Platinum is a fascinating metal, as many a US Gold Bureau investor knows, and it does have many uses. Most people will think of either jewelry or perhaps the catalytic converters used by cars and trucks when they think of uses for platinum, but this is not at all the main use the precious metal has. Investors at United States Gold Bureau realize that platinum's number one most critical use for industry is in the production of equipment for computers. This is where this rare precious metal really does shine.

In fact, it is a fair bet that people who invest via sites such as US Gold Bureau often choose platinum for their portfolios specifically because they know how crucial it is to data storage for computers. In the old days, a hard drive would have been nearly 2 feet across, in terms of the actual disk that stored the data, and held a mere 5 megabytes of memory. Today, as U.S. Gold Bureau fans often know, platinum has enabled the production of hard drives that fit in the palm of your hand and hold 2 terabytes of data - that is 2 million megabytes. An amazing leap that is made possible thanks to a layer of cobalt and platinum on the disk.

Today's hard drives might resemble a stack of circular disks, but the intense value of platinum that U.S. Gold Bureau investors rely on, means they are infinitely more powerful. These disks can do 10,000 rotations per minute and are made of the non precious metal, aluminum. It is the platinum infused cobalt, which is magnetized, that interests knowledgeable United States Gold Bureau buyers. They realize that when platinum and cobalt are combined, the cobalt's natural magnetic qualities are enhanced.

In the end, what platinum does is make cobalt better able to store even more data. This is why the alloy is used in all of today's hard drives as opposed to only half of those produced in the 1990's. Years ago, platinum accounted for only ten percent of this famed allow, but that percentage has more than tripled today and is expected to continue to rise as advances in technology keep on coming.

As we've seen, platinum is crucial not just to consumers or businesses, but to the shared digital world of the web that is so much a part of our lives today. This is what makes it a precious metal that is well worth including as part of an investor's portfolio. The bottom line for any precious metal is how it can be used if it is converted from its bullion, bar or coin state that is merely a marker of value. With platinum, hugely important uses help its value keep on rising.

Author's Bio: 

Regina Blitner writes about precious metals that investors at sites like US Gold Bureau rely on for their portfolios. If not writing she is either fencing or spending time with her Borzoi, Rupert.