How much does HDD affect?

[KaiGaming]

besides load time does it affect anything else? I have a 40gb 7200rpm internal HDD and 2TB external HDD and im planning to switch a bigger internal HDD

 

[DarkOutlaw]

Smaller hard drives are faster than larger ones. Hard drive speeds only affect how fast data is accessed. In games this could cause stuttering, but realistically no load time only effects the time it takes to load files.

 

[price_th]

Depending on your RAM size you could be hitting a page file that can slow your system.

 

[DarkOutlaw]

True but that should be a separate issue. page file is the devil....

 

[HVDynamo]

Smaller hard drives are faster than larger ones. Hard drive speeds only affect how fast data is accessed. In games this could cause stuttering, but realistically no load time only effects the time it takes to load files.

Smaller hard drives are not faster than larger hard drives in many instances. First, I would be pretty confident in stating that any new hard drive is going to be faster than an old 40GB hard drive. A 40GB hard drive is pretty dated today, and even if that 40GB was all on one platter the density's found in a new hard drive are so much greater that the head will barely have to move to access the first 40GB of a disk versus an old 40GB drive where the head must move the entire radius of the platter to get all that data. In addition to that, Hard drives begin to slow down when grabbing data from the latter 30-50% of the drive which on a 40GB will only yield optimal performance in only the first 20-28GB of storage. So in addition to the faster interface and higher density, you will get optimum performance from a much greater capacity with a new drive. Smaller hard drives could be faster if you are comparing two drives with the same technology in them, and even then it isn't strictly true. A modern 500GB WD Green is going to be slower than a 1TB WD Black.

The rest, I agree with.

 

[KaiGaming]

If it helps my specs are:
Phenom II x4 965 BE
8GB of ram 1600mhz xms3 or something
ATI HD 4870
and some old 40gb sata HDD with 7200rpm.

 

[HVDynamo]

That is almost exactly the computer my roommate has, with exception to the hard drive. How much are you looking to spend, and how big of an internal drive do you want?

 

[HVDynamo]

This is the drive I have in my computer, I use it strictly for games, but it would be a great replacement for your 40GB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

 

[KaiGaming]

i need something that isn't too outdated and cost equal or less than $50. However if the one i currently have isn't a problem, i might consider just keeping it. BTW, i usually put all my files into my exter. HDD.

 

[HVDynamo]

You aren't going to get much for $50 or less. The only real option is this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236067

It's a 320GB drive, so you gain in capacity. This drive is going to be faster than your 40GB, but it is an economy drive, so it isn't designed for performance as much as it is efficiency, so the difference may not be too substantial. I would steer clear of all refurbished drives, in my experience they just aren't as reliable.

personally, I would save up a little more and get the previous one I linked, but if that isn't an option, this drive will work. Alternatively, if the 40GB is currently working for you then there isn't too much reason to upgrade unless it is full.

 

[KaiGaming]

Best answer selected by kaigaming.