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A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk [a] is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnetic material.
For general computer use, the 2.5-inch form factor (typically found in laptops and used for most SATA SSDs) is the most popular, in three thicknesses [98] (7.0mm, 9.5mm, 14.8 or 15.0mm; with 12.0mm also available for some models). For desktop computers with 3.5-inch hard disk drive slots, a simple adapter plate can be used to make such a drive fit.
As the density increases, the number of platters can be reduced, leading to lower costs. Hard drives are often measured in terms of cost per bit. For example, the first commercial hard drive, IBM's RAMAC in 1957, supplied 3.75 MB for $34,500, or $9,200 per megabyte. In 1989, a 40 MB hard drive cost $1200, or $30/MB.
Recycling a computer can be made easier by taking out certain reusable parts. For example, the RAM, DVD drive, the graphics card, hard drive or SSD, and other similar removable parts can be reused. Many materials used in computer hardware can be recovered by recycling for use in future production.
A disk drive is a device implementing such a storage mechanism. Notable types are hard disk drives (HDD), containing one or more non-removable rigid platters; the floppy disk drive (FDD) and its removable floppy disk; and various optical disc drives (ODD) and associated optical disc media.
An example of primary storage. 15 GB PATA hard disk drive (HDD) from 1999. When connected to a computer it serves as secondary storage. 160 GB SDLT tape cartridge, an example of off-line storage. When used within a robotic tape library, it is classified as tertiary storage instead. Read/Write DVD drive with cradle for media extended