Average life of a hard drive - all information
The hard drive is essential for the PC to function properly. The life of the hard disk can be influenced by various factors. In this practical tip we have summarized all information for you.
Average lifespan of external and internal hard drives
A hard drive only has a limited lifespan, because various factors interact here.
- An external hard drive can have a maximum lifespan of 10 years. Moisture, shocks and any nearby magnets play a crucial role.
- The internal HDD, on the other hand, has a lifespan of between 5 and 10 years, depending on the size and condition. Here it depends on the heat that occurs during operation and how the heat is dissipated exactly.
- If you use an SSD in your PC, you can expect a maximum lifespan of 10 years with this hard drive. With the SSD, the write cycles are limited because they are usually not as large as with HDDs.
- Cloud storage has an almost infinite lifespan. Here, however, there are incalculable risks, such as bankruptcy of the provider or hacker attacks.
Caring for the hard drive properly - this will help you achieve the maximum service life
In order to be able to achieve the maximum service life of the hard disk, you should maintain the hard disk properly. Below we have summarized some tips for you.
- Defragment: Since the hard drive is used almost daily, you should defragment it regularly. Here it is sufficient to perform the defragmentation every two months.
- Monitor temperature: A hard drive must not become too warm during normal operation, otherwise the service life will be greatly reduced. Therefore, you should always keep an eye on the temperature of the hard disk and retrofit a fan if necessary. Often, cleaning the inside of the PC can also help.
- Repair a faulty hard drive: If you think that the hard drive is defective, you can check and repair it.
- Optimize SSD: So that you can optimize the life of the SSD, we also have the best tips for you.