I need a new hard drive for my computer, and I wanted to know if I can get any kind?

Question

My C Drive crashed, and i need a new one. Can i get any kind or does it have to be compatible with my computer. I understand somewhat about computers. Oh, and is this hard drive any good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074

One more thing, should i take into account the company who makes it?

Thankyou in advance.

Answer 1

Yes it DOES have to be compatable with your computer. There are a few different kinds for a desktop or tower. The one you have picked out is a SATA, the most common in PATA.

Here is a image of a SATA>
http://www.escotal.com/Images/computer/SATA_hard%20drive.jpg

Here is a image of a PATA>
http://www.escotal.com/Images/computer/PATA_harddrive.jpg

If indeed you need the disk you have picked out, yes it would be a good buy. Wait and see first. WD is a good brand.

Answer 2

There are two main types of harddrives now. Standard IDE/ATA drives (retroactively renamed PATA) and the new Serial ATA (SATA) drives. If your old drive was a PATA drive, your new drive should be the same. If it was SATA, then get a SATA.

PATA drives normally use a large flat ribbon cable with 80 pins. (Though there are some round PATA cables, they still have 80 pins though.) They also use standard 4-pin Molex connectors.

SATA drives use a small cable with 7 pins and (normally) a 15 pin power connector. SATA was created in 2003, so if the computer is older then that it won't have SATA drives at all.

The following links have pics of the various cables and much more info. Also, note that laptop harddrives are a bit different then desktops. (For a laptop you'd probably want a 2.5" and for a desktop/tower you'd want a 3.5".)

PATA/IDE info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_Attachment

SATA info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA

Molex cable:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex
PATA drives will use a Molex power connector. But some SATA drives may also be able to use a Molex.

As far as brands, personally I'd stick with the big name brands. I use Western Digital drives in my desktop and a Seagate drive in my laptop. Maxtor is also a decent brand in my experience. My old WinME Compaq came with a Maxtor drive installed. And it still works. I believe the harddrive Sony released for the Playstation 2 is also a Maxtor.

Answer 3

I am assuming you don't have a Mac. If you have a laptop there are two sizes (different heights). If you have a desktop there are two kinds of internal HDs; SATA ind IDE devises. Other non-critical differences are speed both rotational and read write; buffer size; and maximum storage. As far as quality goes you get what you pay for. Check out the Sunday paper circulars for good prices. Hard drives are cheap enough, so you might want to get two and do a disk copy every week.

Answer 4

Open your case and take a look inside - if you have connectors with SATA written where they plug into the motherboard (or your existing drive is SATA) then the one you've put on is fine.
In fact if you have SATA -any- SATA drive is fine, sometimes BIOS have size limits but it'll still work up the limit (most newish ones dont have trouble at all)

If you're not sure (and its a desktop) get an IDE/ATA drive as they work in just about anything.

If in doubt search for SATA cable on ebay, look at it and see if it looks like the cable to your harddisk, if it does you have SATA, or look for a big number written on the mainboard of your PC (It'll look like MSI NEO2 865pe or whatever yours id), type it in google and you can see what your board can use.
If you have SATA but its not being used at the mo, check you have poer cables or buy some off ebay if your unsure!

Answer 5

The New Egg drive is a SATA drive, and your PC may not support SATA. It may only be able to use an IDE drive.

Seagate, Western Digital and Maxtor are all good brand names. You get what you pay for.

TIP: Take your old drive with you when you shop for a new one.

Answer 6

It would have to be compatible with your computer's motherboard, so if you can give that info to the people at the store, they will be able to show you which ones would work for you and most of those places may even be able to install the new hard drive for you.

Answer 7

Outside of Cost, and Quality, the type of Drive needs to be looked at;
I recommend http://www.upgrade-solution.com/index.cfm
They have great Drives at Superb Prices, plus Great Return policies.
Now, is your Drive IDE, EIDE, SATA, PATA, etc.... you need to find out which typoe of drive it is before buying
If you have the cash a Raptor at 10,000 rpm, any size, is quite good.
Of Course, if you choose to re-cable inside, you may have a board that supports multiple Types
I usually buy MAXTORS myself, as a price and quality medium, but if you have much RAM and Good CPU then all is well and easy

Answer 8

sometimes it dosent matter who makes the harddrive. what you need to be sure of is is it compatable with your motherboard as far as the connections. you may want to give them a call and they will go through with you and help you to see if its compatable..they will ask you the specifications on your computer. New Egg is pretty good about that

Answer 9

Segate are the best drives out there. They will last longer and work better than any of the others. I've had lots of experience with various harddrives and Segate is the best. You might pay a few more dollars, but its worth it.

Answer 10

newegg sells quality electronics prettry much anything from their site is good most hard drives are plug and play
also you might try formatting your old drive or running the system restore/recovery