Many computer users are unpleasantly surprised by the fact that there is not enough space on the internal hard drive to store files. The speed with which data is transmitted on the Internet today is growing every day. The volume of data that needs to be saved is also increasing. Does your computer memory no longer hold a collection of movies, music and photos? The way out of this situation can be a hard drive. This article will help you figure out which best external hard drive should be purchased based on the requirements for the device.
When choosing a device, the question naturally arises: “Which hard drive is better?” The answer, as always, is on the surface. You should clearly know the purpose for which the device is purchased. What a good hard drive is best for storing a home video collection, and what is the best external hard drive would be more logical to use as a container for temporary file storage. The main parameter of any external drive is the amount of memory. The standard for disks, the form factor of which is 2.5 inches, is considered the volume of 250, 320 or 500GB. It makes no sense to buy a drive with less memory, as they cost not much cheaper, and the memory supply will never be superfluous. And what good hard drive can have 1TB or more? This memory capacity boasts 3.5 inch models. They are recommended to be used as a file storage. A significant disadvantage of such drives is that they need additional power. Which hard drive is best suited for basic needs is ultimately decided by the consumer.
It should be understood what the best external hard drive would not be, it is just an ordinary hard drive enclosed in a plastic, rubberized or metal case. For use in extreme conditions, devices with a metal or rubberized case are perfect. Such hard drives are better protected from mechanical stress than others.
In order to decide which is the best external hard drive, you need to find out the speed of its work. The faster the hard drive works, the higher its cost. If the speed of the device is a factor affecting decision making, then a small overpayment will be quite appropriate. The speed of a hard drive is determined by two indicators: the speed at which the spindle rotates and the speed of average access. For those who decide to choose a faster drive, it is best to look at models that have a modern interface that allows you to transfer data from a computer to an external drive as quickly as possible. In terms of speed, 3.5 inch models are preferable. Their optimal rotation speed is 7200 rpm. For 2.5 inch drives, this figure is more modest - 5400 rpm.
To find out how much the selected drive will be compatible with your PC, you need to know which file system it supports. The most popular are FAT32 and NTFS. Each of them has strengths and weaknesses. The advantages of NTFS include support for files larger than 4GB. This is a definite plus for those who are going to store high-resolution video on their hard drives. FAT32 also has its advantages, it is compatible not only with modern operating systems, but also with most obsolete ones. Although, most hard drive models support both file systems and they can be easily formatted in FAT32, or in NTFS.
And of course, the design of the device plays an important role in the choice. As a rule, with the relatively identical technical characteristics of two hard drives, the buyer chooses the one that, in his opinion, is more attractive externally.
So, now we know that when choosing a hard disk you should pay attention to the following parameters: capacity, speed, compatibility with the PC file system and size.