TECH411.ORG

By Jon M. Cohen

As most consumers embrace new technologies like digital cameras, digital camcorders and MP3 players is can be assumed that  today’s average consumer will find them-self with more and more files that become highly important and can’t be lost.  As more content is created the more we realize that the internal hard drive in computers is not large enough to handle the information that we hold so precious. It comes to a point where we need to increase our hard drive to hold all that information. Below are some basic tips to ensure that you buy the best replacement hard drive for your needs.

My first tip is the most important; and thus I suggest that if you only read one part this is it! When you are ready to change your desktop computer hard drive it is key to know what kind of connector is needed from the desktop’s motherboard. The two most popular options are ATA (also know as PATA) or the newer SATA (Serial ATA). It sounds like a very simple tip, but 70% of people are unsure and are unable to answer this question when they walk in to their local computer retailer. For anyone who is not sure what I mean by this significant difference; the only reasonable comparison that one can make is the difference between gas engines and diesel engines. Therefore, when you go to refuel your car you can’t put diesel fuel in a regular gas tank.

Size does matter! Buy the hard drive for the future. When you get to the store you may have options between 250GB, 500Gb, 750GB, 1000GB (1TB) and maybe even 1500GB (1.5TB). The right size is going to vary depending on your use. My rule of thumb is to get three times larger capacity. So if you are using a 250, then get a 750GB; if you have a 500Gb then a 1.5TB is the right amount. The good thing with most desktop computers is that you can have multiple drives in the computer. Therefore to reach 1.5TB you can use 2 x 750Gb. As drive sizes get large and prices go down I would always encourage people to get everything in one drive. This option offers less failure rate and gives improved speeds and performance.

Lots of people will tell you that one brand is better then another brand. The truth of the matter is that some brands are in fact better. The failure rate for any brand is almost all equal over a 12-month period. The same way that if you buy a really good car (like Bentley or Ferrari) you will still need service and you will still need to get service done for it. The point I am making is this; all technology can breakdown. Just make sure you are prepared. You should have some kind of backup solution. I know I sound a bit pessimistic, but it is better to be safe then sorry.

Speed, Speed, Speed…my last tip is that when you have a chance to get a new hard drive you should take advantage of any speed boosts with the technology. Over the last number of years we have seen the change from 5200RPM to 7200RPM drives. This means a faster read and writes speed. As technology improves, we will see that 10,000RPM or faster drives will be more common. Therefore, when you have a chance to upgrade and get a new drive you should take the fastest speeds you can afford.

Since you are in a position to upgrade or change your desktop hard drive I hope you keep the above mentioned four points in your head.. Find the perfect drive that meets your needs… Look for the fastest speed for the biggest drives and don’t get hung up to much on brand and lastly make sure you get the right kind of connection for you computer’s mother board.

By Jon M. Cohen – Technology Consultant

The first thing you need to know is that you need to have confidence in yourself. Although this customization is really easy you need to still have the confidence to do it.  The Top 5 things that I will list are in my opinion the most important things to know when changing your hard drive.

1. Picking the correct replacement hard drive is key. When you look online or go to your local retailer you may see a lot of different choices. Some options are type of drive, speed, and connector type. When it comes to the type of drive, you need a 2.5” footprint, and you can choose between a solid-state drive or a more classic platter drive. The SSD (solid-state drive) is going to be a lot quicker and give you improved battery life, but remember that with the SSD you are limited to the size (capacity) of the drive and you are going to pay a premium because it is a newer technology. If you choose to go with a more traditional platter drive, then speed and connection type become factors. The speeds in RPM’s can be between 4,200RPM up to 10,000RPM. With the 5,400RPM being the most common. If you need a quicker response for the read/write then the 7,200RPM might be your best fit. Just remember the faster the drive the more toll on your computer. And this equates to a shorter battery charge. When you look at connection type, this question is cut-n-dry, the Macbook / Macbook Pro can only you Serial ATA drives (SATA), thus when you are looking to buy that new drive make sure you select the SATA option.

Apple Macbook/Macbook Pro (Late 2008) Hard Drive

2. Have your boot disk and make sure they work. All new Macs come with the boot/recovery disks. Once you have installed the new drive you will need to use the disks to format the drive and to load an OS on the drive. FYI: this process can take a few hours.

3. After you have removed the battery and have the correct tools at arms length, it is important to make sure you have the computer unplugged and you ground yourself. What I mean by that is that you discharge any static electricity in your body. This can be done by wearing a grounding wire, or even easier is to touch the grounding plate on the inside of the Macbook /Macbook Pro case. This plate is directly below the battery.

4. Remove the small screw that is holding down the hard drive. Now that the screw is out the hard drive can be lifted out of the case. Before you lift it up, remember that you need to undo the SATA connector cable. If you forget, you might give a slight pull to the drive and end up dislodging the SATA connector cable to. Thus DON’T forget to undo the cable and then lift up the drive.

5. 5 screws are all you need! It is key that you don’t lose the screws that are with the hard drive already. You will need to unscrew them and attach them to the new drive that you have bought. Once you have done that you can put the new drive in to your computer.

Another point to note; the 17″ Macbook Pro does require different steps to change the hard drive. So hopefully you have learned something from the above and I wish you good luck with the upgrade and enjoy your Macbook or Macbook Pro.

By Jon M. Cohen

As a New Year begins, a lot of new trends are to be found in the computer industry. C.E.S. 2009 showed off a lot of great technologies and I have compiled a list of some of the top trends for the average computer buyer this year. Now take those unwanted holiday gifts and return them. Let’s use the money you got back and make a worth while purchase. This means  before you use that $200.00 gift card to buy some DVDs that you will watch maybe once or twice, why not look into putting that money into one or more of these trends instead? Besides we use computers daily, how often can you watch the Seinfeld Box set anyways?!

1. Netbooks… they are HOT! Portables are becoming cheaper and cheaper, plus they have a lot more power behind them. In 2009 you will continue to see the Notebook sub category of ‘Netbooks’ continue to sell well. They are currently sold with screen sizes of 7″ to 10″ and SSD at 8GB or SATA Hard Drives at 120GB – 160GB. I predict that these ultra portable computers will see a big bump in speeds and specifications. The cost of these goods has gone down and the addition of such features as GPS, 802.11N, and Express Card Slots should become standard shortly. As well, more memory and bigger hard drive sizes are to be expected.

2. Solid State Drives (SSDs): These drives offer a super fast speed of data transfer and have no real moving parts; they are almost at the “tipping point” (M. Gladwell). With drive capacity closing in on 600GB and the speed being 5x faster then a 7200RPM drive, I predict that this type of drive will continue to drop in price and start being present in more and more notebooks this year. Who does not want faster drives at cheaper prices?!

3. Better backup choices: Everyone is creating media, from digital cameras, camcorders, MP3’s, etc. As we add more and more files to our lives, these files become more valuable. The more we count on them, the more earth shattering it becomes when they are lost. Thus, simple and reliable backup solutions will be a big and popular trend in 2009. Yes we have had these solutions for years, but now it will be cheap and so simple to use that mainstream consumers can do it too. 

4. Multi-core comes to life in 2009! We have seen over the last number of years the idea of multi-core processors (e.g., Intel Core Duo, Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad) invade the market. Now as the new line of processors arrive in 2009 from Intel and AMD, I predict that these cores will start being maximized in multi function operation (i.e., running two operating systems at the same time.) So, if you are buying a new computer, at least make sure it is a multi-core.

5. Move to Mac: This trend is not as much new, as it’s getting stronger. Windows is bleeding; XP is starting to get old and Vista is like that freak uncle that no one wants to admit is part of the family. These two things will be the best drivers to bring long time Windows customers to the Apple platform. Even at higher prices, people will still jump in to the Mac world for a glimpse of what is expected to be utopia. Not even the release of Microsoft Windows 7 will be able to stop Apple’s momentum.

So go out and spend your money wisely. Take with you the knowledge of these trends and enjoy what the computer world has to offer.