SSD speed? Miracles do not happen, it is impossible to combine these qualities in one device, but the model that opens the category is as close as possible to this. The capacity of the "hard" part is 2 TB, which should be enough for even the most demanding users. The 8 GB flash memory is designed to provide high-speed performance.
The benchmark results are not surprising: the sequential read speed is about 180 MB / s, the write speed is 220 MB / s. Top classic HDDs can boast of similar results. But ST2000DX002 has important feature- the effect of his work will become visible over time. The disk analyzes which files are most frequently used (as a rule, these are system files and the most frequently used programs), and transfers them to flash memory in order to speed up their launch as much as possible in the future.
Separately, it is worth noting the excellent acoustic comfort - the disc is practically inaudible during operation - and the traditional 720-day warranty for hard drives (5-year service life).
1 Seagate ST1000LX015
Best hybrid drive format 2.5 '
Country: USA
Average price: 4 333 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.8
One more representative of the line becomes the leader of the rating hybrid drives Seagate. The main difference from the previous participant is the 2.5 'form factor. This is suitable for installation not only in a desktop, but also in a laptop. The volume of the hard disk is 1 TB, another 8 GB carries a flash drive. The rotational speed of the disks is only 5400 rpm, which can hardly be called a high result. Speed sequential read and records at the level of 140 and 110 Mb / s, respectively.
The acoustic comfort, judging by the manufacturer's statement, is simply excellent - only 22 dB during operation. However, some users report slight noise when positioning the head. Although at everyday use you are unlikely to pay attention to it.
Best laptop hard drives
3 Western Digital WD5000LPLX
Profitable price. Popular laptop HDD
The country: USA (produced in China, Malaysia)
Average price: 3 350 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.6
Opens the top three best hard Drives for 2019 Western Digital Model WD5000LPLX Notebooks. Thanks to the widespread 2.5 ”form factor, it will fit in the vast majority laptop computers... The storage capacity is 500 GB, which is quite enough for storing a large amount of documentation. HDD technology extends the service life of the media and allows it to be used for several years without having to replace it.
Buyers refer to the advantages of this model in reviews as a good data exchange rate, a 5-year warranty and an acceptable cache size. The external data transfer rate is about 600 Mbit / s, which allows you to quickly display the requested documents. Among the weak points of this device are heating during intensive work and a fairly high noise level when reading from a drive.
2 Seagate ST1000LM048
Excellent price / capacity ratio. The quietest model
The country: USA (produced in Thailand)
Average price: 3 590 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.7
Let's give the silver medal to the Seagate model. Winchester is roughly halfway between the competitors in terms of both cost and performance. The capacity of a 2.5 'disk is 1 TB - optimal solution for most users. The spindle rotation speed is 5400 rpm. Together with a 128 MB cache, this provides a sequential read speed of 125 MB / s, writes - 88 MB / s.
Special attention is paid to those important for mobile computers temperature and noise indicators. If you believe the reviews, the disc heats up to a maximum of 27-28 degrees. It should be borne in mind that this indicator can vary greatly depending on the laptop model, namely, on its ventilation. With the noise, everything is just fine. During operation, the volume does not exceed 22 dB - you will only hear in the quietest room. Finally, shock resistance during operation - ST1000LM048 can withstand overloads up to 400G!
1 HGST HTS721010A9E630
The best speed of any laptop drive
Country: USA
Average price: 3 830 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.7
The leader in the ranking is the model from HGST, which is a subsidiary of Western Digital. Format, as befits a laptop model, 2.5-inch. Storage capacity is the usual 1000 GB, which is the golden mean for most users. The operating speed is not surprising - due to the high rotational speed (7200 rpm), the read speed is about 115-120 MB / s. It is worth noting the high speed of Track to track access - only 1 ms. Average latency 4.2ms.
Other features include a fairly low power consumption - 1.8 W, which is especially valuable for a laptop, and a small shock resistance - the hard drive will transfer overloads up to 400 G during operation without consequences for the stored information.
Best external hard drives
3 Toshiba Canvio Ready 1TB
Favorable cost
Country: Japan
Average price: 3 980 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.5
The third place in the ranking of the best external hard drives is taken by the Toshiba Canvio Ready 1TB. This model has the lowest cost among competitors in the TOP, but in terms of characteristics it is in no way inferior to them. A 1 TB HDD is used as a drive, which does an excellent job of storing large files. Thanks to USB interface 3.0, a good data exchange rate is achieved - up to 500 Mbps. Practical plastic case perfectly tolerates mechanical stress and reliably stores the contents.
In the reviews, users refer to the advantages of this model as small size, light weight and high reliability. In addition, the drive has sufficient shock and drop resistance. Competent software allows you to pair the media with a variety of multimedia devices. Among the shortcomings - a short cord and a non-standard connector for connecting it from the side of the hard drive.
2 Western Digital WDBUZG0010BBK-EESN
Popular external drive for 1 TB
Country: USA
Average price: 4 201 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.6
In second place in the ranking of the best external hard drives in 2019 is the Western Digital WDBUZG0010BBK-EESN model. The USB 3.0 data transfer port provides high-speed data transfer between the storage medium and third-party device... The volume of the drive is 1 TB, which allows you to store on it not only text files and photos, but also movies. The main carrier is 1 HDD with a 2.5 ”form factor.
In numerous positive reviews, buyers talk about small size, good reliability and quiet operation. Among all the models presented in the TOP, this one has the lowest weight - only 130 grams. The package, in addition to the drive itself, includes a data cable. Among the weak points of this model are the fragile plastic case and problems with the drivers.
1 ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 1TB
The optimum ratio of price and quality
Country: China
Average price: 4 369 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.8
The first place in the ranking of the best external hard drives of 2019 is taken by the ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 1TB. This 1TB drive is one of the most popular on the market today. With a USB 3.0 connection, transfer rates up to 500 Mbps are supported. The standard 2.5 ”form factor makes the drive quite compact (weighing only 201 grams). The storage device contains 1 HDD.
Among the strengths of this model in the reviews, users highlight a pleasant appearance, good operating speed and a shock-resistant case. Engineers paid Special attention the durability of the device, since external drives are often subject to physical impact... The disc is compatible with most modern devices, from laptops and smartphones to TVs. The disadvantages include a short cord and poor build quality.
Best server hard drives
Server hard drives are characterized by increased reliability and speed (rotation speed up to 15,000 rpm). A parallel (SCSI) and serial (SATA, SAS) interface is used to connect a server disk. The uptime of such devices, as a rule, exceeds 1 million hours. The most common width (form factor) of server hard drives is 3.5 ", but 2.5" devices have become increasingly popular. It is known that the smaller the width, the more economical the hard disk is.
3 Seagate ST1000VX000
Favorable price for a high-quality 1 TB HDD
Country: USA
Average price: 4 011 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.4
Seagate ST1000VX000 closes the top three in the ranking of the best hard drives for a server in 2019. This device has the lowest cost relative to competitors, however, it is in no way inferior to them in terms of characteristics. This hard drive is specially designed for installation in video surveillance systems, which makes it able to function around the clock for a long time. The high read speed of 210 Mbit / s will allow you to quickly access the stored information.
Among the advantages of the device in the reviews, users highlight the volume (here it is 1 TB), low cost and low noise level during operation. Thanks to the two writing heads, a maximum write speed of 156 Mbps is achieved. NCQ support enables multitasking. The weak points of this HDD include the low speed of instant exchange and the complexity of the firmware.
2 Seagate ST1000NM0033
Best performance (128 MB buffer)
Country: USA
Average price: 6 830 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.5
The second place in the ranking of the best hard drives for a server is taken by the Seagate ST1000NM0033. The volume of the drive is 1 TB, which allows storing a large amount of data in permanent memory, which is important for a server. The buffer size is equal to 128 MB - twice as much as that of competitors. This indicator provides a high speed of work and resource, declared by the manufacturer, up to 1,400,000 hours.
Buyers in the reviews refer to the strengths of the device as excellent data transfer speed, high reliability and the presence of a humidity sensor. By the totality of characteristics, this is one of best models for a server, however, the power consumption is quite large and amounts to 8.1 watts. The disk has a good protection system and will retain data when hit with a load of up to 300G. Among the minuses - heating during operation and a fairly high noise level during recording.
1 Western Digital WD20EFRX
The best ratio of price and quality
Country: USA
Average price: 6 861 ₽
Rating (2018): 4.5
The leader in the rating of the best hard drives for a server is the Western Digital WD20EFRX model. The drive has a capacity of 2 TB and thanks to SATA interface 6GB / s provides maximum speed data transmission up to 600 Mbit / s. The uptime declared by the manufacturer is 1,000,000 hours, which indicates the high reliability of the device. Good engineering solutions allow the disc to be stored at temperatures ranging from -40 ° C to 70 ° C.
In numerous reviews, users talk about quiet operation, increased warranty and no vibration as the strengths of this model. Thanks to the unique NCQ technology, the disk can process several commands at once, which has a positive effect on its performance. Compared to its neighbors in the TOP, it is the most economical - consumption is only 4.4 watts. The disadvantages of this device include the overestimated cost and rather stringent requirements for the ambient temperature during operation.
How to choose best tough disk
The hard drive, at first glance, is not the most important part of the computer. Yes, your PC will still work with the “wrong” model. But in order to choose a quality drive, take a look at our tips.
- Drive type. First, decide which type of drive is right for you: HDD, SSD or HDD + SSD. detailed information about them in pivot table above.
- Manufacturer. Information is the main value modern world... To keep your data for years to come, choose products from trusted manufacturers. For example, those we have listed above.
- Capacity. For OS and programs, 250 GB is enough. Store a lot of photos and music - 1 TB is your choice. A hand does not rise to delete your favorite TV shows and movies - look at the "screws" from 2 TB and above. The larger the volume, the higher the price.
- Form Factor Laptops are equipped with 2.5 'hard drives, desktop PCs - 3.5'. Be sure to check which format is supported by your device.
- Spindle speed. It happens from 5400 to 10000 rpm. Higher indicator - better speed work. The best option are models with a speed of 7200 rpm.
- Noise. Many users build the quietest cooling systems possible. This may make the crackling sound of the hard disk drive audible. It will not be possible to check this in advance - just know that such a situation takes place.
Failures arising from the operation of storage media on hard drives, can be caused by many reasons, including manufacturing defects. In this article, we will consider the nature of failures caused by external mechanical influences on the hard drive (shocks, concussions, shocks, since they are the "invisible" provocateurs of the death of a hard drive in 53% of cases), as well as technologies implemented in the latest modifications of hard drives disks in order to significantly increase the resistance of media to these influences.
Any failure or malfunction in the drive can result in partial or complete loss of very important and sometimes invaluable information. In view of the fact that a significant proportion of malfunctions in drives is the result of mechanical influences not foreseen by the specifications, nowadays special attention has been paid to protecting the HDD from shocks and shocks.
Impact and its consequences
Falling a hard drive (even from a very low height) can cause internal damage to the drive, despite the fact that the outside of the hard drive case looks flawless, and there are no traces of mechanical impact on it. The safest such impact will be if the HDD failure or the presence of errors on it were detected during testing at the factory. In this case, the drive is discarded and on this its life path is over. This is not scary, since it will never go into operation and information will never be recorded on it. It is much worse if the malfunctions that arose during testing did not manifest themselves in any way, and the drive went on sale. Such malfunctions are dangerous in that they will manifest themselves later, gradually deteriorating the parameters of the drive, they pose a threat to the data stored on the drive ...
Hard drives are most vulnerable to mechanical shock when removed from the original manufacturer's packaging, which is specifically designed to protect the drive after it has left the factory. A hard drive installed in a computer case is more protected from external influences, since in most cases the PC case absorbs shock energy, and the degree of impact on the hard drive can be significantly reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between non-working and working shock resistance of drives.
- Impact is a sharp and strong mechanical impact on an object characterized by a very short duration. Impacts are characterized by huge accelerations that an object receives in a very short time. Therefore, the level of shock to which the object was subjected is usually measured in multiples of the acceleration due to gravity G, equal to 9.8 ms2.
- The shock resistance of the drive determines its ability to withstand the values of accelerations indicated in the specifications obtained during the impact for a certain time. The standard time of impact on drives is considered to be 2 milliseconds..
- Operating shock resistance determines its resistance to shock in working condition, which ensures the error-free writing / reading. The operating shock resistance is usually not great and is about 10-15G for old drives and up to 70-150 for the newest ones assembled using protection technologies. Fortunately, the drives in working system are very rarely subjected to impacts, and the energy of these impacts is significantly reduced by the structural elements of the computer case, therefore, hard drives rarely receive damage in this state.
- Shock resistance in the off state determines its resistance to shocks in an inoperative (disconnected) state in which the drive does not receive internal damage... This is a very critical characteristic, since a drive in 95% of cases receives shock mechanical damage exactly at those moments when it is outside the computer case. Shocks received in these cases can amount to hundreds of Gs in a time of 1-2 milliseconds..
Most often, hard drives experience shock during transportation from the supplier to the consumer and during their installation in the PC by insufficiently qualified or ill-informed personnel. In Russia, the situation is often aggravated by the fact that batches of hard drives are transported unprepared for this transport, without providing for any additional measures protection in case of a car collision or just hard braking. Very often firms - sellers of components, when selling hard drives, transfer them to the buyer packed in a single electrostatic shell. But the buyer has to take it to the house or to work. And where is the guarantee that the seller himself did not knock this screw, and this is very likely in such points of sale as radio markets. It is enough to see how they are treated there. Moreover, a hard drive can experience a fairly strong impact if you accidentally poke it with an assembly tool, for example, a screwdriver, banging two hard drives together, or as a result of pushing the hard drive into its seat in a computer case ... Figure 1 shows the most typical cases of shock impacts on hard drives and the degree of their impact on hard drives. Vertical - force of impact in multiples of acceleration due to gravity (G), horizontal - duration of impact.
The most harmful are high energy impacts with short duration, usually hundreds of Gs in less than one millisecond. These shocks are grouped in the upper left corner of the figure and are usually outside the shock resistance of standard drives. Typical consequences of these blows are most often:
- slap heads;
- slippage and displacement of discs in the package;
- the appearance of play in the bearings.
The most common consequence of an impact in a storage device is a “slap of heads”, Figure 2. It occurs when the impact energy is directed vertically or at an angle to the horizontal plane. In this case, there is a separation of the magnetic head from the surface of the disk and then its sharp drop on the surface of the magnetic disk. At the moment of contact, the head cuts into the surface with its edge, the position of the head is leveled and it is forcefully pressed against the surface by the entire plane. As a result, the disk receives surface damage, the smallest particles and debris are scattered over the surface of the magnetic disk.
Do not think that these fragments will be able to fly away from the disk due to the centrifugal forces arising from the frantic rotation of the disk. Due to the magnetic nature of the disk and the microscopic size of the fragments, they remain on the disk and cannot be removed from there. In addition, after an impact, the head itself can be physically damaged, and its magnetic properties are sharply deteriorated. In practice, these damages appear in the form of so-called " broken clusters". If you view such a disk in programs with a visual interface such as Norton Speed Disk, then surface damage will appear in the form of one or more chaotically located bad clusters. Damage caused by a defect in one of the heads will most likely manifest itself in the form of much more of defective clusters and in their location some regularity will be clearly traced. But even if the defects on the disk did not appear immediately after the shock impact on the drive, these defects will make themselves felt later (in a month or even a year!). Why? Let's consider this issue in more detail.
Magnetic resistive heads and their work
The principle of operation of a magneto-resistive (MR) head when reading data is to change the resistance to electric current in accordance with the change in the magnetic field. The reading element of such a head is a very thin film of a special material, which changes its resistance in accordance with the position magnetic domains on the surface of a rotating disc. The location of these domains is determined by the information written to disk. The change in the resistance of the film is recorded by a special reading channel and is transferred for further processing to the comparator, which finally determines what was written, zero or one. MR heads have another property directly related to our topic - the final active resistance film depends on its temperature.
V normal conditions, when the disk is spinned up to working revolutions, air flow lifts the head above the disc, and it hovers over the smooth surface of the disc without touching it. If on the disk there are particles or irregularities comparable in size to the gap between the head and the disk, then they, sweeping at great speed under the soaring head, touch it, and friction instantly heats the head. This heating immediately affects the resistance of the film coating of the head and it rises sharply. The read channel misinterprets the change in head resistance and reading data in this place becomes impossible.
Constant exposure to temperature prematurely ages the head, and particles passing under the head act like an abrasive cloth. The head's ability to respond to changes in the magnetic field deteriorates over time (more and more unreadable sectors appear on the disk, or, as they say, the disk began to "crumble"), and eventually a complete failure of the head occurs.
Solution
One of possible solutions problems can be the caution and skill of people handling drives. But it is difficult to solve the problem in this way, because even abroad, more than 30% of hard drives are installed in computers by untrained personnel outside of computer manufacturers. In Russia, this percentage is much higher. Moreover, there are many cases where shock effects are the result of accident, and not negligence.
Thus, the solution to this problem should be realized through an increase in the shock resistance of the drive itself. V Lately drive manufacturers have developed a range of inexpensive and effective technological solutions to increase the shock resistance and reliability of products and, fortunately, now this solution is not limited to the inscription "Handle with care!" on the case.
Let's see what the main manufacturers offer us.
Quantum
SPS technology
SPS (Shock Protection System) technology was developed in the first half of 1998 and was first introduced in the Fireball EL series hard drives. It represents 14 improvements and technological solutions in the drive design aimed primarily at absorbing and minimizing the negative effect of shocks with high energy and short exposure time. This was the result of a long and careful study of the behavior, interaction of structural elements, loads and their distribution during impact. Again, the most detrimental consequence of such blows is the separation of the head from the disk and its further sharp slap on it. Solutions applied by Quantum engineers exclude or significantly reduce the head lift-off height upon impact (Figure 3). Most of the impact energy is absorbed by the rest of the drive's structures, which prevents spanking and debris from causing premature aging of the hard drive. On the currently, the following Quantum models are built using SPS: VikingII, Fireball EL, Fireball CX, Fireball CR, Fireball Plus KA, Fireball Plus KX, Atlas III, Atlas IV, Atlas 10k, BigFoot TS.
SPS II technology
SPS II technology was a logical continuation of SPS technology and was announced in 1999. The first hard drive with this technology was Fireball Ict.While SPS provided an increased level of resistance to shocks received by a drive in a non-working state, SPS II additionally protects a working drive from writing / reading at moments of shock and shaking that occurs in the event of jolts system unit working computer. Instead of being written to disk, the data is cached and will be written to disk later when the shock energy has been consumed and the disk is at rest. Figures 4 and 5 show the process of recording at the moment of impact on unprotected and protected by SPS II technology. At the time of writing, the SPS II is used in three of the newest Quantum models - the Fireball Ict, Fireball Ict10k and AtlasV.
Figure 4: Writing to a disc without SPS II technology
Figure 5: Writing to a disc with SPS II technology during impact
Seagate
GFP technology
Seagate's G-force protection (GFP) technology combines a number of technology solutions to improve the non-operational shock resistance of media. This technology provides greater protection for hard drive components such as the drive motor and bearing, heads, flexible head holders, and discs.
By reducing the mass and size of the heads, as well as increasing the clearance between the holder and the disc, the company's engineers have significantly reduced the kinetic energy of these components acquired during the impact process. This means that the heads have less chances to make a slap on the disc at the time of external influence. Seagate has also paid attention to the protection and strength of the disc pivot bearings and the disc carrier in the package.
Defects occurring in the bearing (see Fig. 6) lead to increased noise and vibration of the hard drive, which can ultimately lead to engine failure.
Slippage of disks in the mount is quite rare, but even if it happened as a result of an impact, the hard drives of the Barracuda and Cheetah families have always had the ability to work with a slipped disk thanks to the built-in head correction system for each disk revolution (once per revolution compensation - OPR) ... The disc servo system uses OPR to determine how much the disc has been displaced from its original position and adjusts the position of the heads accordingly so that the position of the head matches the track recorded on the disc. The GPS technology uses an improved OPR system that doubles the servo's ability to handle shifted discs.
The GPS technology will be applied to the latest high-performance Seagate Barracuda 18LP / 36/50 and Cheetah 18LP / 36 drives. Generally GPS application will allow, according to the manufacturer, to increase shock resistance by 30% for Barracuda drives and 40% for the Cheetah family.
Maxtor
Maxtor also did not stand aside and developed its own technology called ShockBlock. The first drive with this technology was the DiamondMax Plus 5120. As with competing technologies, the head slap problem is solved by reducing physical dimensions and head mass. But here Maxtor has added another solution. We all know that in a non-working state, the hard drive heads are located in the so-called landing zone, in the zone where information is never recorded. Therefore, by strengthening the coating of the magnetic disk in the landing zone, the company significantly reduced the likelihood of the appearance of small particles and debris in the case when the head nevertheless hit the drive in a disconnected state.A further development of this technology was the ShockBlock Enhanced technology. Now Maxtor claims that its technology allows its drives to withstand shocks up to 1000 G !. The first drive produced with this technology was the DiamondMax 6800. Why such a high shock resistance was achieved. According to Maxtor, by making the head holders more flexible, manufacturers not only do not reduce the force of the head slap against the disc, but even increase it, since the "whip" effect only intensifies the impact. Maxtor, on the other hand, has made the holders much more resilient in their new drives. Inevitably, by increasing the elasticity of the holder, the company had to additionally solve the issue of ensuring the previous "hover" of the heads over the disc during its rotation. And apparently she succeeded. Moreover, the company has gone further. Having just reasoned that the detrimental effect is not so much the spank itself, but its consequences (particles and debris on the disk), then it is necessary to make sure that even after the spank the appearance of splinters is less likely. Take a look at the picture. The head, lowering after the impact, always hits the disc with its edge. The chances of damaging the disc are very high.
Therefore, the company changed the design of attaching the head to the holder in such a way that even during a slap, the head would hit the disc evenly with its entire surface. This several times reduces the likelihood of the appearance of fragments and particles after the impact of the head.
Fujitsu
The company has not invented or patented any high-profile technology to protect drives from shock, but, nevertheless, many of the hard drives currently produced are very resistant to non-operating shock loads. For example, hard drives of the MPE3xxx series have shock resistance at the level of 250 G. And models of the Hornet 9, 10, 11 series up to 600 G! Moreover, their variants for mobile computers are capable of normally carrying up to 700 G in an idle state and up to 125 G during operation.
Samsung
In the first quarter of 2000 Samsung will present in Russia two new models of SpinPoint series hard drives: V9100 and V10200. The combined use of two proprietary impact protection technologies ImpacGuard (TM) and Shock Skin Bumper (TM) in these models will provide protection against shock impacts up to 250G when not in operation. Earlier SpinPoint V6800, V4300, V4, V3, V3A, V3200 series have 75G for 11ms exposure time (or 200G Ref. For 2ms duration). The model of the W2100 series, in which these figures are lower, falls out somewhat from this row.
Western digital
I could not find any information about the special shock protection technologies used in the hard drives of this company. But, judging by the technical data of the hard drives, these technologies may not have existed. A number of models launched into production recently have increased shock resistance at the level of 150-200 G. The rest of the models are at the level of 60-70 G. Therefore, they also require very gentle handling.
IBM
The currently existing DeskStar and UltraStar series drives with a capacity of over 3.5 Gb have a shock resistance of 175 G when not in use. Models in these series with capacities below 3.5 Gb have less ability to withstand external shock. Models of hard drives for mobile computers of the TravelStar series from 2.2 Gb and above have very good performance and are capable of carrying up to 400-500 G in an idle state and up to 150 G in a working one. The recently announced new models of UltraStar 36, 72 hard drives will be produced using Active Damping technology, which will allow these drives to be used in conditions with high vibration levels.
Conclusion
A hard disk is a very sensitive device to shocks and shocks and therefore requires very careful attention. Discs manufactured a year and a half ago had very little shock resistance (at the level of 60-100G), so some of you, probably, only now see on your "screw" the results of a blow made a year ago, which you did not even suspect.
Having bought a hard drive, pay attention to the emerging bad clusters during warranty period, and if at least one has appeared, change it urgently. And don't fall for any salespersons' beliefs that one or two unreadable clusters are within the normal range. The appearance of broken clusters will inevitably lead to the emergence of new and new ones, up to the failure of the hard drive. The only question is how long it will last.
In preparing the article, materials and technical documentation from manufacturers' websites were used
Sooner or later, everyone is faced with the need to move files from one place to another. If you are in a hurry, then there is no alternative to an external hard drive. Burning to DVD simply takes too much time when tens of gigabytes are counted, and the transfer of information over the Internet is generally unthinkable.
So, you need an external hard drive. But which interface should you choose: Hi-Speed USB or FireWire? Today, the choice is usually determined by which interface is present on the computer. Well, in general, drives with both interfaces will provide maximum connection flexibility.
What is inside the external hard drives? In most cases, a conventional drive ATA famous manufacturer, however, in this case we are faced with obvious problem: Actuators contain electromechanical components that can be damaged during handling (knocks / drops) and wear.
Drive manufacturers are trying to solve this problem by any means, because, after all, there is nothing more annoying than a hard drive failure - for both the consumer and the manufacturer. Conventional hard drives from well-known companies such as Maxtor, Seagate and Western Digital are already being designed to withstand mechanical stress, such as light shock or movement while the hard drive is running.
However, severe mechanical stress can shorten the drive life. Olixir Technologies tried to solve this problem with the release of the Mobile Data Vault 3DX, an external hard drive specifically designed for frequent portability. According to the company, its model outperforms conventional drives in many ways.
Hard disk read / write heads are tiny components that are very sensitive. The photo shows an IBM Deskstar 75GXP hard drive with the heads parked.
In the specifications, all manufacturers indicate the sensitivity of their products to mechanical stress. "G" stands for the gravitational pull of the Earth at sea level. A distinction should be made between loads in operation and with the drive switched off. V the latter case read / write heads are retracted to a safe position (see illustration), and they are less likely to be damaged.
All new hard drives can withstand light horizontal impacts without any problem. For example, you can kick the computer under the table and there will be no consequences. In this case, the read / write heads will reposition, which will affect performance.
As for vertical shocks, they are much more dangerous, since the read / write heads can touch the surface of the hard disk, which, in the worst case, will quickly lead to the failure of the drive. Therefore, the following rules should be followed.
- Do not move the computer over a surface such as a carpet while it "bounces"
- Do not lift the computer, or one side of it, and then suddenly release it.
- Avoid working with the insides of the computer while it is running (unfortunately, this happens too often)
On the other hand, you are unlikely to be able to harm the hard drive when the computer is turned off. In these cases, damage is possible only in the most severe cases such as:
- Falling hard drive to the floor
- Tipping the hard drive when it is standing on an edge
- Harsh hard disk hits hard objects
Similar loads affect bearing performance. You can tell if a bearing is bad when the drive is louder at 5,400 or 7,200 rpm.
For the most part, random bumps will not damage the hard drive, but if they are repeated frequently, sooner or later they will. Olixir tried to protect the External Data Vault hard drive from mechanical damage by packing it as tightly as possible (see illustrations below).
| Drive model | Impact resistance (working mode) | Impact resistance (off) |
| Hitachi 7K250 | 55 G | 350 G |
| Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 | 60 G | 300 G |
| Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 | 63 G | 350 G |
| Western Digital WD2500JB | 65 G | 350 G |
| Olixir Data Vault 3DX | 55/60 G (Maxtor / Hitachi) | 1200 G |
For storing files, I decided to choose a 3.5 "hard drive with a size of 2TB.
One of the most important criteria the choice for me was reliability.
The choice fell on the disc Japanese firm TOSHIBA, model P300 HDWD120UZSVA(OEM version). There is also a version in the Retail package under the number HDWD110EZSTA.
In my opinion, TOSHIBA disks occupy a golden mean in terms of reliability / price ratio. The only company which TOSHIBA can concede in reliability is HITACHI (HGST), but their cost is also higher.
In the TOSHIBA line (3.5 "disks) this series the disc (P) is in the middle position.
X- volumes of 4, 5, 6 TB; buffer 128MB; 7200 rpm
P- volumes of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 TB; 64MB buffer; 7200 rpm
E- volumes of 1, 2, 3 TB; 64MB buffer; 5700 rpm (1.2 TB), 5940 rpm (3 TB)
The characteristics of this disc:
Volume: 2000 GB
Form Factor: 3.5 "
Spindle speed: 7200 rpm
Buffer memory: 64 MB
Noise level: 28 dB
Average seek time: 4.17 ms
Interface: SATA 2, SATA 3
Interface bandwidth: 6 Gbps
Shock resistance when working: 70G / 2ms
Storage Shock: 350G / 2ms
Power consumption: 6.4 W
Working temperature: 0 - 60 ° С
The disc is supplied in OEM packaging (in a blister), without silica gel. Tear-free packaging.
Paying attention to the lower left corner, I noticed the inscription DT01ACA100. This marking refers to the old version of TOSHIBA Deskstar 7K1000.D, this series was previously produced by HITACHI. Therefore, we can assume that the reliability of this disk will be high. Externally, this disk does not differ from the 7K1000.D either.
I. Installation and initialization of the disk.
After connecting the hard drive, when the system boots, we see that it has been detected (if we did not have time to see it, go to the BIOS).
I am considering the case when the disk is secondary and Windows is already installed on another hard disk.
After booting the system (I have Windows 7 64bit), the disk was detected in the device manager, but it is not yet available for work. It needs to be initialized, i.e. add master boot record MBR.
1) To do this, go to "Computer Management" (in the search for the start menu, you can enter or right click(abbreviated as PC) on "My Computer"). On the left in the menu, select - Storage -> Disk Management.
2) The "Disk Initialization" window should appear (if it does not appear at the bottom, select our disk and through the PC the "Initialize Disk" item). In it, select "Master Boot Record" -> OK.
3) PC on our disk -> Create a simple volume.
Select the size of the volume (you can leave it as it is), click "Next".
We assign a letter to our disk (you can leave it as it is, click "Next".
Formatting the disk. We format in the NTFS system (by default). You can come up with any volume label (for example TOSHIBA), click "Next" and "Finish".
All disk appeared in the system.
After formatting, available 1.81 TB.
II. Test part.
Examination SMART disk(CrystalDiskInfo 7.0.4).
The test showed that everything is in order, the disk has no problems.
Checking the surface of the disc (Victoria 4.47).
We see that there are no slow and even more broken sectors. The surface is perfect.
Read / write speed test (CrystalDiskMark 5.2.0).
The disk shows a good level of performance. Average write / read speed 180 Mbps.
Access time test (HDTunePro 5.60).
Average access time: 15.1 ms
More than a passport.
Average speed: 151.5 Mb / s
Temperature during testing did not rise above 39 ° C without additional cooling.
To make the drives last longer, do not regret - install a small fan opposite.
III. Let's summarize.
Pros:
High reliability of disks of this company
Park heads only when turned off
Excellent surface quality of the disc
Low disk temperature
Low noise level
Low price
2 year warranty
Minuses:
Access times are far from the manufacturer's specified
Let's see how the disk will behave during long-term operation.
Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase. The minus that I wrote above is more of a nagging, because we have just a reliable one in front of us. " workhorse"from a well-established company.
