As others have noted, HDD (hard disc drives) are yesteryear gear and SSD (solid state Drives) are current technology. Another bonus of the SSD is that it is pretty much impervious to outside interference like vibration. Stick with good brands like Western Digital, and Samsung and look for read rates at least 560 mb/s for smooth playback and faster access. SATA and IDE refers to the type of cable connection that the internal drive requires and you want to make sure the drive you choose is compatible with your DAC. Since your DAC does support an internal drive, it will be set up internally to mount either a 2.5 or a 3.5 and the cable may already be installed. The DAC manufacturer may have support videos on their web site for installing an internal drive. You can usually find "How To" videos on YouTube as well.
Primer on SSD and internal hard drives
I recently acquired a streamer /DAC that supports an SSD or internal hard drive. This is new turf for me and wonder if I could get some basic guidance. Please pardon my complete ignorance on this topic.
So what is the difference between an internal hard drive and an SSD? Is one preferable?
The manual suggests using either a 3,5" or 2,5" drive. Does size matter ? ( no pun intended)
Are there sonic differences in the different available brands?
Again, pardon my lack of knowledge on this topic and thanks for your help.
Mike