Hard Disk Drive - internal HDDs, external HDDs, SAS HDD, SATA HDD 

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is the archetype of hard disk drives and still plays an important role among storage media. In addition to the immense storage capacity, the robustness and recyclability of HDDs also play a role. After all, they can be written to, erased and formatted as often as you like. At Memorysolution you will find a wide range of HDDs. At the bottom of the page you will find explanations about the difference between SATA and SAS HDDs, among other things.

What to know about Hard disk drives

Why people still use HDDs.

Although there are newer and faster technologies like SSD and NVMe, HDD hard disks are still used in the majority today. We have already mentioned the reasons for this. Besides the immense storage capacity, it is the robustness and the recyclability of HDDs. Furthermore, they can be written to, deleted and formatted as often as desired.

Where HDD hard disks are used

Due to the aforementioned advantages, HDDs are found in servers, NAS drives and as backups for large amounts of data.

Internal and external HDDs and how they work

In addition to internally installed HDD hard disks, there are also external HDD hard disks, especially for backing up smaller amounts of data. Currently, the two sizes 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch are common for internal hard disks, whereby the smaller version is more likely to be found in notebooks and other mobile devices. The two sizes do not differ in terms of functionality. HDDs consist of one or more magnetic disks that rotate. Data is written to the surfaces. HDD hard disks are therefore storage media in which the storage location is accessed directly. This access is controlled by a processor. For this to work, the hard disk needs an interface.



The differences - HDD with SATA or SAS interface

Basically, hard disks with a SATA interface are more versatile than those with a SAS interface. Namely, besides the possibility of connecting them with SATA connectors, they can also be connected with SAS controllers. Unfortunately, the SAS interface does not offer this flexibility. But due to the development especially for servers, SAS has special features that have to be weighed when choosing for a HDD. For example, a SAS HDD has two connections. On the one hand, these ensure that the bandwidth is doubled, and on the other, that two systems can be accessed simultaneously. If one system fails, for example, the second can take over without any losses.

SATA and SAS - the price difference and its reasons

HDD with SAS connection have additional features, SATA hard disks are a lot cheaper. In addition, SAS hard disks can be used in more demanding environments. However, it cannot be deduced from this that SATA disks are less high-quality. If you have any questions about which HDD hard drive with which interface is the right one for you, our experts will be happy to help you.