Why are hard drives moving to 4096 byte sectors, vs. 512 byte sectors?
- by Chris W. Rea
I've noticed that some Western Digital hard drives are now sporting 4K sectors, that is, the sectors are larger: 4096 bytes vs. the long-standing standard of 512 bytes. So:
What's the big deal with 4K sectors? Is it marketing hype, or a real advantage?
Why should somebody building a new PC care, or not, about 4K sectors?
Why is this transition taking place now? Why didn't it happen sooner?
Are there things to look out for when buying a 4K sector hard drive? e.g. incompatibility?
Anything else we should know about 4K sectors?