Kõvaketaste

Kõvaketaste, commonly known as hard disk drives (HDDs), are electromechanical data storage devices that use magnetic storage to store and retrieve digital information. They consist of one or more rigid, rapidly rotating platters coated with magnetic material. Data is read and written by read/write heads that move across the surface of the platters. The speed at which the platters spin, measured in revolutions per minute (RPM), significantly impacts the drive's performance.

HDDs have been a primary storage medium for computers and other electronic devices for decades. Their main advantages include relatively low cost per gigabyte compared to other storage technologies and large storage capacities. They are commonly used for storing operating systems, applications, and large files such as videos and music libraries.

However, HDDs have limitations. Their mechanical nature makes them susceptible to physical shock and vibration, which can lead to data loss. They are also slower than solid-state drives (SSDs), which use flash memory and have no moving parts. Despite the rise of SSDs, HDDs remain a popular choice for bulk storage solutions due to their cost-effectiveness. Various interfaces are used to connect HDDs to computers, including SATA and older IDE standards.