alt="harddisk.jpg (11735 bytes)" align="left" hspace="5" vspace="5">The
standard way we look at hard disks is: the bigger the better.
Not always. Sure, you do need a
large-enough hard disk, but that alone doesn’t guarantee performance. More than the
disk’s capacity, its speed determines how fast your computer works.
Large but slow hard disks can make
your computing life a real misery. Settling for a smaller but faster disk is always a
better bet. That said, what is the smallest hard disk that you can use?
1 GB hard disks are no longer made;
2.1 GB is passe, though you can still get some. Today’s entry level is 4 GB and 5,400
RPM.
IDE hard disks are now fast enough for
most of your work. If you do real-time multimedia work or lots of 3D graphics, then you
may need SCSI.
Normally you would have two IDE
interfaces on your motherboard, each of which can take two devices. So, you can add a
maximum of four hard disks (or hard disks and IDE CD-ROM drives). The first drive
connected to either interface is called the primary and the second one (connected on the
same cable) is called the slave. You use jumpers on the hard disks and CD-ROM drives to
select which is the primary and which the slave.
The normal practice is to set up the hard disk from
which you boot up, as your primary master, and your CD-ROM drive connects to the same
cable as the primary slave.
Model | Capacity | RPM | Price (Rs) | Vendor |
Seagate Medallist 4321 |
4.3 GB |
5,400 |
7,500 |
ACI Computers |
Seagate Medallist 6531 |
6.5 GB |
5,400 |
9,300 |
ACI Computers |
Seagate Medallist 8641 |
8.6 GB |
5,400 |
10,800 |
ACI Computers |
Seagate Medallist 10240 |
10.2 GB |
5,400 |
12,500 |
ACI Computers |
Samsung SW0434A |
4.3 GB |
5,400 |
6,600 |
Classic Computers |
Quantum Fireball 3200 AT |
3.2 GB |
5,400 |
6,175 |
Pertech Innovations |
Quantum Fireball 5100 AT |
5.1 GB |
5,400 |
7,800 |
Pertech Innovations |
Quantum Fireball 6400 AT |
6.4 GB |
5,400 |
8,175 |
Pertech Innovations |
Quantum Fireball 7650 AT |
7.6 GB |
5,400 |
9,500 |
Pertech Innovations |
Quantum Fireball 10200 AT 10. |
2 GB |
5,400 |
11,500 |
Pertech Innovations |
Quantum Fireball 12700 AT 12. | 7 GB | 5,400 | 13,500 | Pertech Innovations |