How Much RAM Do You Need for Your Computer Memory
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Read this articleA hard disk drive (HDD) is an internal or external computer component that stores data, such as the operating system, applications, and user files.
HDDs are “non-volatile” storage devices, meaning they retain stored data even when power isn't being supplied.
An HDD includes two main elements; a spinning platter and an actuator arm.
The platter spins (hence the name) on a spindle to help speed up the read/write process as the actuator arm moves across it.
The data sectors are spread out randomly (also known as fragmented) across the platter, and below we'll discuss defragmenting a hard drive to boost performance.
The platter and the actuator arm are delicate physical mechanisms, so a solid case covers them to prevent damage under normal use. The hard drive cover will look like a metal box, and it will be clearly labeled as a hard disk drive or HDD.
Here's what an internal HDD looks like beneath its metal casing. You can see the spinning platter and the actuator arm, and how they work together to read and write the data upon request.
Instead of an HDD, newer computers are usually fitted with an SSD (solid state drive).
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If you’d like to learn more, check out our article comparing SSDs and HDDs.
As time goes on, you may start to experience HDD lagging, with slow start-ups and longer load times.
You can help prevent this by occasionally doing a little maintenance work, which should improve performance immediately after you follow these steps:
1. Defrag your hard disk drive – this reorganizes the data to store it sequentially for faster read times.
2. Delete temporary files – programs and apps can store temporary data that can take up a lot of storage space on your drive. Depending on what Windows version you’re using, these steps may be slightly different:
3. Remove unnecessary data – freeing space is a great way to improve storage performance. This could be deleting old programs and apps you no longer use or moving photos, films and games over to an external storage device until you need them. These are the steps to remove apps and programs, but this may differ depending on the Windows version in use:
4. Enable write caching –this step enables the volatile memory (RAM) to collect data in a cache before writing it to the storage device. The cache can process the data faster, resulting in fast load times. Again, these steps may differ depending on the windows that you're using.
5. Upgrade your storage – the quickest way to improve performance is to upgrade to an SSD (solid state drive), which we'll talk about in the next section.
You now have a good idea of how HDDs work, but there's also a new generation of computer storage available – the SSD.
SSDs are storage drives that fulfil the same purpose as an HDD, only using a more advanced technology.
The benefits of an SSD include:
Upgrading to a solid state drive can help boost the performance of your PC or laptop, but one thing to consider when doing so is compatibility.
SSDs come in different forms, whether that be SATA or NVMe. The Crucial® System Selector or System Scanner can help you find a suitable SSD for your computer.
If you want to increase your data capacity without replacing your internal hard disk, adding an external storage drive is a quick and easy way to expand your storage capabilities.
A hard drive is a physical computer component that stores data, including programs, pictures, documents, and your operating system. Nearly all computers come equipped with an internal storage drive, and you can also add external hard drives for more storage space.
HDD stands for “hard disk drive,” and is a type of hard drive commonly used by older computers for data storage.
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How much RAM do you need? 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB - or even 64GB? Find out if you need to increase your computer memory with the experts at Crucial.
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