It is known that there is not much free space on drives. For this reason, every computer owner sooner or later thinks about expanding the available file storage. Using cloud services is not always convenient, because a stable Internet connection is required. In this situation, buying an additional HDD (HDD) may help. However, you must first understand if the hard drive or external hard drive is more suitable for a particular user.
general description
It is much easier to decide on the choice of owners of laptops. Often, they simply do not have the ability to install an additional hard drive inside the device. Thus, an external HDD is definitely recommended for purchase. The latter is connected to the computer via a USB interface. According to the principle of operation, the external HDD is completely similar to a conventional hard drive. If the question arises as to why not just buy a USB flash drive, then it should be noted higher reliability indicators of HDD, as well as significantly larger volumes of the drives themselves.
Among other advantages of external HDDs compared to case-based ones, it is worth mentioning the ability to quickly transfer data from one PC to another. The versatility of the connection allows you to use the drive with virtually any device. For example, through a special OTG cable, you can even connect such a disk to some smartphones and tablets. However, not every mobile device or smart TV will support hard drives of 1 terabyte or more.
Key selection criteria
The necessary parameters depend on the goal that the customer is pursuing. External or internal hard drives can be selected according to the following criteria:
- total storage capacity;
- connection interface;
- type of installed memory;
- hull form factor;
- speed of read and write operations.
For external HDDs, a number of its own criteria are added, including the presence of moisture and dust protection in the hard drive case, as well as a version of the USB interface for connection. The cost is based on the above parameters, however, the volume of the drive in question primarily affects the final price tag. In addition, if you compare hard drives and external hard drives, the latter with similar characteristics will always be somewhat more expensive than the former. In this case, the price also includes a protective case with a built-in USB interface. In addition, we must not forget about the additional marketing margin for the type of device itself.
Prioritization
Each of those who purchase a second HDD must certainly understand why he needs it. Most often, such a device is bought to expand the available space for storing various files. The second common scenario is the need to create backups of the main system partition on the first hard drive or any significant data. This procedure is repeated on a regular basis with a certain periodicity. Some people prefer to buy two drives for backups, which several times reduces the risk of losing all the necessary files. Also very popular is such a scenario in which information is copied simultaneously to a spare HDD and to some cloud service.
There is another option for why the owner of a laptop or stationary PC might need a second hard drive on a computer. At present, the once dominant type of data carrier called a CD is going into oblivion. In this case, laptops are still often equipped with CD-DVD-drives. Most often, this component of the system is successfully replaced by an additional hard drive, which will clearly bring more benefit to the owner than a CD-ROM drive. In this case, the combination of a fast solid-state drive (SSD) in one computer under an operating system with a second magnetic-based disk (HDD) can be called an obvious scenario.
Connection interface
This parameter is of paramount importance if the user is interested in the final speed of reading and writing information. Depending on whether you plan to purchase a hard drive or an external hard drive, you should consider different connection interfaces. For devices located inside the case, one option is relevant today - SATA. The second revision of this interface allows the exchange of information at speeds up to 3 Gbit / s, and in the case of SATA III - up to 6 Gbit / s. Previously, an IDE connector was also used, but now it can only be found on motherboards, which are mostly more than 12-14 years old.
If we are talking about SSD-drives, then among the available connection interfaces, in addition to SATA, there are also PCIe-slots and specialized M.2. In this case, for ordinary HDD, one important fact must be taken into account. The fact is that the actual increase in speed when connected via SATA II and SATA III cannot be detected for the reason that simple hard drives do not reach speeds of 3 Gb / s. This means that you can buy devices with a second revision of this interface, without any fear for the final performance indicators.
Hybrid drives
Following the popularization of solid-state drives in the consumer market, manufacturers launched a completely new look called SSHD. Such devices to some extent combined the advantages of HDD and SSD. Hard drives or external hard drives created using this technology had fast cache memory as a data buffer for accessing frequently used programs and a traditional hard drive for storing other information.
Nevertheless, today it is very problematic to meet an SSHD in the store, since this species could not take root and find a mass consumer. For external drives, in the vast majority of scenarios, a simple HDD based on SATA II or SATA III with a USB connection is enough. If you intend to exchange information frequently with the main SSD-drive installed in the computer, you can purchase a second SSD instead of the HDD.
What are the USB interfaces
At the moment, it is best to look at models with version 3.0. In particular, this is true in the case of the purchase of an external solid-state drive, because the speed of the second revision of USB may somewhat limit the potential of the disk. Typically, a third version on ports and cables is marked in blue for quick identification. USB 2.0 has a read speed of 480 Mb / s, while USB 3.0 has 5 GB / s.
Another significant difference between the versions is to improve the power capabilities of connected devices. For example, hard drives of 1 terabyte or more in a 3.5-inch form factor should be provided with stable power, which can be provided by a third revision of the USB port. Since 2015, modern PCs also have the latest version of the USB Type-C connector, which provides read speeds of up to 10 Gb / s.
Spindle speed
Given the fact that external HDDs are functionally no different from their counterparts inside computer cases, it is worth evaluating this parameter by the same criteria. For example, slower drives may be slightly quieter. At the same time, a high spindle rotation speed causes the opposite effect - an increase in noise and vibration levels during active operation.
There is no consensus on how to choose a good external hard drive on this option. For each user, the priority may be both the speed of the product and its noise. If you plan to use the drive mainly for storing movies, photos, music or other data, then 5400 rpm will be enough. For frequent copying of information or working with programs, models with 7200 or 10000 RPM are better suited.
Connection Features
The process of connecting an external HDD is as simple as possible. The user only needs to insert the USB plug into the desired connector on the PC or laptop. There are more expensive models with a few additional ports. For example, an external hard drive with an Ethernet connector can turn the drive into additional network storage. If the device has a built-in Wi-Fi module, then it can become a personal file server, accessible simultaneously for several computers.
Some are looking for instructions on how to connect an external hard drive to devices like a TV or smartphone. The HDD is connected to the TV via a USB cable, and for mobile devices you need to use an OTG cable. Whether the drive will work with any device depends entirely on the capabilities of the TV or smartphone itself.
Software for external HDD
As a rule, such disks do not need any special software for everyday use. The standard means of any operating system should be enough to recognize the drive and work with files. In the same family of Windows, the user does not need to download additional software. However, programs for external hard drives do occur. Such software is developed by the device manufacturers themselves or by third-party companies. Typically, such software provides a set of utilities for optimizing and working with the disk, and also adds certain functionality like setting a password on folders or encrypting files.