Are you interested in How to Choose an External Hard Drive? The external hard drive is one of the best ways to store files, movies, videos, and every valuable file we need to use for future purposes.
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It has a very wild space for storing files and you can use it to back up your system. So before I tell you how to choose an external hard drive you need to know what an external hard drive is all about.
External Hard Drive
This is a storage device that can be easily carried around and can fit anywhere. It can be connected to the computer through a USB, firewire connection, or wireless. It varies which means it can be HDD(hard drive) or SSD(solid-state drive) that can be connected to the computer.
Do you know that the hard drives in your system are what is converted into external hard drives the only way they can become external drive is when it has a case that might have different colors but mostly used color is black that which protects the hard drive and you could use to connect to the computer?
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Why would you use an External Drive?
The external hard drives are easy to carry around. The part I love most is the fact that they have a large storage capacity. And you can transfer the files to your computer when needed but they can be accessed only when you plug the external hard drive to the computer.
Uses of External drive
Am going to tell you about the use of an external hard drive, it has a lot of advantages but we are going to talk about a few of them.
- Storage: the main use of a hard drive is for storage. All of your files, and movies, are saved and stored on the hard drive. The storage space of the hard drive is between 250GB and 1TB. When you store files in the external hard drive you could easily access them whenever plugged into the system with the USB or wireless.
- Backup: You could use the hard drive as a backup if something happens to your system. Like in the case of formatting your system, you could use the external hard drive as a backup to retrieve those files you don’t want to lose or probably virus affected your computer or maybe even be stolen.
- Editing: in order to perform digital editing, you need an external hard drive. You can do digital editing like video editing, photo editing, digital illustration, 3D rendering, audio editing, and many more.
- Data Sharing: We have popular means of transferring and receiving files. This means flash drive, email, or cloud storage. But the external hard drive stands out from all, no matter how large the files are. It is easier to transfer from your external hard drive no matter how large.
- Gaming: If you are a lover of games, you would understand that some games take up a large space on our PC. So instead of deleting them and get to lose a wonderful game, you could save it in an external hard drive and if you would love to use the external hard drive for gaming. Then you have to get the external hard drive that has a thunderbolt or USB-C connector.
Good External Hard Drives for Gaming
- WD Portable external gaming drive.
- Western Digital WD black hard drive.
- Samsung T5 portable SSD.
- Crucial BX500 3D NAND SATA.
- Silicon power portable external hard drive.
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Differences between SSD and HDD
Both drives perform the same task but work differently and have different and special features.
- HDDs are storage device that has platters that read and write data, while SSD instantly stores data on an accessible memory chip.
- HDD’s energy consumption is high. While SSD’s consumption level is low.
- HDD’s speed level is up to 160MB per second while the speed level of SSD is up to 3000MB per second.
- The price of HDD is lower than that of SSD.
- The Storage capacity of HDD is high from 500GB to 18TB while the storage capacity is low from 120GB to 8TB.
- HDD parts are moving mechanical parts while SSD parts are electrical parts.
- HDD is larger and slower while SSD is smaller and faster.
- HDD on the aspect of durability does not last, any damage that happens to your system as a result of a fall might have an effect on your hard drive. But the SSD durability level is 100% perfect it is not likely to be affected by any damage that might happen to your system.
How to Choose an External Hard Drive
In order to choose an external hard drive there are things you have to consider or look out for:
- Storage capacity: it would be of no benefit if you buy something so expensive and that device is not able to store even half of what you desired.
- Portability and durability.
- Security.
- Combability.
- Transfer speed.
- Gaming(if you are one that loves games).
- SSD or HDD.
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FAQ
Is it Better to have an External SSD or HDD?
With HDDs you can get more storage space at a cheaper rate while SSDs are very faster, more durable, lighter, and consume less energy. So the choice is in your hands on which to buy.
What size of External Hard Drive do I need to back up my laptop?
A drive of about 2TB to 4TB is large enough for most average users. For those who use video or large photoshop files for work purposes, you will definitely need more space. If your system is having a storage of 256GB then your backup drive should have a storage of 512GB of space.
How do I back up my PC to an External Hard Drive?
To back up an external drive or network location you use file history by selecting start>settings>update & security>backup>add a drive>then choose the external drive network location for your backup.
Is 2TB a lot of Storage?
It is a lot of storage that holds about 2 trillion bytes. This means you could have almost thousands of music, movies, and a lot of work files. You still would have enough for more things.
Is it Okay to leave the External Hard Drive Plugged in?
No, it is okay because that could lead to wear and tear on the drive. This means that could reduce the life span of your hard drive and you might not enjoy it well. So you should try your possible best to unplug it anytime you are through with it.
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