how fast...

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Guest

hey all,

i was just wondering how fast does a hard drive talk to the pc?
read/writes per sec?

thanks,
rodchar
 
Depends...

What kind of hard disk (IDE, SATA, SCSI, internal vs. external)?
What size cache (2 MB, 8MB, 16MB)?
What rotational speed (5400, 7200, 10,000)?
What measurement are you asking about (continuous, "burst")?
How is the data laid out on the disk? How much fragmentation?
Etc.

And you thought you were asking a simple question ;-)

In any case, raw measurements aren't all that meaningful, and the hard disk
is only one part of many elements that combine to create your computer's
performance.

Speaking very generally: An internal hard disk will feel faster than an
external hard disk, as will a higher rotational speed and a larger disk
cache. Whether you will notice the difference in day to day computing (and
whether it will matter to you) is another thing. Data in contiguous blocks
can be read and written faster than if the read/write heads have to look for
data the way I type.

When buying a hard disk, it's always wise to buy the current technology,
though not necesssrily the bleeding edge. Current technology costs no more
than older technology, and since the performance of your hardware is the sum
of the performance of the individual parts, why not?

Modem Ani
 
Ani

Do you listen to hard drives too?.. :-)

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/user
 
Funny you should mention that.

Seagate has a well deserved (in my experience) reputation for quiet hard
disks, and I've got two of them in my computer. Unfortunately, one of the
disks creates a harmonic with something inside the case that gets on my
nerves if I let it. Of couse, I don't let it get on my nerves. I really
DON'T. So will everybody JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?

Modem Ani
 
I have an IDE 8mb cach 7200rpm.

Modem Ani said:
Depends...

What kind of hard disk (IDE, SATA, SCSI, internal vs. external)?
What size cache (2 MB, 8MB, 16MB)?
What rotational speed (5400, 7200, 10,000)?
What measurement are you asking about (continuous, "burst")?
How is the data laid out on the disk? How much fragmentation?
Etc.

And you thought you were asking a simple question ;-)

In any case, raw measurements aren't all that meaningful, and the hard disk
is only one part of many elements that combine to create your computer's
performance.

Speaking very generally: An internal hard disk will feel faster than an
external hard disk, as will a higher rotational speed and a larger disk
cache. Whether you will notice the difference in day to day computing (and
whether it will matter to you) is another thing. Data in contiguous blocks
can be read and written faster than if the read/write heads have to look for
data the way I type.

When buying a hard disk, it's always wise to buy the current technology,
though not necesssrily the bleeding edge. Current technology costs no more
than older technology, and since the performance of your hardware is the sum
of the performance of the individual parts, why not?

Modem Ani
Click to expand...
 
The best way to get correct information for your drive is to go to the
manufacturer's web site, where you will find all the technical details for
the drive.

Modem Ani
 
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