Comparison Toshiba MQ04ABFxxxV 2.5" MQ04ABF100 1 TB vs Seagate Constellation ES.3 ST2000NM0033 2 TB

SATA

The general purpose of a hard drive is the type of devices for which it was originally intended.

— For PC. Hard drives designed for use with conventional consumer computers and laptops. At the same time, the possibility of installing an internal HDD (see "Performance") directly depends on the form factor (see the relevant paragraph), while external models are not subject to such restrictions — it is enough for them to have the appropriate connection connector. Also note that almost all external hard drives are designed specifically for PCs; making server models external is not technically justified.

— For the server. Hard drives designed for servers have increased speed and reliability, because they constantly have to receive and give large amounts of information. To ensure speed, they may provide an increased rotation speed (up to 15,000 rpm). Such drives are made only internal (see "Performance"), and, in addition to SATA, they can use other, more specific connection methods — for example, SAS(see "Connection interfaces").

— For game console. Specialized hard drives designed for use with game consoles. They are made only external (see "Performance"), they are intended mainly for storing games — including saves and user settings profiles. The main difference between such devices and classic external HDDs is...precisely the optimization for working with game consoles, including the availability of special software tools for improved integration. Many of these drives are originally designed for a specific model or family of set-top boxes.

The capacity of a hard disk drive shows how much data the HDD can store—from documents and photos to games, movies, backups, and large work archives. This parameter determines whether the drive is suitable for a simple home system, file storage, or, for example, for long-term accumulation of video recordings from surveillance cameras.

Models small by modern standards are more often chosen for documents, music, and basic files, whereas drives of 4 – 8 TB and larger are already interesting for large media libraries, backups, and NAS systems. Compared to SSDs, high-capacity HDDs are usually more cost-effective per gigabyte, so they are often chosen particularly when the maximum space is more important than record-breaking speed. For example, a drive of 1 or 2 TB might be enough for a regular PC, while 6 – 10 TB could be suitable for a movie collection, family archive, or constant video recording.

The form factor in which the hard drive is made.

This indicator determines primarily the size of the device. But its more specific meaning depends on the execution (see the relevant paragraph). So, in the case of external drives, only the overall dimensions of the case depend on the form factor, and then quite approximately. But internal HDDs are installed in slots with a well-defined size and location of holes for fasteners; these holes are made specifically for one form factor or another. For desktop PCs, the standard form factor is 3.5", for laptops — 2.5" ; at the same time, there has been a recent trend in desktops towards miniaturization and the transition to 2.5-inch drives. Theoretically, there is an even smaller form factor — 1.8", but in fact it is used mainly among ultra-compact external HDDs.

Manufacturer's warranty provided for this model.

In fact, this is the minimum service life promised by the manufacturer, subject to the rules of operation. Most often, the actual service life of the device is much longer than the guaranteed one.

For drives used in a PC (see "Intended use"), 5400 rpm(normal) and 7200 rpm(high) are considered standard speeds. There are also more specific options, including models with the ability to adjust the speed depending on the load. In server HDDs, in turn, higher speeds can be used — 10,000 rpm and even 15,000 rpm.

The time it takes for the hard disk mechanics to find random requested data to read. For each specific case, the search time is different, as it depends on the location of the data on the surface of the disk and the position of the read head, therefore, the average value is indicated in the characteristics of hard drives. The lower the average seek time, the faster the disk works, all other things being equal.

A parameter that determines the resistance of the hard drive to drops and shocks during operation (that is, in the on state). Shock resistance is measured in G — units of overload, 1 G corresponds to the usual force of gravity. The higher the G number, the more resistant the disc is to various kinds of concussions and the less likely it is to be damaged, say, in the event of a fall. This setting is especially important for external drives and drives used in laptops.