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The hard drive on my HP Pavilion desktop crashed. I am looking to buy a new hard drive and I wonder if I have to get the exact model ( Seagate ST3750630AS 750GB 3.5 3H SATA ) or if I can upgrade or use a different manufacturer. Thanx

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    You don't need to replace the same model. You can upgrade and use a drive from any manufacturer.
    – fixer1234
    Oct 18, 2014 at 17:53
  • I recently got a higher capacity WD drive to replace my old Seagate drive. I simply cloned the old disk data (including Windows installation) into the new disk and it booted up on the new hard disk completely fine (Windows will automatically install drivers). So you have nothing to worry about.
    – ADTC
    Oct 19, 2014 at 0:29

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As fixer1234 said in his comment, you can use any hard drive from any manufacturer.

However, there are a few things to consider:

  • You must get a SATA disk, this will ensure your computer has the right plug and interface for connecting it
  • You need to get a 3.5" hard disk, this will ensure the hard disk fits inside your computer case without the need for additional mounting brackets. 3.5 inch drives are the standard for desktop PC's so any desktop disk will do here.
  • You should get a hard disk with at least the same capacity (750 GB in your case)
  • Depending on your mainboard and the operating system you intend to use, you might not be able to use a disk of more than 2000GB (= 2TB) capacity. This is if your operating system of choice does not support GPT. In this case, you will need to use MBR instead, which only supports up to 2TB hard disks natively.

Good luck with the upgrade!

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  • I know you mentioned the additional brackets, but it is worth mentioning that brackets to fit a 2.5" drive in a 3.5" slot are relatively common and inexpensive since most SSD's are 2.5".
    – psubsee2003
    Oct 18, 2014 at 22:24
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You can safely buy any other hard drive assuming that it

  • uses the same connection type (SATA is the most common these days)

  • has the same platter size or less (you can fit a 2.5" SSD where a 3.5" HDD used to be, but you're going to need a mount for it)

  • has the same outside dimensions (mostly just an issue for SSDs which may be smaller than the 2.5" drives they replace)

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