Don’t know how to buy a well-qualified external USB hard drive? Don’t worry. This article will tell you how to pick up an external USB drive from its storage capacity,transfer speed,durability and security. You may check this post for more information.
For many people, backup is related to the cloud. However, cloud backups can be a little tricky due to some high-level hacker attacks and the possibility of Internet failures. In this case, you are unable to access the data immediately. This is where external USB hard drive would play a role in. In addition, it even provides a good way to extend the storage of low-end laptops and portable devices.
Although there are many USB hard drives, how do you know what to buy? I will tell you how to choose a best hard external hard drive to ensure that you get the most for your money.
Storage Capacity of the Hard Drive
Storage capacity is the most important specification you need to consider by far.
If you want an external hard drive for transferring documents, photos, or other media from one device to the other, or just want to expand the storage space of your low-end laptop or tablet, then you might choose a mid-range hard drive.
The largest of those can be up to 2TB of storage space, and they are very expensive and unnecessarily big for you to transfer files. To make full use of the external hard drive and save your money as much as possible, you may choose one in the region of 64GB.
Transfer Speed of the Hard Drive
Although the storage capacity is very important, it doesn’t mean everything as for external drives. Transfer speed is also important because if you transfer files back and forth to large drives on a regular basis, you don’t want to wait long to complete the process.
There are two main factors that contribute to the speed of the drive: the storage technology and the connectors it uses.
In general, solid state drives (SSD) can process data faster than hard drives (HDD). There are several common options to consider when connecting an external drive to a desktop, laptop, or mobile device.
Most drives today use a USB interface, but there are several generations that have some distinct differences – most notably with transfer speed.
USB 2.0 is an old standard, and you should avoid the use of it except for some infrequent small file transfers. USB 3.0 offers a dramatic increase in speed (up to 5 Gbps), while USB 3.1 (sometimes called USB 3.1 Gen 2) is becoming more and more common and provides transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps. Thunderbolt 3-enabled devices provide the fastest connection medium among them, capable of transferring media at speeds up to 40 Gbps.
Portability and Durability of the Hard Drive
This can also be traced back to your purpose of using external hard drives. If you only want to use external drives in your home for backup, you don’t need to consider portability. You can even look at the network connection storage solution for longer backup options for more permanent backup options. However, if you need to keep the drive with you when you are outside, portability is essential. It should be light and small if you want to choose a portable hard drive, so you can carry it effortlessly.
In contrast to storage space, SSD tends to be slightly smaller than hard drives. Another reason for considering SSD instead of HDD is durability. Although modern external drives are usually equipped with rugged casings to protect them from being damaged, the two technologies have very different physical makeups. An SSD has no moving parts, which makes them more durable to drop damage than a traditional hard drive. Should you require an external drive that can withstand a fall or tension, you’ll need to opt for an offering that sports a rugged design and durable build to offer enhanced physical protection.
If you need an external drive that can withstand falls or strain, you need to choose a product that is rugged in sports design and durable construction to provide enhanced physical protection.
Security
If you focus on security, you need to find a drive with hardware encryption. Encrypting data can keep your data safe, especially when dealing with sensitive information. You can even choose to enter physical security systems like PIN-code. Some drives will also have a strong enclosure to prevent physical tampering.
Above all is everything you need to know when buying an external drive. After reading this post, I believe you have got a general idea of what needs to be considered when looking at external drives.