Table of Contents
Introduction
Is your laptop slowing down? Is it continuously filled up in space and failing to save your favorite games, music and videos? Then look no further as we have a great solution for you. Standard laptop hard drives are rated at quite low speeds and are usually quite low in capacity. This can be quite frustrating for most people as this renders the laptop useless.
Latest update on 2022-11-28 | Images | Affiliate links from Amazon Product Advertising API
You might be basking in the glory of large scale desktop storage options and might get a little jealous. But what if we were to tell you that you can get that same fast and seamless desktop experience on your laptop? That might seem too good to be true but we are here to tell you that that is all very much possible and all it requires is a bit of research and a simple swap of your laptop’s hard drive.
A HDD or a Hard Disk Drive is a type of storage that has moving magnetized disks and a header. The header reads and writes data to the platter surface. The data is stored according to sectors. It is one of the most popular ways data is stored on a laptop or computer.
It can be difficult finding and upgrading your laptop’s hard drive as most laptops can only fit 2.5” drives. A faster 2.5” hard drive which runs at 7200 RPM can make finding the perfect drive for your laptop much more difficult. But no need to worry as we have the perfect answers for you.
Top 5 Hard Drives for Laptops
Seagate EXOS ST2000NX0263
Seagate is an American data storage company which has been operating since 1978. It deals in specialized internal hard drives and solid state drives. Their hard drives are very well received globally and they have truly made a mark in the computer industry.
The Seagate EXOS hard disk drive is also known as an enterprise hard drive. An enterprise hard drive is made for workstations, servers and for devices that are operational 24/7; this means that they are made with the top quality materials that are made to last long.
This certain hard drive is a 2TB drive that has plenty of storage for any user. It has a hard drive rotational speed of 7200 RPM which is quite impressive. It is very rare to find high RPM drives that are compatible with a laptop. This is because they tend to produce a lot of heat and some laptops aren’t designed for such heat.
It is a 2.5” hard drive which is compatible with most laptops. This hard disk drive is rated to be quite durable and long lasting. This leads to it having a high price tag.
Pros
- 2.5” size which is compatible with most laptops
- Reliable
- Above average read and write speeds
- Solid construction
- Enclosed shell
Cons
- Components might be outdated
- Not as highly rated
Verdict
Overall, the Seagate EXOS ST2000NX0263My product is a quality hard drive and is meant to last long. Being an enterprise grade hard drive makes it very reliable and a perfect choice for those who are looking to upgrade their laptops. But a thing to note is that this is not for everyone as the price tag is not budget friendly.
Seagate ST2000NX0433
Seagate brings us another great option for you. Seagate has over and over again produced such great quality drives that they have an entirely devoted fan base. Their products are used all over the world as they have great quality drives that are quite affordable.
This Seagate drive is another enterprise drive. This means that it was made for systems and places where it would be in use 24/7. This classifies this drive as very high quality and reliable because these enterprise drives are made from top quality materials.
This hard drive is quite sleek and minimalistic with its 2.5” form factor. This will be compatible with almost every laptop and will provide you with great performance overall. It is a 2TB hard drive which will be plenty for the average consumer and has a 128MB cache. This enables it to have quite a quick transfer rate.
It has a Scsi interface and has a disk rotational speed of 7200rpm. This is quite impressive as there are very few drives which offer a fast rotational speed in a small form factor. As this drive is an enterprise drive, it is very costly as well.
Pros
- Sleek design
- 2.5” form factor compatible with most laptops
- 12 Gb/s fast data transfer speeds
- Reliable
- Compact
Cons
- Quite expensive
- Connection might not be compatible with all laptops
Verdict
The Seagate ST2000NX0433My product drive is quite impressive as it delivers great performance and reliability all in a small package. If money is not an object for you then this is one of the best options to go for as it makes up for its price tag in every aspect.
WD Black Performance
Western Digital is an American computer data storage manufacturing company. They started their operations in 1970 and have been a leading brand in the manufacturing of quality hard drives. They produce excellent quality drives which are very durable and long lasting.
The WD Black Performance internal hard drive is another example of the company’s excellence. This is a 2TB hard drive which is plenty for an average consumer. It has a 7200 RPM disk rotation speed which is staggering. It also has a SATA 6 Gb/s transfer which is very impressive.
This drive has amazing performance and paired with the 2x DRAM cache which is up to 256MB, it gives great speed and reliability. It is a 3.5” hard drive, which might not fit in most laptops. It can however be plugged into a docking station and can be used with any laptop.
The WD Performance is equipped with the feature of dual-core processing which offers twice the processing speed as a conventional hard drive. The hard drive comes with StableTrac which secures the motor shaft inside the hard drive which makes this drive that much more reliable. WD also offers an amazing 5 year warranty along with it.
Pros
- Next gen storage
- Quite reasonably priced
- Fast cache compared to other hard drives
- Focused at gamers and professionals
- Long warranty period
Cons
- 3.5” might not be compatible with all laptops
- Not as durable in the long run
Verdict
All in all the WD Black PerformanceMy product is quite a hard drive as it offers great performance and reliability. Even though this is a 3.5” drive and can’t fit in most laptops, it is still a very good option if your laptop supports it. it is also quite affordable compared to many rivals.
Seagate Enterprise ST2000NX0253
Seagate has time and time again produced excellent quality drives. These drives are built to last and offer great performance. Seagate has been highly acclaimed all around the globe for their amazing drives that deliver on durability and performance.
This drive is an enterprise grade drive. It is built with very high quality materials as the enterprise grade drives are designed and made for servers and other places where these drives are being run 24/7. In order to achieve these stats the build quality has to be just as good.
This is a 2.5” hard drive which allows it to fit in most laptops which is very convenient. This drive is among the few drives that offer a disk rotational speed of 7200 RPM in a small form factor. With its 12 GB/s SAS interface it delivers on performance and is quite fast and efficient.
It is one of the “cheaper” enterprise grade drives but is still quite expensive for a hard drive. It has amazing build quality and is very reliable. It will surely last you quite a long time as it is also very durable.
Pros
- Enterprise grade
- 2.5” compatible with most laptops
- Option for low power consumption
- SATA III interface quite popular
- Fast transfer speeds
Cons
- Exposed motherboard
- Very expensive
Verdict
Overall, the Seagate Enterprise ST2000NX0253My product drive is quite impressive. It is very powerful and fast considering that it is a HDD. It has great durability and has great build quality. It will surely give you an amazing experience if you are willing to look over the price tag.
Seagate BarraCuda Pro
Seagate has once again proved its amazing craftsmanship. Seagate produces quality hard drives that are very popular among the average user, gamers, and professionals etc. They are one of the frontrunners when it comes to hard drives and storage solutions.
The Seagate Barracuda Pro is a very highly rated drive. It has a storage capacity of 2TB and a disk rotation speed of 7200RPM. This is all quite amazing. It has a SATA 6 GB/s transfer rate which is quite impressive.
It has a 3.5” form factor which is said to fit in laptops which is astonishing as most 3.5” drives are not supported by some laptops. It has a sleek design and is made to give you the ultimate performance. It offers up to 128 MB cache along with its interface gives the maximum optimum transfer rate.
This drive is power optimized so it will not have a negative impact on the battery of your laptop. it is quite reliable with a 300TB/year workload rate limit. This is all very impressive and is one of the reasons that this drive is quite highly rated.
Pros
- Very reliable
- Fast speeds
- High build quality
- Five year included warranty
- affordable
Cons
- header might be prone to malfunctioning
- reported to be an archive drive
Verdict
Seagate have done it again with this drive. The Seagate BarraCuda ProMy product is a very reliable hard drives that delivers great performance all in a very budget friendly price point. The price to performance ratio is quite perfect. If you were to choose this drive for your laptop, then you wouldn’t be disappointed at all.
What to look for when buying a hard drive
Price
When you’re choosing the perfect hard drive for your laptop, there are a lot of options that are quite expensive. You need to ask yourself, are you willing to spend a lot of money just to store your data. Well, it might be worthwhile to look into.
The more expensive options sometimes provide greater reliability and features. But if you are not willing to spend the extra dough, then a normal well-priced hard drive is an amazing option for you. Just be sure to not overpay for features that you can find in a cheaper drive.
It is recommended that if you’re an average consumer then there are a lot of budget options available that could save your pocket. You should always get the value for your money and should get the bang for your buck.
Durability
A drive is a major component and losing it could mean the data on it will be lost forever. So it is recommended that when choosing a drive you should research and look into if it will be able to last you a couple of years.
An average life of an HDD is 3-5 years, just be sure to get a drive that is great in build quality and isn’t prone to malfunctioning or breaking. That drive should last to its maximum potential. The durability of the drive also depends largely on what type of hard drive it is. If it is an enterprise hard drive then it is made for the ultimate lifespan. But if the hard drive is a consumer hard drive then it will last the usual time.
Compatibility
Although there a lot of options in the market, you need to see if the drive you’re about to purchase is even compatible with your laptop. Some laptops have different connection methods and configurations you need to check your laptop and what kind of drives it can support.
Some laptops have different connection types and the drive you’re selecting will purely depend on the type of connection that is compatible with your laptop. Some laptops also have the option of placing a full size 3.5” HDD. If your laptop supports that then know that there are a lot more options available in that area.
3.5” vs. 2.5”
This purely depends on your laptop and what kind of drive it can support. Most laptops can support only 2.5” drives whereas, there are some laptops that provide the option of using full size internal hard drives.
Usually the 3.5” drives provide more performance and durability and there are a lot more options available in the market in this segment. There are also some other ways a person can use a 3.5” drive on their laptop.
You can purchase a docking station that will connect a full size drive to your laptop or you could alter the connections of the SAT ports so that a full size drive can fit. But it is recommended to go with the original size that is preferred for your laptop.
Performance
A drive should deliver amazing performance and fast read and write speeds. Obviously, it cannot compete with an SSD, but still it should be powerful enough to provide you with a smooth experience. A 7200 RPM drive is much faster than a 5400 RPM variant.
A drive should have a great interface combined with ample cache in order to provide fast transfer rates. If the drive you’re considering doesn’t provide these features then it might be better to look into other options.
Recommendation
All the options presented in the list are quite amazing and frankly none of them will disappoint you. They all have great performance and are very reliable as they come from reputable companies. All of the drives mentioned are compatible with your laptop and will be a great pick.
But, we think that the Seagate Barracuda Pro is a clear winner. This drive delivers on all fronts. It is very reliable and is quite highly rated. It is very powerful with great durability and will provide an amazing experience.
Also this drive is quite affordable and comes with a 5 year long warranty and a 2 year rescue data recovery services. This provides you with ease that your data will not be lost if anything unfortunate were to occur.
Final Words
We hope that our top 5 picks have helped you into deciding what drive to get for your laptop. do keep in mind that you have to first see what type of drives are compatible with your laptop and then you have to decide.
If you do not agree with our top pick then no need to worry as there are plenty of amazing options for you out there. Hopefully our list has helped narrow it down for you and you will make a well judged decision based on it. Just be sure to get the best value for your money.
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