SSDs have certainly taken over traditional mechanical hard drives. But if you’re looking for a cheaper option that offers the same storage (or even better), installing an HDD wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.
You may opt for either aninternal or externalhard drive to expand your storage. However, the former would be the ideal choice if you seek better performance and longevity.
But when it comes to installing internal HDDs, normal users might find this a little tricky. Whether you want to replace your hard drive or simply wish to expand the storage, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to install one.
Step 1: Check Compatibility
The first question is—have you got the right hard drive? Just because you have an HDD doesn’t mean it’s compatible with your current setup.
As per my experience, the most common hard drive interface isSATA, and if I’m not wrong, you probably have the same. However, if you’re going to install a very old drive, yours could be aPATA/IDE(with 40-pin configuration) or evenSCSI(with 80-pin or 68-pin configuration).
you may even findSASandFEinterfaces which are both better than SATA but are rarely used. We shall discuss them in detail some other day. For now, I will be guiding you on how to install a SATA hard drive as it is the most commonly used.
Along with the interface, it’s also important to note the HDD’s form factor (in inches). In the past, 8, 5.25, 1.8, 1.3, 1, and even 0.85 inches HDDs were available, which have all now gone obsolete. Today, you’re only going to find two form factors—2.5 inchesmeant for notebook computers and3.5 inchesfor desktops.
However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you may’t use either of them on your respective device. You may utilize the 3.5″ hard drive on your laptop as external storage if you have the appropriate connector but it might require an additional power supply (to support the 3.5″ HDDpower requirement).
To use a 2.5″ HDD on desktops, all you need is an appropriatemounting bracket,but note that this might not satisfy your needs.
Moreover, some systems aren’t compatible with certain hard drives, or they provide additional notes regarding which slot should be avoided. For that reason, it’s always best tocheck your motherboard specificationsto know what’s right for you.
Looking at the specifications of MSI B450 TOMAHAWK above, there are six SATA III ports available. However, the last two becomes unavailable if you utilize the M.2 slot. This means if you connect the SATA hard drives on these slots with an SSD installed, they won’t be detected.
Lastly, I recommend adopting atrusted manufacturer’s HDDonly. These include Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, SanDisk, Kingston, etc.
Additional Tip:you may utilize a PC-building utility (for example, PCPartPicker) to know which hard drive would best suit your setup.
Once you have the appropriate hard drive based on your needs and specs, it’s time to gather the necessary tools:
