Desktop computer hard drives are the primary and largest form of storage on a computer. Vital software such as the operating system and application files are stored on computer hard drives. So is end user data ranging from desktop documents and digital images to music and video files. The disk drive is sometimes referred to as the 'C' drive, something that came about from the most widely used operating system Microsoft Windows that by default assigns the letter C to the main drive or partition on a computer.
Of course, it is not technically correct to use the 'C' drive to refer to the hard drive but the term is still widely used. A single hard drive can be partitioned into several logical drives allowing the end user and the system look at each partition as a somewhat independent disk. Desktop computer hard drives are some of the most in demand computer accessories and there are many electronics companies that manufacture disk disks. When looking for disk drives, the two aspects you must pay the most attention to are the size and speed.
Hard disk size has seen a tremendous rise in recent years. Capacity is indicated in bytes with modern hard disks having capacity in gigabytes (GB) which is approximately 1x109 bytes, or in terabytes (TB) which is about 1x109 bytes. Ordinary desktop computer users will find a hard disk whose capacity is in the hundreds to be more than adequate for their needs. Users that regularly work with, manage and store high volume data such as image, music and video files may need more capacity of even 1 or 2 TBs.
Speed is an important consideration too. The speed of standard disk drives today is 7200rpm. However higher performing disks are available with a spin rate of up to 10000rpm. Both speed and capacity needs must be weighed when deciding the type of disk to go for. For example, a computer that will primarily be used for Word processing needs a 7200rpm and 250GB hard disk. A web surfing computer will do with a 7200rpm and 320GB hard drive. Gaming will require more resources and a 7200rpm but 500GB should be the minimum size to go for.
Desktop computer hard drives use either one of two technologies or interfaces: Serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) and IDE (Integrated Device Electronics). Of the two, Serial ATA has emerged as the more popular since it requires fewer configurations during installation. IDE is also simply known as ATA.
That said, an emerging form of desktop computer disk drives is the solid state drive. Instead of using magnetic disks for holding data as standard hard drives do, solid state drives use flash memory component that provided better performance and reliability. Another technology making its way into the desktop computer hard drive scene is RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). Historically used for server storage, RAID employs the use of multiple disks to shore up performance and reliability.