How to Choose an SAS Internal Hard Disk Drive
You've likely heard of SATA and HDD drives, but what is an SAS drive? "SAS" stands for Serial Attached SCSI, and it's just another type of interface used as a way to transfer data between drives. You can add an internal hard disk drive to expand your PC's storage, and HPE (Hewlett-Packard Enterprises) offers numerous designs for its machines.
What Is a Hard Drive?
An SAS hard drive's primary job is to store data since hard drives (or HDD) are what your computer uses for long-term storage. Another type of drive, an SSD (or solid-state drive), is designed for quickly accessing everyday applications.
- When you download new software to your computer, it goes onto your HP's HDD.
- Purchasing songs from iTunes or Amazon, downloading movies, adding photos or work presentations, or saving documents are examples of how you use your hard drive on a daily basis because your hard drive keeps all of your data saved and stored.
- To ensure that you don't lose your data in cases of a computer malfunction, many people back up their hard drives as a way to give themselves peace of mind.
How Much Storage Capacity Do You Need?
You've decided to expand the amount that your HP SFF computer can store, so this means you're probably faced with tough decisions regarding a hard drive purchase. You'll also want to begin by thinking about what you really need in terms of space.
- You can purchase SAS HDDs in numerous size options that range from GB up to TB. A TB is larger than a GB, and choosing the right hard drive really depends on how you use your PC, what you have on it, how many photos, music, and movies you have saved.
- For a general computer that's used for everyday computing and/or storing a few photos and games, you can likely stick with an SAS HDD with something like 500 GB.
- Many people think they need much more hard drive space than they really do. Even when you've had your computer for years and every photo you've taken is on it, 1 TB is more than enough for the average user. For your own peace of mind, however, 2 TB is likely more than you need, but when you frequently store games and software, it may be a good idea to opt for a larger HDD.
How Do You Pick the Correct Drive for Your Machine?
You'll want to follow a handful of specific guidelines when you're selecting an HDD.
- You'll need to consider the SATA form factor of your HPE machine, which could be anywhere from two inches to 2.5 inches to up to 5.25 inches.
- Decide on how many GB or TB you need to store your files and data.
- Finally, consider the hard drive's RPM, which refers to the speed of your hard drive and disk drives. The bigger the number, the faster the HDD is, though this also depends on usage.
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