Collection: Hard Drives & Storage

Which hard drive or storage tier do you actually need?

Most PC builders get better results by splitting storage into jobs instead of hunting for one perfect drive. Your operating system, games and active projects want low latency and fast random reads, which means NVMe flash. Your bulk archive, backups, media library and surveillance footage want cheap capacity, which is where a mechanical hard drive still wins on dollars per terabyte.

On the flash side, entry-level drives like the Crucial P3 Plus or Kingston NV series typically use QLC NAND or a DRAM-less controller. QLC stores four bits per cell, so once the fast SLC cache fills during a big transfer, write speeds can fall well below what a decent SATA SSD manages. Sweet-spot drives such as the Samsung 990 EVO Plus, WD_BLACK SN850X and Crucial T500 use TLC NAND with stronger controllers and better sustained writes. Enthusiast PCIe 5.0 drives like the Crucial T700 push sequential speeds past 10,000MB/s, but they run hot and throttle without a proper heatsink. In everyday gaming and office work you'll rarely feel the difference, because loading is limited by CPU decompression and random access latency, not raw bandwidth. Diminishing returns start at a good PCIe 4.0 TLC drive. Gen5 only pays off for large video files, scratch disks and heavy dataset work.

For mechanical drives, the split is mostly about duty cycle. A WD Blue or Seagate Barracuda is built for desktop use with light workloads. NAS drives like the WD Red Plus, Seagate IronWolf and Toshiba N300 add vibration tolerance and firmware tuned for always-on operation. Enterprise-class lines like Seagate Exos and WD Ultrastar use helium-filled enclosures and more platters, which means less turbulence, lower power draw and higher capacities.

Upgrading and technical nuances

The biggest trap with a mechanical hard drive is recording technology. CMR (conventional magnetic recording) writes tracks independently. SMR (shingled magnetic recording) overlaps them to squeeze in more data, which means rewriting neighbouring tracks when data changes. SMR is fine for archives, but it can crawl during sustained writes and can make RAID rebuilds painful. If you're building a NAS or a backup target, check the datasheet for CMR first.

Rotational speed matters less than people assume. A 7200rpm drive has lower rotational latency and slightly better sequential throughput than a 5400rpm drive, but it also runs hotter and louder. Platter density often matters more, since a modern high-capacity drive can read faster at the outer edge than an older, lower-density 7200rpm model.

For flash, look at DRAM versus HMB (host memory buffer). Drives with onboard DRAM keep their mapping table close to the controller, which helps with consistent random performance under load. DRAM-less drives borrow a slice of system memory instead, and that works acceptably for light use. Capacity also affects speed, because larger drives have more NAND dies to write across in parallel, so a 2TB drive often outperforms the 500GB version of the same model.

Platform nuances matter too. On AM5 and LGA1851 Motherboards, the primary M.2 slot is usually wired straight to the CPU at PCIe 5.0, while the others hang off the chipset at PCIe 4.0 or lower. Some boards also share lanes, so populating a certain M.2 slot disables a pair of SATA ports. Check the manual before planning a large drive array. If you want a quick upgrade path, browse our Solid State Drives (SSD) range for the NVMe and SATA options that suit your board.

Practical things to check before buying

Start with physical fit. A 3.5-inch hard drive needs a proper bay, and many modern Computer Cases have dropped them in favour of airflow and glass panels, so confirm the drive cage count before buying. Some cases only offer 2.5-inch mounts, which suit SATA SSDs but not bulk HDDs.

For M.2 drives, check the length (2280 is the standard), the heatsink height and what sits above the slot. A chunky Gen5 heatsink can foul a large Graphics Cards / GPU in the upper slot, and some boards include a shroud that makes aftermarket heatsinks awkward. If your board already has an integrated heatsink, a thin drive without its own cooler is usually the better choice. Large air coolers and radiators from CPU Cooling can also block slot access, so install the drive before the cooler where you can.

Power and cabling are the next gotchas. Hard drives need SATA power and data connectors, and cheap adapters can be flaky. Make sure your Power Supplies have enough SATA outputs, or pick up the right extension leads from Cables & Connectors. Spin-up draws a short burst of 12V power, which matters if you're stacking several drives on one cable. If you're sizing a new unit, see our ATX Power Supply options.

Heat is the final check. Mechanical drives like to stay below roughly 45 degrees Celsius, so give them airflow from Fans, Heatsinks & Cooling. NVMe drives throttle once the controller passes about 70 to 80 degrees Celsius. If you're building a NAS or file server, a wired setup through Networking gear, such as the TP-Link range, will matter as much as the drives themselves.

Brands and local warranty

For flash, Samsung, Crucial, WD_BLACK, Kingston and Seagate FireCuda are the names to look for. For mechanical drives, Seagate, Western Digital and Toshiba cover almost the whole market. Each uses different model lines for desktop, NAS and enterprise use, so match the line to the job instead of just the logo.

Australian warranty matters more with storage than most parts. Under Australian Consumer Law, you're entitled to a remedy if a product fails within a reasonable period, and a local reseller gives you someone to deal with instead of an overseas RMA queue. Look at the rated TBW (terabytes written) for SSDs and the workload rating for HDDs, and register the drive if the brand requires it. Warranty covers the hardware, not your data, so keep a backup of anything important.

Frequently asked questions

Is an HDD still worth buying today?

Yes, for bulk storage. Per terabyte, mechanical drives are still much cheaper than SSDs, which makes them ideal for media libraries, backups and archives. They're a poor choice as a boot drive because of their slow random access.

Do I need a PCIe 5.0 SSD?

Probably not. A good PCIe 4.0 TLC drive loads games and applications almost as quickly in real use. Gen5 only helps with large sequential transfers and professional workloads, and it needs better cooling.

How much capacity should I get?

For a main drive, 1TB is a practical minimum for gaming, and 2TB gives you comfortable room. SSDs also perform better when they aren't nearly full, so leave 10 to 20 percent free.

Can I mix SSDs and hard drives in one PC?

Absolutely. Put the OS and games on NVMe, and use a hard drive for media and backups. Just make sure your CPUs & Processors and motherboard have the lanes and ports for both.

Will a new drive fit my existing build?

Check the M.2 slot type, the case's drive bays and the available SATA power connectors. For a pre-built, the Computers range lists the expansion options.