Moreover, they have a good lifespan in terms of read/write cycles, and are high on capacity. Each platter is divided into tracks and sectors, and data is retrieved from and written into these divided areas of the platter using a pivoting read/write head.īecause HDDs are made and sold in such huge quantities, they're relatively inexpensive.
They work by using magnetic platters that spin at a high speed. HDDs have been used in computers for a very long time now. Laptops (and desktops, for that matter) ship with a choice of a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), or a solid-state hybrid drive (SSHD). Today, it's more than just capacity the type of storage also matters. Even in laptops sold as recently as six years ago, the capacity was all that the buyer had to choose. Choosing a storage option while buying a new laptop isn't what it once used to be.