New HDD

[Grant A.]

Alright, I looked up new internal HDDs on the internet and I measured my enclosure to make sure it would fit. In addition to an internal HDD, what else do I need to get it to work?

[gn2]

Alright, I looked up new internal HDDs on the internet and I measured my enclosure to make sure it would fit. In addition to an internal HDD, what else do I need to get it to work?

Are you placing an internal hard drive in an external enclosure?

If so you need to know three things:

1: size, either 2.5" (laptop size) or 3.5" (desktop size)

2: connector type, either SATA or IDE (a.k.a. PATA)

3: maximum data capacity hard drive the enclosure will work with e.g. some may have an upper size limit

You will also need a power supply for a 3.5" enclosure.
2.5" enclosures can draw enough power from USB sockets, but in some cases you may need a powered USB hub.

If fitting the hard drive internally you need to know whether you have SATA or IDE connectors in the PC.
You can get SATA-IDE adapters if there's a mis-match.

[Grant A.]

It's going in an internal enclosure. Also, where can I find out the maximum data the enclosure can hold? To me, it just looks like a small metal frame inside my computer.

[gn2]

It's going in an internal enclosure. Also, where can I find out the maximum data the enclosure can hold?

Not a factor with an internal storage bay.

A USB external hard drive enclosure has a printed circuit board in which resides some secret voodoo that doesn't always work with hard drives that are too big.

[smoker]

depending on the size of the case, and the space between hard drives, it may be beneficial to fit a case fan for extra circulation of cool air if you don't have one. the more hardware inside, the hotter things can get! case fans are pretty cheap, and easy to fit.

[Grant A.]

Thank you very much. :)

So all I need is a SATA cable?

[smoker]

Thank you very much. :)

So all I need is a SATA cable?

if it is a sata drive you will also need a sata power connection from your power supply, or an adapter, if your power supply doesn't have one.

[mips]

So all I need is a SATA cable?

If your motherboard & HD support sata then yes.