One of the major components of a computer today is the Hard Disk. Not so long ago, the Hard Disk as we know it today; didn’t even exist. Though we know Hard Disks to be a necessary part of a computer, many of us do not bother to select one even half as carefully as the processor or even the RAM. Not many of us know that the Hard Disk (HDD) is the slowest part of the computer. Choosing the Hard Disk and Disk technology carefully can probably speed up your computer considerably. Capacity isn't the only thing you need to choose about your hard disk.

A lot of factors affect the speed of your computer. Contrary to popular belief, the higher speed of the processor (CPU) alone does not determine the speed of your computer. You may have a CPU that runs at a few Giga Hertz (GHz), the first step at which this speed gets throttled is the motherboard, or more specifically the speed at which the CPU ‘talks’ to the motherboard, also known as the Front Side Bus (FSB). The FSB speed is usually just a small fraction of the CPU speed. The memory (RAM) of the computer usually operates at the same speed as the FSB (provided the right type of RAM is installed). The hard disk unfortunately will operate at a much slower speed.

Let us take a simple example of the fastest Intel / AMD CPUs today. Irrespective of their processor clock speeds which usually run into Giga Hertz (GHz), the FSB (or speed at which the CPU speaks to the motherboard) is still measured in Mega Hertz (MHz). The typical FSB speed as of April 2007 ranges from 533 MHz to 1066 MHz.

Looking at the same in terms of Bandwidth, the typical bandwidth between the CPU and motherboard / memory (RAM) today (April 2007) typically varies between 6 – 20 GB/sec. At the same time, the typical speed of the interface between the motherboard and Hard Disk ranges between 40 Mbps and 3 Gbps, which actually translates into a motherboard to hard disk transfer rate between 5 MB/sec and 375 MB/sec.

Think about it. We’re pretty sure there are many who are stunned to read this. So, the next time you want to buy a hard disk for your computer, you might want to be careful, do some research, and then buy the fastest disks around that fit your budget, even if it means saving a little with a slightly slower processor.