What is Hard Drive Platter?
A hard drive platter is the circular disk on which magnetic data is stored in a hard disk drive.Hard drives typically have several platters which are mounted on the same spindle. A platter can store information on both sides, requiring two heads per platter.
One or more aluminum, glass, or ceramic disk that is coated in a magnetic media and is located within a hard drive to permanently store all your computer’s data. When the computer is turned on, these platters will begin to rotate at so many rotations per minute (RPM). This rate varies depending upon the model of hard drive you have; an example of how fast a hard drive may spin is 7200 RPM. As the disk platters are rotating, the read/write head accesses information on one of the platters. To help store and retrieve the data from the platter, data is stored in tracks, sectors, and cylinders on each platter.
What are hard drive platters made of?
The platter’s base material – must be non-magnetic and capable of being machined to a smooth finish. It is made either of aluminum alloy or a mixture of glass and ceramic. Platters are typically made using an aluminium or glass and ceramic substrate. As of 2015, laptop hard drive platters are made from glass while aluminum platters are often found in desktop computers.
How many platters are in a hard drive?
The number of platters in a hard drive depend on the physical size of the hard drive, its capacity, how many sectors, and its manufacturer. Therefore there is no set number of platters in a computer hard drive. However, all modern hard drives have two or more platters in a hard drive and if the drive is an SSD, it has no platters.
