Mike
31-10-2006, 13:14
What is the difference between 2.5" hard disk and 3.5" hard disk?
The main difference is the size,
a 3.5" is cheaper and normally in a desktop
a 2.5" is more expensive and normally used in a laptop.
you can get them with the same specs in terms of cache - speed and capacity (but generally 3.5" is larger first)
You also need different housings for them - ie you can not put a 2.5" in most external enclosures for a 3.5" drive.
The 2.5" hard drives are generally used in notebooks and some high-end blade servers. They are typically about the size of a credit card, only 9-12 mm in thickness. They also have smaller maximum capacities, I believe currently topping out at 120 GB where as 3.5" drives max out at 750 GB.
3.5" hard drives are used in most desktops and servers - they are about the size of a paperback novel.
The main difference is the size,
a 3.5" is cheaper and normally in a desktop
a 2.5" is more expensive and normally used in a laptop.
you can get them with the same specs in terms of cache - speed and capacity (but generally 3.5" is larger first)
You also need different housings for them - ie you can not put a 2.5" in most external enclosures for a 3.5" drive.
The 2.5" hard drives are generally used in notebooks and some high-end blade servers. They are typically about the size of a credit card, only 9-12 mm in thickness. They also have smaller maximum capacities, I believe currently topping out at 120 GB where as 3.5" drives max out at 750 GB.
3.5" hard drives are used in most desktops and servers - they are about the size of a paperback novel.