They are quite simply indispensable. External hard drives have enjoyed success for years in the field of storing large amounts of data, especially for data back-ups, but also for many other applications. Why this is so, what the differences are between 2.5 and 3.5-inch drives, and what external hard disks can be used for: The text provides answers to these questions.
External hard drives continue to be in demand, despite the new competition
There’s life in the old dog yet. Quite a few experts have been sounding the death knoll for external hard drives.
The reason for this was typically the advent of “Cloud” storage and read-only memory (SSD). But:
- The downside to Cloud storage is that private files are stored on company servers, which calls for quite a high level of trust. In addition, storage space for Cloud solutions is still expensive, particularly in the case of larger quantities of data. For many people this cannot be outweighed by the constant and global availability of data.
- SSDs are faster than conventional hard drives and are almost immune to interference. But the downside to this is the price when it comes to larger volumes of data. An SSD in the range of 1 terabyte (1,024 gigabytes) still generally costs more than 200 euro. You can get an external hard drive for around 50 euro.
Small or large: The difference between 2.5 and 3.5-inch hard drives
In principle, external hard drives operate in the same way as internal hard drives installed in a computer: Data is written and read on rotating magnetic discs. The differences are in terms of:
- Size and weight: 3.5-inch hard drives have a magnetic disc with a diameter of 3.5 inches, i.e. 8.9 cm. The diameter for 2.5-inch hard drives is 6.4 cm. The larger drives are naturally heavier.
- Speed: The difference in size ensures that the larger models are faster, up to 50% faster. For example, data can be copied over from a PC to the external 3.5-inch hard drive faster than to a 2.5-inch hard drive.
- Storage space: 2.5-inch hard drives are like the little brothers of the 3.5-inch drives. Although both sizes come in a range of 1 to 4 terabytes of storage space, we really need to be looking at a 3.5-inch model nowadays if we need more storage, such as 8 terabytes. In turn, there remains only a few 3.5-inch drives with only 1 terabyte of storage space or less.
- Power supply: 3.5-inch drives need an external power pack. This is included in the scope of delivery, but it does restrict the use of larger (and also heavier) models mostly to the home. However, the small 2.5-inch drives are powered by the USB port on the computer, via the cable, which is already used to transfer data. They are therefore best-suited to being used on the move.
- Price: On average, 3.5-inch drives are somewhat cheaper than 2.5-inch drives when it comes to price per terabyte.
What you should bear in mind and what external hard drives can be used for
When making your purchase, make sure you’re buying an external hard drive with USB 3.0. In principle, this kind of model is about ten times faster than one with USB 2.0. Always use the external hard drive with care.
Although the device should be able to withstand little knocks, there is no guarantee. You really need to avoid knocking the device, especially while it is in use when the reader head is sliding over the disc.
Examples of where external hard drives are used:
- Back-up: regularly storing entire content of the computer hard drive or selected data such as photos, videos and documents.
- Data access: When connected to the router, everyone in the WiFi network can access data saved to the external hard drive.
- TV: Connect the hard drive to the TV via a USB to look at photos and watch videos on the TV.
- To expand memory: when there is insufficient memory in the notebook or on the games console.
Image sources:
Fotolia / 22919556 / Inga Nielsen
