i want to buy a bigger hd.mine is 15gb ultra dma,enhanced ide,4500 rpm,ata/66 and ata/33.the problem is that all the hd i`ve looked at are ata 100 or above and are 7200 rpm.does this make any difference?can someone please point me in the right direction :idea:
many thanks

ATA is related to the transfer speed.
The higher in theory, the faster.
The speed in rpm is how fast the platters in the drive unit can spin in revolutions per minute.
The higher, generally means the faster data can be accessed.

This really will only have a defined influence based on your components. Your controllers on your motherboard must support ATA100 in order for there to be any improvement, otherwise it will default to the slower speed.

The same applies to your other hardware like the cables, cpu, etc etc.

You probably wont find lower rated drives. If you buy one that is over your specs, it will just default to the slower rating.

ok m8 thanks for your help.i`ll go for a large hd but with slow speeds.thanks again

You don't necessarily have to go for the slower one. The standard for most desktop computers these days is ATA100 and 7200 rpm. If your motherboard doesn't support this, it will just default to the fastest speed it does support.

how would i know if my motherboard does support ata100 and 7200rpm?is this information available on my system?

Try the manufactures web site or the m/b manual if you have one.