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I. Choosing the Right Drive Type
Not sure which drive is right for your computer? This guide helps you determine
the right type of drive and interface using these three questions:
- Which internal drive is the
right choice:
- Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)?
- Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA)?
- Which internal drive is compatible with
my operating system:
- Which external drive interface is the right choice:
- Universal Serial Bus (USB)?
- FireWire®?
- External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (eSATA)?
- Gigabit Ethernet?
- Thunderbolt™?
- Additional Support Resources
II. Internal Drive Interface Choices
| Which
internal drive is the right choice: SATA or PATA? |
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Look at the cable connections on your computer's motherboard to determine the internal hard drive interface you need:
SATA Hard Drives
Because of their considerably narrower cables, SATA hard drives provide increased airflow and less clutter in the computer enclosure compared to PATA drives.
For computer system motherboards that do not have SATA ports, a PCI SATA controller card can be installed to add support for SATA drives.
If you do not know whether your computer has SATA ports on the motherboard, refer to your computer or motherboard documentation or contact the motherboard manufacturer.
Drives in this category include:
Serial ATA International Organization: Serial ATA Revision 1.0
Serial ATA International Organization: Serial ATA Revision 2.0
Serial ATA International Organization: Serial ATA Revision 3.0
PATA Hard Drives
PATA hard drives were an earlier standard in the computer industry for more than 10 years.
For computer system motherboards that do not have PATA ports, a PCI PATA controller card can be installed to add support for PATA drives.
If you do not know whether your computer has PATA ports on the motherboard, refer to your computer or motherboard documentation or contact the motherboard manufacturer.
WD Internal Hard Drive Features
| Feature |
SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drives |
SATA 3Gb/s Hard Drives |
SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drives |
PATA 100MB/s Hard Drives |
Maximum data transfer rate |
1.5 Gb/s |
3 Gb/s |
6 Gb/s |
100 MB/s |
Supported devices
per cable |
One |
One |
One |
Two |
Jumper block |
8-pin (no Master/Slave settings) |
8-pin (no Master/Slave settings) |
8-pin (no Master/Slave settings) |
10-pin (single, Master, Slave, and
cable select (CSEL) settings) |
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| Which
internal drive is compatible with my operating system: SATA or PATA? |
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Your operating system, as well as your hardware, must support the hard
drive you choose:
Your Computer's
Operating System |
WD Hard Drive Compatibility |
| SATA 3Gb/s |
SATA 6Gb/s |
PATA |
Windows 7 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Windows Vista® |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Windows XP |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Windows 2000 |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Mac® OS X |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Note: Compatibility may vary depending on user's hardware
configuration and operating system.
Other helpful information is available in the WD
Knowledge Base at support.wdc.com
III. External Drive Interface Choices
Which
external drive interface is the right choice:
USB, FireWire®, eSATA, Gigabit Ethernet, or Thunderbolt™? |
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Each interface has its strengths, which are explained in the following sections. The right choice depends on compatibility with your computer and how you want to use your device. Look at the external connections on your computer to determine the external hard drive interface you need.
USB
USB is the industry-standard peripheral connection for most Windows-based computers. This interface uses a tiered star interconnect technology to attach multiple external devices
to a central host controller.
The interface provides a simplified external alternative to many varieties of parallel and serial
ports.
USB connector types include Standard-, Mini-, and Micro-USB configurations to
accommodate most popular computer peripheral, audio/visual, and mobile communications
devices. When required, adapter cables can accommodate different connector types.
The USB interface has three available configurations:
- USB 1.0/1.1
- USB 2.0
- USB 3.0
If you do not know the configuration of your computer's
USB ports, refer to your computer documentation or
contact the manufacturer.
USB 1.0/1.1. This is the first version of USB created and features a maximum data rate of 12 Mb/s. If your USB port is this version, you can use a USB 2.0 hard drive, but transfer rates default to the slower version.
USB 2.0. USB 2.0 transfers data at a maximum rate of 480
Mb/s. Sustained data transfer rates, usually from 10 to 30
MB/s, vary depending on many factors including the type of
device, data being transferred, and computer system
speed. If your USB port is an earlier version, USB 1.0 or 1.1,
you can use a USB 2.0 hard drive, but transfer rates default
to the slower version.
USB 3.0. USB 3.0 transfers data at a maximum rate of 4.80 Gb/s. Sustained data transfer rates, usually from 100 to 300
MB/s, vary depending on many factors, including the type of device, data being transferred, and computer system speed.
If your USB port is an earlier version, USB 1.0 or 2.0, you can use a USB 3.0 hard drive, but transfer rates default to the slower version. USB 3.0 connectors, on the computer side, are color-coded blue.
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Standard USB 2.0 or 3.0
Mini USB
Micro USB
Micro USB 3.0 |
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FireWire
FireWire, also called IEEE 1394, is a high-performance connection standard for personal
computers and consumer electronics. This interface uses a daisy-chained interconnect
architecture to allow multiple storage devices to share a single host system FireWire port.
The peer-to-peer interface allows devices to communicate and transfer data with greatly
reduced host system overhead and higher efficiency compared to alternative interfaces like
USB.
The FireWire interface has two configurations:
- FireWire 400
- FireWire 800
Cables and adapters are available to connect FireWire 800 or 400 host ports to FireWire 800
or 400 connectors.
FireWire 400. Also called IEEE 1394a, FireWire 400 transfers large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices at rates up to 400 Mb/s. It is the most
common FireWire interface, present in 6-pin (desktops) and
4-pin (laptops and camcorders, etc.) variants.
Cables and adapters are available to connect mini or
standard host FireWire 400 ports to 4-pin or 6-pin
connectors. The host provides power through the 6-pin
interface to connected devices, where required.
Most desktop external storage units are self-powered (wall
power supply) and do not require power from the host
interface.
Firewire 400 is commonly used to connect digital cameras,
camcorders and popular external storage devices, and has
the bandwidth to perform common DV-resolution video
editing, in most cases.
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FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) 4-pin
FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) 6-pin
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FireWire 800. Also called IEEE 1394b, FireWire 800
provides the high-speed connection and bandwidth
required for multiple-stream, uncompressed digital video
and noise-free, high-resolution digital audio.
FireWire 800 is typically twice as fast as FireWire 400 and is
necessary for HD video editing and other applications where
the fastest data transfers and expandability by daisy
chaining are needed.
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FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b) 9-pin |
eSATA
SATA is very effective for external storage applications, and the external SATA (eSATA)
interface (detailed in the SATA 2.5
specification) provides a physically secure and
fast connection for external hard drives.
With up to 6 Gb/s data transfers, this interface
provides a high data transfer rate suitable for
hard drives, home networking, digital video,
and home entertainment devices such as settop
boxes and personal video recorders.
Some systems can be configured to boot from an external eSATA drive.
eSATA and internal SATA cables and connectors cannot be used interchangeably. This is
important since eSATA cables and connectors are designed for 5000 insertion and removal
cycles while internal SATA cables and connectors are designed for only 50 insertion and
removal cycles.
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 |
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 Note:
SATA cables with an L-shaped connector are not compatible with WD eSATA
devices.
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Gigabit Ethernet
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Ethernet is a standard method of connecting computers to
a local area network (LAN) using twinlead cable. As an
external hard drive interface, it is most often used for
network-attached storage (NAS) applications in which files
can be shared across a network or accessed remotely.
Gigabit Ethernet, with its data transfer rate of 1000 Mb/s, is
the latest and fastest Ethernet standard that evolved from
the earlier Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s) and Ethernet (10 Mb/s) standards.
Benefits of Gigabit Ethernet include increased bandwidth, quality of service (QoS) features
that promote smooth transmission of audio and video, and compatibility with existing
Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks.
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Ethernet |
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Thunderbolt™
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Thunderbolt technology delivers unprecedented data
transfer rates thanks to its revolutionary bidirectional I/O
throughput. Each Thunderbolt port provides two
bidirectional channels, each with theoretically up to 10 Gb/s
of bandwidth.
Thunderbolt technology supports daisy chaining multiple
devices through a single Thunderbolt connector so you can
multitask at Thunderbolt technology speed without having
to use a switch or hub. This reduces the hardware clutter
and increases productivity.
You can connect additional Thunderbolt technology-enabled external hard drives, media
players, HD displays, media capture and editing systems and more through a single
connector.
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Thunderbolt |
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IV. Summary
| Interface |
Description |
Transfer Rate |
Best For |
Most Popular
Environment |
| USB 1.0/1.1 |
Hot-swappable* |
12 Mb/s
maximum burst
transfer rate |
Connecting to
different systems
quickly and easily |
PCs |
| USB 2.0 |
Hot-swappable* |
480 Mb/s
maximum burst
transfer rate |
Connecting to
different systems
quickly and easily |
PCs |
| USB 3.0 |
Hot-swappable*
full-duplex
asynchronous
protocol |
4.8 Gb/s
maximum burst
transfer rate |
High-def. video
cameras, mobile
media players
and phones, and
terabyte storage
devices |
PCs |
| FireWire 400 |
Hot-swappable* |
400 Mb/s
maximum
sustained transfer
rate |
Fast transfer of
large amounts of
data frequently or
for audio/video
applications like
home video
editing |
Macintosh®
computers |
| FireWire 800 |
Hot-swappable* |
800 Mb/s
maximum
sustained transfer
rate |
Multiple-stream
digital video and
high-resolution
digital audio and
video applications |
Macintosh®
computers |
| eSATA |
Fast and physically
secure connection
for external hard
drives |
Up to 6 Gb/s
maximum
sustained transfer
rate—nearly
equivalent to
internal drive
performance |
Transferring large
amounts of data
frequently or for
audio/video
programs |
PCs |
| Gigabit Ethernet |
Can attach a
device to a
system’s network
adapter, router,
switch, or hub port |
1,000 Mb/s
maximum
sustained transfer
rate—ten time
faster than Fast
Ethernet |
Remote file
access and
sharing large
amounts of data
and/or large
audio/video files
across a network |
PCs |
| Thunderbolt |
Supports daisy
chaining of multiple
devices through a
single connector so
you can multitask at
Thunderbolt
technology speed
without having to use
a switch or hub |
Two bidirectional
channels (per
port), with
theoretically up to
10 Gb/s of
bandwidth |
Fast transfer of
large amounts of
data. Multiplestream
digital
video and highresolution
digital
audio and video
applications |
Macintosh®
computers |
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* Hot-swappable means you can attach a device without shutting down/restarting the computer.
Note: For convenience and flexibility, you may want to choose a WD hard drive with
multiple interfaces. Many WD external hard drive models are available with a
combination of USB, FireWire, and/or eSATA interfaces.
| Additional
Support Resources |
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Information furnished by WD is believed to be accurate
and reliable; however, no responsibility is assumed by WD for its use
nor for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties which
may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise
under any patent or patent rights of WD. WD reserves the right to change
specifications at any time without notice.
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