| There are many devices which can be used to store | | | | look for a 40X record speed or faster. Anything |
| or write data in your computer system. The options | | | | slower will cost you a lot of time burning CDs.Internal or |
| include hard drives, USB/Firewire storage devices, CD | | | | External: You can choose between an internal or |
| writers and DVD writers. Hard drives are a very | | | | external CD writer. Internal drives are best suited for |
| essential (and delicate) piece of equipment and are a | | | | desktop PCs and are the least expensive option. If you |
| standard feature on most computers. CD writers are | | | | want portability and don't mind paying a little more, you |
| also very common. USB/Firewire storage devices and | | | | can get a FireWire or USB 2.0 external CD-RW drive. |
| DVD writers are currently getting more popular with | | | | DVD WritersDVD writers are the newest rage in the |
| consumers.This article will give you some tips on | | | | consumer data storage market. They let you store up |
| selecting proper data storage devices for your | | | | to 4.7GB on a single disc several times the amount of |
| PC.Hard DrivesFirst, let's cover hard drives. We'll look | | | | on a CD-RW disc. So let's look at some factors to |
| at some hard drive terms like ATA and SCSI, as well | | | | consider when purchasing a new DVD drive. |
| as cover the factors to consider when buying a new | | | | |
| drive. | | | | Drive Speed: One factor to consider when buying |
| ATA and SCSI: Let's get some terminology out of the | | | | DVD writers is drive speed. Most DVD-R drives write |
| way before we go further. In the hard drive world, | | | | at 8X, with some older models supporting only 4X. |
| there are two data access standards, ATA and SCSI | | | | Personally, I don't think there is significant speed |
| (pronounced 'Scar-Zee'). The ATA standard is split | | | | difference between a 8X and 4X drive - so don't |
| further into Parallel ATA (PATA) and Serial ATA | | | | spend extra money unnecessarily if you don't have |
| (SATA). Most of normal hard drives we're used to rely | | | | to.Compatibility |
| on the PATA standard. Some newer hard drives use | | | | There is a huge range of DVD media formats out |
| the SATA standard.SATA allows transfer speeds of | | | | there (DVD+R, DVD-R,DVD+R DL), represented by |
| up to 150 MBs while PATA gives up to 133 MBs. | | | | various brands. You need to consider compatibility of |
| However, to use SATA, you'll need a Serial ATA | | | | your DVD writer with these DVD discs. DVD-R and |
| controller, a SATA drive and a SATA power cable. | | | | DVD+R formats are both very compatible with |
| The speed difference between PATA and SATA is | | | | existing DVD players and DVD-ROM drives - so try to |
| also not significant unless you have a high-end SATA | | | | get a player that supports those.Internal or External |
| drive.The SCSI standard is a very fast hard drive | | | | You can choose between an internal or external |
| standard used for professional computer systems | | | | DVD writer. Internal drives are cheaper but it also |
| which demand extremely fast data access. SCSI | | | | means you need to deal with the installation hassle and |
| drives provide an access time of about 9.5ms - which I | | | | non-portability. External DVD writers come with |
| feel is really not needed for average home use.Disk | | | | Firewire or USB 2.0 interfaces and may well be a |
| Space vs. Price: An important factor to consider is the | | | | better choice if you need to move your data around a |
| disk space versus price ratio. When you look at the 30 | | | | lot. |
| GB, 40 GB and 80 GBPATA hard drives, you'll find | | | | ConclusionTo purchase a good storage device, be it a |
| they are very close in price. If you don't mind paying an | | | | hard drive, CD writer or DVD writer, you need to |
| extra $20 or so, I'd say go for the maximum disk | | | | consider what price you're willing to pay for a given |
| space you can get! If you do a lot of graphics or video | | | | set of features. In my opinion, the DVD burner is fast |
| editing, you may want to consider larger drives like the | | | | becoming an essential item in the average home user's |
| Seagate 160 GB hard drive. For the average home | | | | PC. If you're building a new computer, you should |
| user, however, 40 GB to 80 GB of disk space is | | | | definitely consider buying a DVD writer on top of your |
| plenty.Drive Speed: If data access speed is important | | | | standard hard drive. |
| to you, you can go for faster SATA drives or SCSI | | | | Favorite PicksUpgrade Your Computer Skills with This |
| drives. But remember that these drives come at a | | | | VideoIf you want to learn how to build your own |
| price premium and may not be necessary for average | | | | computer or troubleshoot general PC problems, you |
| home use. Another option is to use a RAID setup | | | | should check out this computer training video. Besides |
| where multiple hard disks are used to gain drive | | | | showing you the exact steps for installing new |
| performance and/or data integrity. | | | | hardware components, this video provides important |
| CD WritersCD writers are practically standard issue | | | | tips for repairing and upgrading your PC. These tips |
| on all PCs these days. Prices are ridiculously cheap, so | | | | include little gems like how to create boot disks, |
| there's no reason not to get one, unless you prefer a | | | | configure your BIOs or format a hard drive.Gary |
| DVD writer. | | | | Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit |
| | | | his website at for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, |
| Drive Speed: For CD writers, you should generally | | | | as well as buying good computer components. |