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    How to speed up comp through hard drive...

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Blizzblaze, Jul 1, 2011.

  1. Blizzblaze

    Blizzblaze Notebook Geek

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    I was just wondering if there is any difference between desktop and laptop hard drives. I would like to format and take out the hard drive of a gateway computer my family hasn't used for a long time and use it as an external hard drive to speed up my computer and use the extra storage.

    Would there be much of a boost? And is this even possible?
     
    Blizzblaze, Jul 1, 2011
    #1
  2. R3d

    R3d Notebook Virtuoso

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    Size. Desktop HDDs (3.5") won't even fit in notebooks.

    Edit: Oops, misread. Run crystalmark on both HDDs and see which one is faster, that'll tell you if you'll get a speed boost or not, though it probably wouldn't be noticeable anyway.
     
    R3d, Jul 1, 2011
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  3. Mr_Mysterious

    Mr_Mysterious Like...duuuuuude

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    I don't think you read the question properly. He said that he's planning on using it as an external hard drive.

    I don't think there's any difference in speed between a 3.5" and a 2.5" hard drive.

    Mr. Mysterious
     
    Mr_Mysterious, Jul 1, 2011
    #3
  4. JOSEA

    JOSEA NONE

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    IS is possible yes, I would recommend a hard drive enclosure such as this:
    USB Hard Drive Enclosure, USB 2.0
    (I cannot vouch for this particular one, just using it as an example)
    Good idea IMO, I use a simiar setup for backups and longterm storage. I would run some tests on the old gateway hard drive (windows chkdsk etc) before I used it for storage just to insure its health.
    If you post the model of the hard drive from the gateway we can answer the speed question but in all likelyhood it will be 5400 RPM at best.
     
    JOSEA, Jul 1, 2011
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  5. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    Using an external drive won't boost the speed of your PC at all. Just use it as extra storage, and that's what many people do.
     
    HTWingNut, Jul 2, 2011
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  6. funky monk

    funky monk Notebook Deity

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    If it's a really old PC then chances are that it could be PATA or worse, IDE. I guess that if you're going to use USB 2.0 then it shouldn't make much difference but the actual hard drive in the desktop could well be slower than your laptop one.

    As a general rule of thumb, desktop drives will be slightly faster than laptop drives, but only by a little. It's the same with processors, however desktop graphics are on a completely different level.
     
    funky monk, Jul 2, 2011
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  7. naton

    naton Notebook Virtuoso

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    arent' pata and ide the same thing?

    the best/cheapest/easiest way to speed a laptop is to add more RAM to it.
     
    naton, Jul 2, 2011
    #7
  8. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    To speed up your existing computer in order of most 'bang for the buck':

    1) Re-install O/S with latest service pack and most updated drivers and firmware/BIOS's for all devices (MB's, gpu's, optical drives, etc.).

    2) With XP systems: if less than 1GB RAM install up to 4GB RAM (depending on cost, dimm sockets available and system/platform capabilities) in matched/identical modules. In Win7x64 systems: 8GB as 'standard' is not out of the question (when RAM prices are ~60/80 for 8GB kits).

    3) Partition your HDD.

    See:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...-hitachi-7k500-benchmark-setup-specifics.html


    4) Use PerfectDisk 12 Professional to thoroughly defragment your system and to keep it defragmented (with it's OptiWrite technology).

    5) Use CCleaner to remove the junk the system accumulates once a week/month.



    Good luck.
     
    tilleroftheearth, Jul 2, 2011
    #8