External Hard Drive - Six Things to Consider Before Buying One
By
Nicholas James Shipley
An external hard drive is a device where computer files can be
stored outside of the internal hard drive. Why is it important? There
are many reasons, from lack of internal storage capacity to file
contamination to privacy, etc. In any case, it's good not to take
chances with any of these risks, especially when you're dealing with
vital information or large files. Since these devices are not all
created equal, you need to look into a few things before buying one.
Types of External Hard Drive
There are two general types of external hard drive-portable and desktop. The portable type is small, around 2.5 inches, and housed in a slim casing that makes it easy to carry around. As its name indicates, its main advantage is portability, which also means it works without a separate power supply unit. On the other hand, the desktop external hard drive is slightly larger, around 3.5 inches, and comes with fans to help keep it cool while being used. Although it is still portable, it is designed to provide a larger storage capacity, hence its size.
Capacity
Looking around for an external hard drive best buy also involves considerations regarding storage capacity. The portable type is rather limited in this department because it depends mainly on the storage capacity of the computer to which it is attached, and how many other USB-powered devices are connected. However, when using a desktop device, 2TB is the storage capacity that may be expected. This simply means more space for more files, including videos, movies and other files, where the maximum capacity of portable device, is not enough.
Compatibility
compatibility is yet another issue that needs to be looked into because obviously, no drive works when its connector doesn't match the port on the computer where it is to be attached. There are three types of connectors-USB, eSata and Firewire. Therefore, a Firewire will only work with a Firewire port, a Mac will only work with a Mac port, and so on. USB's are the most commonly used connectors today, but they're not nearly half as good as eSata and Firewire when it comes to performance.
Cost
Of course, an inevitable issue to be considered when buying a drive is cost. As expected, the prices of drives vary, depending on the manufacturer and the store where they are sold. However, one rule of thumb for determining whether a certain product's price is fair enough is to divide this amount by the number of gigabytes. External hard drives are immensely cheaper today than they were five years ago, and can be bought for a very cheap price of $o.25 per GB. More expensive brands can cost anywhere from $o.60 to $0.70 per GB.
So Do You Really Need an External Hard Drive?
An external hard drive provides more storage space, and with some of your files saved in this device, you can free up some space in your computer and expect better performance. This drive is also easy to upgrade, so if you need even more space, that will not be a problem (except for flash drives.) If your computer crashes, files saved on your external drive will still be safe. You can even stash away your most personal files in this device and have the privacy you need. Do you really need an external hard drive? If any of these things matter to you, yes.
What Do You Need it For?
In the event that you are sure you need an external hard drive, you have to be clear on what you want it for. Do you plan to use it for personal document safekeeping, or are you planning on saving a whole library of songs and movies on it? Will you use it for storing back up files at the office, or will it just be for copying files from one computer to another? It's important to be sure about this because a large part of what makes an external hard drive right for you has something to do with the nature and volume of files that you will be saving on it.
Types of External Hard Drive
There are two general types of external hard drive-portable and desktop. The portable type is small, around 2.5 inches, and housed in a slim casing that makes it easy to carry around. As its name indicates, its main advantage is portability, which also means it works without a separate power supply unit. On the other hand, the desktop external hard drive is slightly larger, around 3.5 inches, and comes with fans to help keep it cool while being used. Although it is still portable, it is designed to provide a larger storage capacity, hence its size.
Capacity
Looking around for an external hard drive best buy also involves considerations regarding storage capacity. The portable type is rather limited in this department because it depends mainly on the storage capacity of the computer to which it is attached, and how many other USB-powered devices are connected. However, when using a desktop device, 2TB is the storage capacity that may be expected. This simply means more space for more files, including videos, movies and other files, where the maximum capacity of portable device, is not enough.
Compatibility
compatibility is yet another issue that needs to be looked into because obviously, no drive works when its connector doesn't match the port on the computer where it is to be attached. There are three types of connectors-USB, eSata and Firewire. Therefore, a Firewire will only work with a Firewire port, a Mac will only work with a Mac port, and so on. USB's are the most commonly used connectors today, but they're not nearly half as good as eSata and Firewire when it comes to performance.
Cost
Of course, an inevitable issue to be considered when buying a drive is cost. As expected, the prices of drives vary, depending on the manufacturer and the store where they are sold. However, one rule of thumb for determining whether a certain product's price is fair enough is to divide this amount by the number of gigabytes. External hard drives are immensely cheaper today than they were five years ago, and can be bought for a very cheap price of $o.25 per GB. More expensive brands can cost anywhere from $o.60 to $0.70 per GB.
So Do You Really Need an External Hard Drive?
An external hard drive provides more storage space, and with some of your files saved in this device, you can free up some space in your computer and expect better performance. This drive is also easy to upgrade, so if you need even more space, that will not be a problem (except for flash drives.) If your computer crashes, files saved on your external drive will still be safe. You can even stash away your most personal files in this device and have the privacy you need. Do you really need an external hard drive? If any of these things matter to you, yes.
What Do You Need it For?
In the event that you are sure you need an external hard drive, you have to be clear on what you want it for. Do you plan to use it for personal document safekeeping, or are you planning on saving a whole library of songs and movies on it? Will you use it for storing back up files at the office, or will it just be for copying files from one computer to another? It's important to be sure about this because a large part of what makes an external hard drive right for you has something to do with the nature and volume of files that you will be saving on it.
It can get confusing having to choose from the many different brands and types of this device today, but sites that feature external hard drive reviews are a great place to start. Whether you're planning to buy a Western Digital,
Samsung, Vertex, Plextor or seagate external hard drive, it pays to
know exactly what you're for based on these six important considerations
and a few pointers from other users.
No comments:
Post a Comment