Inch Hard
Inch Hard
A Brief History of the Hard Disk Drive
The Hard Disk Drive is a high-capacity storage device commonly found in computer systems, laptops, mobile phones, portable music players and many other electronic devices. Invented by the engineers at IBM San José in 1953, the Hard Drive saw its first commercial use as early as 1956 with the shipment of the IBM 305 RAMAC system. Over the course of the following two decades the humble Hard Drive saw very little change from its 1953 forefather.
During this period Hard Drive capacities were commonly measured in Bytes and Kilobytes, with Hard Drives boasting a capacity of a Megabyte or more considered something of a rarity at the time (the first Gigabyte Hard Drive would not be produced until 1980 and even then due to its size and hefty price tag it was not a feasible option for the everyday consumer). Throughout the 60s and 70s it was not unusual for a Hard Drive to be similar in scale to a household fridge, however by the `PC-Era` of the 1980s the standard size for a Hard Drive became significantly smaller at only 5 1/4 Inches.
As the 90s dawned upon the computing world giant technological leaps forward were made in all areas of Computing. It was at this point that Hard Drives along with many other Computer components began to resemble their modern-day counterparts. During the late 80s and early 90s it was no longer uncommon for a computer to be sold with a Hard Drive featuring a capacity which could be measured in Megabytes.
Hard Drives also continued to grow progressively smaller in physical size with the worlds first 2.5 Inch Hard Drive being released in 1991 and the worlds first 1.3 Inch Hard Drive released a year later in 1992. Despite smaller sizes being readily available to manufacturers, it was the 3.5 Inch format which quickly became the standard Hard Drive size adopted for integration into desktop computers all over the world. At the same time the 2.5 Inch Hard Drive format became the favoured standard for integration into all variety of laptops, notebooks and similar scaled down devices.
Today 3.5 Inch Hard Drives are still used in the vast majority of desktop Computers and although this remains unchanged the storage capacity of the modern-day Hard Drive is over 300,000 times larger than that of its earlier 10MB incarnations at a monstrous 3 Terabytes. The most problematic hurdle in the race to develop a Terabyte Hard Drive was overcome in 2002 when the addressing space barrier which had long prevented the development of a Hard Drive any larger than 137GB was broken. Five years later in 2007 the worlds first Terabyte Hard Drive was shipped out by Hitachi GST.
Over the course of the following three years Hard Drives with capacities of 1.5 TB, 2.0 TB and 3.0 TB were released by competing manufacturers Seagate (formerly Maxtor) and Western Digital. With over 300 times the capacity of its nearest 2011 rival, the visionary Petabyte Hard Drive would fulfill the needs of a space hungry generation of computer users, however it may be a few years yet until the first Petabyte Hard Drive reaches the shelves of our Computer retailers.
About the Author
Alex Kantaris is the author of this article on Cheap Hard Drive. Find more information on Seagate Hard Disk here.
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Cooling 2 Fan 3.5Inches Cooler FOR PC HDD Hard Disk Drive $0.99 |
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MacBook 13 inch Aluminum Hard Drive Connector cable $22.00 |
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New hard disk dual heatsink fan for 3.5 inch hard disk $4.74 |
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Startech.com - HDDSLEV35 3.5 Inch Silicone Hard Drive Protector Sleeve $19.21 |
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NEW 922-8920 Hard Drive Connector Cable - 17inch Macbook Pro Early-Mid 09 - 2010 $47.00 |
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HP Part# 592905-001 8440P 250GB SATA HARD DRIVE 7200RPM GENUINE 2.5INCH $149.99 |
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Apple Imac G5 922-6993 Hard Drive Fan - 20inch 2.0-2.16-2.33GHz 2.1GHz $14.95 |
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Cooling 2 Fan 3.5Inches Cooler FOR PC HDD Hard Disk Drive $0.99 |
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Computer Jumpers 25 Assorted Color 2.54mm 0.1 Inch Motherboard CD DVD Hard Drive $3.21 |
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Computer Jumpers 50 Assorted Color 2.54mm 0.1 Inch Motherboard CD DVD Hard Drive $4.86 |
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Computer Jumpers 25 Black 2.54mm 0.1 inch Motherboard CD DVD Hard Drive $3.21 |
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Computer Jumpers 25 White 2.54mm 0.1 inch Motherboard CD DVD Hard Drive $3.40 |
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Computer Jumpers 50 Black 2.54 mm 0.1 inch Motherboard CD DVD Hard Drive $4.86 |
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Computer Jumpers 25 Red 2.54mm 0.1 inch Motherboard CD DVD Hard Drive $3.40 |
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Computer Jumpers 25 Blue 2.54mm 0.1 inch Motherboard CD DVD Hard Drive $3.40 |
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New hard disk dual heatsink fan for 3.5 inch hard disk $4.99 |
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USB3.0 External 3.5 inch 3.5" HDD Hard Disk aliminum Metal ENCLOSURE CASE BOX $45.85 |
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Apple iMac 17 inch Hard Drive Cooling Fan BFB0612HB $6.00 |
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17" inch IDE ATA Round Cable for two Hard Disk, Ultra ATA 100/133 Clear Silver $7.50 |
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IDE Adapter for ZIF CE 1.8 Inch Hard Disk Drive Toshiba $5.90 |
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Acer Aspire One ZG5 Hard Drive Caddy HDD 2.5 inch $10.00 |
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40GB 3.5inch IDE Hard Drives - LOT OF 20 - Clean, Tested, Working!!! $580.00 |
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3.5 Inch PC Hard Disk Drive HDD Dual Cooling Fan Cooler $2.59 |
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HITACHI 2TB 7.2K RPM SATA 3.5 INCH HARD DRIVE 0F10632 $229.95 |
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New hard disk dual heatsink fan for 3.5 inch hard disk $4.74 |
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2 Cooling Fan Cooler F 3.5 Inch PC Hard Disk Drive HDD $1.00 |
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APPLE 922-8154 Hard Drive Fan - 24 inch 2.4-2.8GHz iMac Mid 2007 A1225 620-3942 $19.95 |
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Dell 18GB SCSI 15K 80PIN 1INCH U160 3J777 HARD DRIVE $3.99 |
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Apple imac g5 20inch hard drive mounting bracket part 805-6054-A $17.40 |
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COOLMAX HD-250TN-U2 Coolmax HD-250TN-U2 2.5 inch Aluminum SATA Hard Drive Encl.. $17.03 |
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COOLMAX HD-250TN-U2 Coolmax HD-250TN-U2 2.5 inch Aluminum SATA Hard Drive Encl.. $17.03 |
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Thermaltake A2427 3.5inch Hard Drive Blue LED Cooler Brand New $7.47 |
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Thermaltake A2427 3.5inch 3.5'' Hard Drive HDD Cooler $7.45 |
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Thermaltake A2427 3.5inch 3.5'' Hard Drive HDD Cooler $8.00 |
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USB Enclosure Case for 18 Inch IDE CF Hard Drive Disk $14.01 |
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Genuine/Original Dell 6 inch SATA Serial ATA Hard Drive Cable C6354 $1.98 |
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NEW Dell 22" inch Serial ATA 6 Hard Drive Cable Assy C6413 $14.99 |
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Apple iMac 17 inch Hard Drive Cooling Fan BFB0612HB FAN $5.99 |
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44 Pin 2.5 inch HD to 40 Pin IDE 3.5 inch Hard Disk Drive HDD Connecter Adapter $5.99 |
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Compact-Flash CF SSD to Flash Adapter for 1.8 inch hard drive Toshiba iPod to CF $5.99 |
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iBook G3 14" Inch 12" Hard Drive Caddy HD Brace Mount $4.98 |
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Toshiba 1.8" inch MK1235GSL 120GB 5mm Micro SATA Hard Drive 4200RPM 8MB HDD $79.99 |
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MacBook Pro (13-inch) 922-9062 Bracket Front Hard Drive w/ IR / Sleep / HD Cable $39.00 |
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MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) 922-8743 Bracket, Hard Drive, Rear $29.00 |
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iMac (27-inch) 922-9225 Cable, Temp Sensor, Hard Drive, Western Digital $32.00 |
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*NEW* 3.5-INCH TO 5.25-INCH METAL COMPUTER CASE HDD HARD DISK DRIVE MOUNTING KIT $4.36 |
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Compact-Flash CF SSD to Flash Adapter for 1.8 inch hard drive Toshiba iPod to CF $6.26 |
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Apple 922-7169 Hard Drive Temperature Sensor - 17-20inch iMac G5 iSight $35.00 |
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Apple 922-7643 Hard Drive Fan - 17inch 1.83-2.0GHz Core 2 Duo iMac $37.00 |
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APPLE IMAC G5 HARD DRIVE SATA CABLE 593-0153 SATA CABLE 20 inches long $9.00 |
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Acer Aspire ONE 722-BZ454 2.5 inch hard drive adapter working great condition $11.99 |
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Samsung NP300V5A-A06US 2.5 inch hard drive adapter in great condition $8.99 |
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Samsung NP300V5A-A06US 2.5 inch hard drive housing in great condition $8.99 |
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MacBook 13 inch Aluminum Front Hard Drive Bracket $9.99 |
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iMac 17inch Hard Drive Fan Part 922-7063 603-3551 $9.99 |
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Apple 922-7645 Cable, Hard Drive, SATA - 17inch 1.83-2.0GHz Core 2 Duo iMac $27.00 |
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Apple 922-7779 Cable, Hard Drive, SATA-Data - 24 inch 2.16-2.33GHz iMac A1200 $20.00 |
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2 Cooling Fan Cooler F 3.5 Inch PC Hard Disk Drive HDD $1.00 |
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PC Computer 3.5 inch hard disk drive hdd bay mount 5.25 converter adapter $6.99 |
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17" inch IDE ATA Round Cable for two Hard Disk, Ultra ATA 100/133 Clear Silver $8.99 |
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80GB 3.5inch IDE Hard Drives - LOT OF 20 - Clean, Tested, Working!!! $780.00 |
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StarTech S252U2ERR Storage 2.5inch Removable eSATA USB Dual SATA Hard Drive $75.32 |
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3.5inch Hard Drive MOUNTING Kit for 5.25inch Bay $4.97 |
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EVERCOOL HDAC Hard Drive 5.25Inch Bay Air Conditioner $39.00 |
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EVERCOOL EC-HDAC 5.25inch Bay Hard Drive Cooler $27.75 |
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Evercool SHDC-E Hard Drive Cooler with 120mm Fan, Fits in 5.25-inch Drive Bay $14.99 |
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3.5" Inch Dual Cooling Fan Hard Disk Driver HDD Cooler for PC SATA IDE 10.05CFM $3.49 |
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ACER Aspire 9810 17.3 Inch Laptop Notebook Hard Disk Drive HDD Cover Door $29.98 |
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80mm 3.5" Inch Hard Disk HDD Cooling Fan Gold for PC UK $2.27 |
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13GB 3.5inch IDE Hard Drives - LOT OF 20 - Clean, Tested, Working!!! $340.00 |
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Thermaltake A2427 3.5inch Hard Drive Blue LED Cooler CA-A2427 RETAIL A2427 $17.99 |
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Thermaltake A2476 TMG HD1 3.5inch Hard Drive Cooler $14.79 |
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44 Pin 2.5 inch HD to 40 Pin IDE 3.5 inch Hard Disk Drive HDD Connecter Adapter $6.26 |
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94112-042 CONNER 420MB 3.5INCH IDE HARD DRIVE ... COMPUTER PART $53.99 |
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3.5" Inch Dual Cooling Fan Hard Disk Driver HDD Cooler $4.95 |
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Titan TTC-HDC5 Hard Drive & Case 5.25inch Bay Cooler w/ 120mm Fan $24.75 |
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HP 85MB IDE hard drive - 3.5-inch form factor half height - D2329-69001 $282.00 |
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HP 146GB Ultra320 SCSI hard drive - 10000 RPM 3.5-inch form fa - 357915-001 $284.40 |
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HP 1GB 3.5 INCH SCSI HARD DRIVE - C2247-60062 $250.80 |
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HP 1GB 3.5 INCH SCSI HARD DRIVE - LR39659C $250.80 |
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HP 36GB hot-plug Ultra160 SCSI LVD hard drive - 15K RPM 3.5-inch f - A6948-69001 $249.60 |
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PowerBook G4 17-inch 1ghz Hard Drive Cable 821-0273-A $39.98 |
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Traveler's Choice Freedom 25-inch Hard Shell Spinner Upright $69.99 Travel in style with a Freedom 25-inch spinner uprightLuggage set is made of lightweightpolycarbonate ABS hard shell materialsTravel set boasts hardside polycarbonate that allows the shell to absorb impact |
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Cando 16-inch Hard MVP Rocker Board $59.99 Get in shape with this 16-inch (hard) board with two blue (hard) hemispheres The MVP offers an unstable and sensory-stimulating platform This lightweight board can be taken anywhere |
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Polaris 600RR Men's 26-inch Hard-tail Bicycle $197.02 Men's bicycle is built on a steel, hard-tail framePolaris bicycle's quick-release sports seat makes a great security featureBike has a Shimano 21-speed drivetrain and twist shifters/li> |
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Cando MVP 20-inch Hard Wobble Board $57.99 Improve your balance with a 20-inch Cando MVP wobble boardMVP offers an unstable and sensory-stimulating platform to facilitate balance, proprioceptive training and postural reactionsThis lightweight board can be taken anywhere |
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Cando 20-inch Hard MVP Rocker Board $69.99 Get in shape with this 20-inch rocker board with two blue (hard) hemispheres The MVP offers an unstable and sensory-stimulating platform This lightweight board can be taken anywhere |
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Cando MVP 16-inch Hard Wobble Board $49.49 Improve your balance with a 16-inch Cando MVP wobble boardMVP offers an unstable and sensory-stimulating platform to facilitate balance, proprioceptive training and postural reactionsThis lightweight board can be taken anywhere |
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Cando MVP 30-inch Hard Wobble Board $69.99 Improve your balance with a 30-inch Cando MVP wobble boardMVP offers an unstable and sensory-stimulating platform to facilitate balance, proprioceptive training and postural reactionsThis lightweight board can be taken anywhere |
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Cando MVP 30-inch Hard Two-point Rocker Board $80.99 Improve your balance with a 30-inch Cando MVP wobble boardMVP offers an unstable and sensory-stimulating platform to facilitate balance, proprioceptive training and postural reactionsThis lightweight board can be taken anywhere |
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3.5-inch Black IDE Aluminum HDD Enclosure $14.99 This 3.5 inch IDE HDD Enclosure features a high-speed external storage system for your 3.5 inch hard disk drive. |
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