Replacing a hard drive ?s

When replacing a hard drive what all do I need to look for other than sata/pata and size? Friend has an older PC desktop HP Pavilion m9550F that has failing 1TB Seagate STX ST31000340AS. Due to age, they're not looking to put a lot of money into the system.

Thanks!

 

Hard drives are very simple to replace you don't need anything special as long as its a sata hard drive you are good to go.

The only other things to factor in is the speed, cache, size solid state drive etc.. all of which further your costs depending on how much efficiency you want.

Since you stated you are in a budget ( or your friend is) i suppose a sata 500 gb hard drive will do you for you.

If you don't mind something used , and buy from a reputable seller on something like ebay you can probably snatch one for about $30. Of course i am assuming you are in the states but the same would probably apply if you are in the uk ( price will be a bit more though).

So for example type in something like WD5000AVDS 500gb and you can find your replacement drive. Please note i just used a western digital drive as an example you can pick what you wish, i personally use and like the speed of this specific drive ( WD5000AVDS) but it was just a mere example.

What is your budget exactly? I mean besides what i mentioned above the only other thing is since you have a desktop to make sure its 3.5''

Another drive like the one you own is probably only about $60 brand new, and about 35-40% less if bought used , but again i am basing these prices off my currency ( usd) so i am not sure where you are located.

 

As Nexus_ states, your only concerns with replacing the Seagate drive that's failing (according to your other thread) is interface (SATA/PATA), size (3.5 inch since it's for a desktop computer) and speed (5400 RPM/7200 RPM [use the same speed as the original drive]). I would go with a Western Digital Blue or Black series though, as there have been issues with the Green series. I, too, have had a Seagate hard drive fail on me and switched to a Western Digital.

 

Agree. I was able to do this way back with Win98 by just following the directions that came with the new hard drive to the letter. I was a novice when it came to computers at the time to say the least .
I have no experience with used hard drives so can't advise on that. My personal preference would be new if feasible. Maybe others with experience buying used could advise you better on that that. Good luck!

 

Besides sata cables memory hard drives are probably the next hardware inside a computer that is quite simple to replace.

All one needs to factor in for a replacement drive is just the size ( physical size not really space) and connection type ( ide, sata etc).

I only mentioned ''used'' hard drive as a consideration because of the fact the topic creator mentioned his friend was on a limited budget. If one has the funds for a new hard drive most people would almost always advise to go that route. Personally i have bought more used hard drives than new and really mostly had no issues. I had like 3 out of 30 i bought come out bad but most of that was due to the person whom i bought packing it poorly.

Power supplies are also somewhat easy to replace too as long as one can remember where the cables where in the first place ( for novices). I remember some years ago i paid like $50 for someone to install a power supply i just bought because i didn't want to ''kill'' my computer.

Same power supply that was put in was about the same price for installing it..
Technicians in stores always make things seem harder for customers who have little knowledge with computers that everything is almost near impossible if not done by a ''trained technician''. I replaced a couple of power supplies on my own and the worst thing i have come across if i didn't plug something in correctly was the computer simply not powering on or getting some beeps.

 

Thanks for the information. Turns out they are not on a strict budget as I thought. They want to go new and prefer 1 TB. I looked at the specs online and it's speed is 7200RPM so I will look for a SATA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM. Is Newegg one of the best places to purchase these?

Thanks!

 

Though I swear by Seagate, this is a solid drive at a nice price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339


First comes the hard drive, then comes cloning...

 

Would anyone recommend purchasing the accidental protection plan?

 

For the hard drive? It would depend on how much it was and who's providing fulfillment. I've found that generally, these are just ways to get more money out of you. If, instead, it was an extended, full protection warranty, I might go for it.

 

I would probably advise against it from personal experience

Most company's that do offer such ''accidental'' plans don't cover a lot of things and you would be surprised.

Personally i would just deal straight with the manufacturer, most manufacturer's offer a somewhat lengthy warranty. I think seagate offers 5 years warranty provided you register the product within a time frame after purchase.

I had a seagate drive fail and seagate sent me a newer replacement for free but i had to cover shipping both ways which was about $15 total.

 

Seagate offers data recovery plans starting at about $30.

If they can't retrieve your data, they'll pay you $100.

 

Thank you all for the input. I took your advise and did not purchase it.