HD Questions please help?

**coil50** · 02-01-2006, 11:12 PM

I have a Micro ATX Motherboard Socket 478 and i am looking to piece it together for my carputer and had a question on harddrives. what are the differences between a 2.5" and a 3.5". also is there a difference in a laptop HD can i use one for my mobo any pros or cons. any info would be helpful.

**marcoiks** · 02-01-2006, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by coil50

what are the differences between a 2.5" and a 3.5".

other than the obvious. (The size) I couldnt tell you any more.

Originally Posted by coil50

is there a difference in a laptop HD can i use one for my mobo any pros or cons. any info would be helpful.

If you want to use a laptop HD you will have to buy an adapter for it do a bit of a

on the forum you'll find plenty of info

**binary.h4x** · 02-01-2006, 11:31 PM

2.5" drives run off of 5v alone, where a 3.5" will need 12v and 5v. 2.5" drives tend to draw less power.

**CubFan81** · 02-01-2006, 11:52 PM

The main difference is obviously size. The 2.5" harddrives are more commonly used in laptops while the 3.5" harddrives are for desktops. The main drawback of the smaller size is the smaller platter size which means less storage. I think right now the most you can get is 100 GB and that's at 5400 rpm.

**RawsonDR** · 02-02-2006, 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by CubFan81

The main difference is obviously size. The 2.5" harddrives are more commonly used in laptops while the 3.5" harddrives are for desktops. The main drawback of the smaller size is the smaller platter size which means less storage. I think right now the most you can get is 100 GB and that's at 5400 rpm.

Seagate Ships World's First 160GB Notebook PC Hard Drives with Perpendicular Recording Technology

Go Seagate!

**jerico2day** · 02-02-2006, 12:02 PM

I'm actually using a 2.5in drive in my desktop, runs great. The plus with these is that they are built for being bounced around, definately a good idea if it's in your car. They're slower and more expensive though. Also, you have to make sure you install the adapter correctly, because if you install it backwards, you could fry the hdd, mobo or both.

**MatrixPC** · 02-02-2006, 12:25 PM

If you have room and some power to spare on 12V rail, use 3.5" drives. It's much cheaper and bigger (capacity wide) oh yeah size too.

Also remember, if your system suck a lot of power on 5V rail, a 2.5" HD is a no no.

**mgithens** · 02-02-2006, 12:34 PM

COST!!! that's the biggest difference... 2.5" 60GB is about $100... 3.5" 300GB is about $100...

**TheLlama** · 02-02-2006, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by RawsonDR

Seagate Ships World's First 160GB Notebook PC Hard Drives with Perpendicular Recording Technology

Go Seagate!

Awesome. I'm glad there is enough space in my case for two laptop drives. I have a 100GB Seagate from a year ago. Once it is full I'm sure 200GB+ laptop drives will be around. Freakin' sweet..

**Freelander** · 02-02-2006, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by CubFan81

The main difference is obviously size. The 2.5" harddrives are more commonly used in laptops while the 3.5" harddrives are for desktops. The main drawback of the smaller size is the smaller platter size which means less storage. I think right now the most you can get is 100 GB and that's at 5400 rpm.

like rawson said, you can get 2.5" hard drives up to 160GB. 120GB is becoming more common, about $185 each. you can also get 7200rpm.