need help buying a new hard drive

I need to know which hard drive should I buy for my computer. This is what it said for the previous one in Device Manager: IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. I don't know if this would help but on the back of the old drive it has really tiny pins. Thanks for any help

 

merlineone: You'll probably get several replies here shortly, but for them to be very useful, we need some more information from you.

What brand and model computer is the new HDD for?

What OS are you running?

What size HDD are you thinking of? (And that raises the question, what kind of use will you put it to -- gaming? e-mail? image processing? document creation? business apps?)

Those are some of the things that will influence which HDD will best suit your requirements.

 

I have a Gateway E-3600 computer with Microsoft Windows Xp Home Edition. The hard drive would be used for games and media files and nothing over 100 GB.

 

merlinone: If you're going to use the computer for those things, you'll want the biggest HDD you can manage. I'll let other members offer recommendations for particular examples.

I did a Google search to find out a few things about your Gateway. It ordinarily shipped with just 128 MB of RAM. If you haven't already done so, you'll want to increase that to 528 MB to better cope with both Windows XP and the programs for your memory-hungry games and images.

The PC Magazine review I saw also had this to say:

" ... the E-3600 bundles its system with Intel's LANDesk Client Manager, which lets you inventory and monitor hardware from afar and push down OS images and new drivers. LANDesk does not, however, let you update a machine's BIOS—as packages from Compaq, Dell, and HP do—but it can read any DMI, SNMP, or Wired for Management data from any PC. "

I don't know if that restriction on upgrading the BIOS will affect your choice of HDD, but it's something to keep in mind for any upgrading you plan on doing.

 

This page has several to choose from, at a reasonable price. Chose one with a Cache: 8MB.

First you need to look inside your case to see if you have a power connector and ribbon connector free, and a place to put the new drive. Don't order one 'til you check these points.

You also must know how to handle electronics to avoid static electricity, and how to ground your machine and make sure it's off, or better, unplugged before you open it. If you're not sure about all this, have a shop install it.