An external hard drive is similar to the one built into a laptop or computer, but with the only difference: it does not need to be mounted in a device. The drive is connected mostly via USB. When there is no need for an external hard drive, it is easy to disconnect the device and put it in a secluded place, and if necessary, reconnect it.
It can be needed in a variety of situations.
- Expand computer memoryif it is clogged. A drive of various capacities will fix the situation: from several gigabytes (GB) to 8 terabytes (TB).
- Unload the PC hard drivewhen it slows down. Some of the information will be taken over by the external HDD.
- Mobility - this is the main advantage of an external hard drive if you have to work with large amounts of information. Data is easier to transfer.
Which external hard drive to choose
External drives can run on spinning disk drives (HDD) and solid state drive (SSD). There are combined systems in which a fast SSD is used for caching, and the HDD part is used for long-term storage of information.
- HDD is a classic disk. A good choice for long-term storage because large disks are relatively inexpensive. Disadvantages of HDD - muffled noise due to disk rotation speed.
- SSD is more practical, it has increased data transfer speed and compact size.
- The HDD + SSD hybrid drive combines the advantages of the two listed above. In fact, the need for such disks is doubtful: if you need to seriously speed up work, an internal SSD will help, and a classic HDD is good for storage.
When choosing an external hard drive, you should pay attention to several criteria:
Manufacturer
Better to choose the famous. For example, Seagate, Western Digital, Transcend, Toshiba, A-DATA. They are considered the most reliable.
Memory size
Select based on the purposes for which you plan to use the external hard drive:
- 500 GB is enough for writing essays, term papers and laboratory works;
- 1 TB is needed to store photos;
- if you shoot and edit a lot of videos, as well as to store backups of all your devices and media files - movies and music, you will need 2 TB or more.
External hard drives rating 2018 by memory size
| Memory capacity up to 1000 GB | Memory capacity 2 TB | Memory over 2 TB |
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Hard disk speed and clipboard size
The clipboard is the amount of fast memory that speeds up the disk by performing tasks other than reading and writing. Its size ranges from 8 MB to 64 MB. The higher the value, the faster the drive works.
An important characteristic is the speed of the hard disk. It depends on several factors.
- From the connector through which the drive connects to other devices.
- From the spindle speed and hard disk buffer size, which affect the speed of reading files.
- Stationary HDDs are faster than portable ones. Their minimum speed indicator is 5400 r / s.
- The minimum SSD to watch out for is 400 MB / s. But despite the noticeable gap in the average speed, the difference between them in the recording time of a 2.5 gig movie is not that great.
Price
The cost of external HDDs is formed by several factors:
- brand promotion,
- the capacity of the device, which depends on the volume. It ranges from 32 GB to 12 TB:
- 32 GB - from 700 UAH
- 64 GB - from 800 UAH
- 120 GB - from 900 UAH
- 500 GB - from 1100 UAH
- 1 TB - from 1200 UAH
- 2 TB - from 1800 UAH
- 5 TB - from 4500 UAH
- 10 TB from - 9500 UAH
- and materials that are used in the body of the device. Who likes it: plastic or aluminum, matte or glossy, with or without texture.
Dimensions of the device
The larger the hard drive capacity, the higher its dimensions (form factor). The market is dominated by two types - 2.5 "and 3.5".
- Those that are smaller are light, they have a stronger body. They are capacious - up to 500 gigabytes.
- The larger ones are heavy. Their weight can reach one kilogram. But such drives have a huge capacity, the bill goes to terabytes. They open and save files much faster.
Security
Devices with an increased level of protection reliably preserve confidential information. These hard drives are more expensive. But if information security is above all for you, you should pay attention to these models.
Ability to connect to a TV
Most drives use a USB interface. But in some models they are connected using a LAN interface. It increases the data transfer rate. Good for those who need access to the disk from multiple computers.
If you are buying a hard drive for storing your media library (music and movies), you need to clarify which file systems your TV reads. Most often, hard drives and computers work with the NTFS file system. So first, make sure your TV works with it.
External hard drive: reviews
On the question of how to choose the right external hard drive, there is no single instruction, it depends on your needs. View reviews for specific models. And be guided by your preferences.
Vladimir Lisak left a review for Western Digital USB 4TB (WDBYFT0040BBK-WESN) My Passport, Black 2.5 "USB 3.0:"Overall, the WD My Passport is a good device, with average read / write speeds (102/102 MB / s), 3-year warranty and cool design. It works completely quietly, heats up to 44 "when copying a large amount of data, which is normal according to a WD representative. In general, you can safely buy and use. But, I ran into one dumbest feature concerning WD Security (setting a password on the HDD) ... I decided to set a password, copied my strong password from a text document, more than 100 characters long, everything seems to be ok, but the next time I connected I was in for a surprise ((The fact is that the maximum password length is only 25 characters, but there are no warnings about this I learned this experimentally after the sad experience, formatting the disk with all the backups ... It is unclear why such a limitation on some pitiful 25 characters and at the same time they do not notify about it in any way ... So, be careful when choosing a password for this HDD!
Advantages:
- 3 years warranty, design.
Disadvantages:
- the limit on the length of the password is 25 characters, which the user must guess about himself ... The speed of linear writing and reading could be higher».
Paul Danylenko writes about Western Digital USB 1TB (WDBUZG0010BBK-EESN) Elements, Black 2.5 "USB 3.0:"Pratsyu in less rockіv, mabut, 6. Literally a skin day і cylodobovo.
Not having noticed any special overloads. I want to even more often throw in hundreds of gigabytes and wicker styles. The fatal memory of the memory of the boule. Two. I have a lot of singing, scho through my provinces (playing often not playing hard with usb)
Advantages:
Zibraniy, yak on me, is enough mіtsno. For the rock of koristuvannya otrim, navit, decilka of small podryapins and nothing. Pratsyu yak і pratsyuvav.
Disadvantages:
- that is all the rules for my bugs».
Sergey about Silicon-Power USB 1TB (SP010TBPHDA15S3K) Armor A15, Black 2.5 "USB 3.0, USB 2.0:"This disc really saved the labor of 5 days of work and did not disappoint. I prepared material for the client, a rather cumbersome presentation and took it to show. I decided not to take the laptop, I took only the A15. So, I was riding a motorcycle and suddenly, unexpectedly for myself, I conducted a crash test of this device - at a turn, about 60 kilometers, it fell out of an uncovered bag on the asphalt ... Aesthetically, I rubbed a little, but nevertheless did not disappoint at the meeting - everything worked without any hint that 20 minutes before that the disc had suffered a serious shake-up ... It was about 2 weeks ago - while it works the same way!
Advantages:
- really strong body, pleasant appearance, good speed of work, price-quality ratio.
Disadvantages:
- a bit bulky, but this is fully compensated for by its impact resistance».
Note: "SSD or HDD: which is better?"
What kind of external drive would you like to buy yourself? Share your opinion in the comments.
Watch a video overview of Western Digital drives
