Desktop hard drives 3.5-inch in our range are internal HDDs for PCs, workstations, servers and disk arrays, with SATA, SAS and NL-SAS interfaces. Many are enterprise drives from HP Enterprise, Dell, Western Digital and Seagate, and Toshiba and Lenovo are also stocked. Capacities run from 1 TB to 16 TB, which covers a home PC as well as a rack server.
How to choose a 3.5-inch hard drive
Interface. Check which connector your system has before anything else. SATA drives suit ordinary PCs and many NAS units, while SAS and NL-SAS drives need a SAS controller or a server backplane. Our range includes Serial ATA, Serial ATA II, Serial ATA III, SAS and NL-SAS models, and a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 drive.
Compatibility with your system. Many drives here are labelled for servers, workstations or disk arrays, and only a smaller number for desktop PCs, laptops or NAS. Server-branded drives often carry vendor firmware and are meant for a matching caddy, so check the part number against your server or array model. Most 3.5-inch drives need both 5 V and 12 V power, which a normal PC power supply provides.
Capacity. Work out how much data you hold now and allow for growth. Our range includes 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB, 4 TB, 8 TB and 16 TB drives. For backups and archives, a larger drive usually means fewer bays used and less cabling.
Speed and workload. Most drives in our range spin at 7200 RPM, which is the usual choice for general use. A few run at 5400 RPM, which tends to mean quieter, cooler operation, and a few at 10000 or 15000 RPM, which are built for server workloads with heavy random access. Transfer rates of 6 Gbit/s (SATA III and some SAS) and 12 Gbit/s (SAS) appear in the range, but a hard drive rarely fills either link, so the interface matters more for compatibility than for speed.
Form factor. Read the size in the product details. Most listings are 3.5-inch, but a few 2.5-inch drives and one drive cage are mixed in, so confirm that you are buying a drive and not an accessory.
Hard drive brands we carry
- HP Enterprise: the largest group in our range, with drives made for ProLiant servers and storage arrays.
- Dell: drives sold for PowerEdge servers and Dell workstations, often in matching caddies.
- Western Digital (WD): known for the Red line for NAS and the Ultrastar line for data centres.
- Seagate: known for BarraCuda desktop drives, IronWolf for NAS and Exos for enterprise use.
- Toshiba: makes enterprise capacity drives and the N300 series for NAS and desktop storage.
- Lenovo: drives for ThinkSystem servers and ThinkStation workstations.
- HP Inc.: parts for HP desktop PCs and workstations, as opposed to HP Enterprise server hardware.
- IBM: drives for IBM enterprise servers and storage systems.
Also in our range: CoreParts, Ubiquiti and Cisco.
Frequently asked questions about 3.5-inch hard drives
What is the difference between SAS and SATA hard drives?
SAS drives are designed for servers and disk arrays, while SATA drives are designed for PCs and NAS units. SAS drives offer 12 Gbit/s links and better support for multiple controllers, but they need a SAS controller. A SATA drive plugs into a standard motherboard port.
Can I use a server hard drive in a desktop PC?
A SATA server drive usually works in a desktop PC, since it uses the same connector and power. A SAS drive will not work on a standard motherboard without a SAS controller card. Drives with vendor firmware may also behave differently outside the server they were made for.
Is a 7200 RPM drive better than a 5400 RPM drive?
A 7200 RPM drive generally reads and writes faster than a 5400 RPM one. A 5400 RPM drive tends to run cooler and quieter, which suits archive and backup storage. For a system drive or active work files, 7200 RPM is the usual choice.
Will a 3.5-inch hard drive fit in a laptop?
No, a 3.5-inch drive is too large for almost every laptop, which use 2.5-inch drives or M.2 SSDs. A 3.5-inch drive fits desktop PCs, servers, NAS units and external enclosures. Check the size listed in the product details before ordering.
