News The Inner World of the Hard Drive

Ever thought about what makes your hard-drive tick (literally, in some cases)? Maybe not, but even so this ExtremeTech article on the ins and outs of HDD technology makes for interesting lunchtime reading:

When people think of personal computers, they almost always think of the CPU, or memory, or even graphics chips. They often forget that inside a PC is a purely mechanical device that spins at up to 15,000 revolutions per minute. In a more standard desktop hard drive, which spins at a tamer 7,200 RPM, a point close to the outer track is moving at roughly 48 miles per hour. In a typical working day, that means the outer edge of your hard drive has traveled 384 miles.

More high-rpm musings here