External hard drives epitomize one of the most affordable ways to expand your storage capacity. They are plugged into machines to offer immediate storage without the need to perform extra hardware upgrades. As laptops and PCs already have their inbuilt hard drives to store games and software, getting external storage would boost the amount of space.
With the ever-changing market trends, hard drives come in different shapes, sizes, and designs. This is the top reason you should consider the entire operating system along with your needs before looking at trends in the market.
Why do you need an external hard drive?
External hard drives are portable storage devices typically used to store a broad range of data elements. It doesn't take long for your computer's internal storage to fill up completely, which is the top reason you need additional space.
External HDDs are easy to use, portable, and transferable and provide instant storage whenever you need to use them. The best perk of External Hard Drives is that they can be connected to numerous computers to transfer colossal amounts of data.
At the same time, External Hard Drives offer viable solutions to gamers who might want to add their PS4 capacity. In addition to allowing gamers to retain ownership of the data, it features enhanced safety compared to cloud-based solutions.
Types of external hard drives
External Hard Drives are divided into two categories based on the bundled software, compatibility, and how it can be integrated with different components. Arguably, the most important distinguishing factor is the storage technology, which leads to the two major categories of hard drives.
Hard drive disks (HDD)
HDDs are legacy storage devices with spinning disks and magnetic technology to store data. The drive has an arm with several read/write "heads" that record and retrieve data from the disk. Similar to how a turntable record player works, the arm moves back and forth across the disk's surface to access different storage segments.
Given that HDD technology has been used longer than SSDs, they generally cost lower and are suitable for data that often needs to be accessed. Typically, HDDs are available in 2.5-inch sizes for laptops and 3.5-inch sizes for desktop computers.
Solid state drive (SSD)
The name "solid state" does not epitomize the actual technology used to store data. Solid State Drives store data in integrated circuits, which comes with many implications, particularly in size and performance.
As this technology eliminates the need for a spinning disk, Solid State Drives can reduce the size of a postage stamp. How much data they can hold, however, varies depending on the model. Ideally, SSDs are suitable for small devices like slim convertibles, laptops, and 2-in-1s.
At the same time, SSDs have dramatically reduced access time as users don't have to wait for the read/write head to "warm up."
What to look for when buying an external hard drive?
With tons of external storage options available, it is not guaranteed that buying any External Hard Drive would work to your leverage. There is a need to consider essential elements before buying these essential secondary storage devices.
Storage capacity
Most of the External Hard Drives range between 500 GB capacity upwards to 8 TB. If you want an external drive ideal for transferring documents, photos, or other media from none device to another, mid-range capacity may be suitable.
Storing hundreds of movies without the need to have frequent transfers necessitates back-ups going up to 2 TB capacity. If you're interested in keeping files in the long term, you might want a hard drive with a minimum of 1 TB capacity.
Networking
While most External Hard Drives have wired connectivity, you can also find wired devices in the market. The most significant distinguishing factor is that wireless hard drives come with integrated rechargeable batteries and can connect to several devices without a router.
The latest models of External Hard Drives come with a Network-Attached Storage drive (NAS). These drives often come with integrated Wi-Fi or an Ethernet port to add storage for multiple computers to share.
Additionally, some NAS come with print-server capabilities that allow users to connect printing devices to USB ports to print documents from multiple computers within the network.
Power source
External Hard Drives typically need USB cables to power them on. However, some models might need an additional power source. Portable hard drives are powered by USB cables, while desktop hard drives might need an external casing along with a power supply.
Another option is to connect the USB cable directly to the computer's USB input ports, allowing for greater mobility and eliminating the need for an AC adapter. If you are using a laptop, the hard drive may consume power battery faster.
Size and portability
The drive's physical dimensions dictate how portable it will be. External HDDs have slightly bigger sizes than standard power banks and can fit into small spaces, although slightly heavier.
External Desktop HDDs, on the other hand, need permanent storage space within the CPU. By extension, their portability depends on how easily you can move the entire desktop.
Compatibility
External Hard Drives are regularly formatted for particular operating systems. An external drive formatted for Mac OS may have challenges working with Windows 10 Operating system.
However, this setup is not irreversible. You can reformat or partition the disks to have different capabilities and work with your OS. If you want to avoid this hassle, confirm if it is compatible with your operating system before you buy.
Durability
Modern External Hard Drives come with rugged casings to protect them against damaging elements. While this technology features both HDDs and SSDs, the two hard drives have an entirely different physical designs. Some hard drives even come with military specifications against which durability is referenced.
SSDs are more resistant to damages emanating from falls as they have fewer moving parts than a traditional hard drive. This might be an essential consideration for preference of SSD over an HDD, particularly if durability is important to you.
Data transmission speed
Several factors determine the performance of a consumer-grade External Hard Drive, but the revolutions per minute is an important consideration. Higher RPM means data is extracted by the read/write head faster.
The drive's SATA speed is often a negligible metric. A modern drive might be specified as 3.0 GB per second and 7200 RPM. The first parameter is the SATA speed, which refers to the maximum speed of a SATA connection. Technically, no HDD is designed to transfer data at this kind of speed.
It is only wise to consider RPM as a trustworthy metric as a 7200 RPM will always work faster than a 5400 RPM.
HDD interface
Upon deciding between HDD and SSD, you have to select a form factor. There are only two options, and your current setup will primarily determine the right choice.
External Hard Drives usually come in a 3.5-inch form factor with a maximum capacity ranging between 10-20 TB. On the other hand, Laptop HDDs tend to come in a 2.5-inch form factor along with 5-10 TB storage capacity.
Solid State devices are smaller than HDDs as they do not have moving parts. If you need to connect an SSD to a 3.5-inch jacket, you might consider using adapters to make this interface viable.
Design
An External Hard Drive's design determines its build quality. A silver aluminum design perfectly resonates with Apple's iMac casing. If you are so particular about elegance, you might want to consider this design.
A slim metal design is also portable and appealing. Aside from determining your hard drive's durability, the design dictates the drive's visual appeal.
Extra features
The use of hard drives goes beyond expanding PC storage for files, music, and videos. Their incredible versatility stretches their usage to gaming consoles to enhance retrieval speed and storage.
External hard drive for gaming console expansion
Using an External Hard Drive for gaming consoles creates more storage. As gaming requires a lot of memory, an external HDD can enhance the computer's ability to store more games.
Generally, no file preformatting is necessary to use an external gaming hard drive. Due to this flexibility, External Hard Drives can offer a great way to share games across multiple devices.
There are certain scenarios where it might be necessary to pre-format files. If you intend to use the hard drive for gaming console expansion, make sure to check its compatibility with the operating system to offset the occurrence of this hurdle.
Extra external ports
Transfer speed is as important as the storage space if you plan to regularly transfer files back and forth. While SSDs typically transfer data faster than HDDs, extra external port connectors are also crucial.
Most PCs and laptops support USB 2.0 ports, but the newer ones come with USB 3.0 ports. Theoretically, USB 2.0 ports have a maximum bandwidth of 480 Mbps, while USB 3.0 can support up to 5 Gbps. This means that you can expect a higher performance with USB 3.0 than with USB 2.0 ports.
Safety
One notable element of External Hard Drives is that they are incredibly portable, even if they're on the larger end. You can keep your hard drive safe from hackers when you're online, but this doesn't mean it cannot land in the wrong hands.
To mitigate such occurrences, most hard drives come with encryption security measures. Even if your drive has no encryption, you'll likely find it compatible with encryption software. You could utilize a physical security system like a pin-code input to unlock access to data.
Cloud connectivity
There has been a phenomenal shift from physical storage to cloud-enabled storage devices. Most institutions are slowly beginning to appreciate cloud storage, which is a technology incorporated into hard drives.
NAS drives utilize cloud technology where the devices connected within the network can be accessed over the internet. Regardless of how secure your data may be, cloud storage still is an ideal solution to retrieve data in case of damage.
Cooling system
Hard drives use motors to spin their plates in the order of as much as 15,000 revolutions per minute. As an inevitable by-product, heat is one of the most common causes of hard drive failure due to head crashes, expansion, and electrical "shorts."
Overheating is entirely preventable as most External Hard Drives come with metal fins that work as heat sinks. You should, however, watch the ambient temperature and consider reducing your usage when the driver's temperature goes above 40 oC.
In addition to installing dedicated apps meant to monitor temperature, consider upgrading your computer's cooling system to reduce the risk of damage.