Which external drive to choose. The best companies that make external hard drives

Many people store information on electronic media. But when it becomes too much, everyone wonders how to choose an external HDD. After all, storing many flash drives is inconvenient and economically impractical. Their total cost will significantly exceed the cost of external media. Therefore, answering the question of what is better - a flash drive or external hard disk, you can safely give preference to the latter.

To approach the choice wisely, it is important to determine which parameters to rely on.

The main ones are:

• form factor;
• memory type;
• disk volume;
• connection interface.

There are also additional ones:

• data transfer rate;
• disk rotation speed;
• built-in capabilities;
• special functions.

How to choose the right external hard drive? Think about the sizes. The most common are 3.5 and 2.5 inches. There is still 1.8 inches, but today it is less popular.

The first form factor is the largest and most spacious. The disk capacity can be terabytes and tens of terabytes. Due to this, a reduction in the price per GB is achieved. The disadvantage is the weight. You will have to carry not only the hard drive itself, but also the power supply for it, because it requires power to operate. For this reason, it is ideal for creating archives and stationary use.

The 2.5″ removable drive is exactly the same size as a laptop hard drive. Therefore, the choice most often falls on him. Another plus is that power is supplied from the USB port. It means that external storage will be significantly smaller and lighter than its larger brother. The price paid for compactness. It will be higher per GB than a 3.5″ drive.

In terms of portability and compactness, the best external hard drive is a 1.8″ device. However, its small size and the use of SSD memory make it quite expensive. For these reasons, this form factor is not particularly popular.

Memory type

One of the main criteria when answering the question of how to choose portable hard disk is a type of memory. Today there are 3 of them:

• SSHD.

HDD ( Hard Disk Drive) is the most common type of external hard drive. It consists of rotating magnetic plates and a read head. Among the advantages, it is worth noting the large capacity and low cost. Disadvantages include slight noise, sensitivity to falls, shaking and other mechanical impacts.

SSD ( Solid State Drive - solid state drive. It has no moving parts, making it much more resistant to shocks. Therefore, it is better suited for frequent wear. SSD has higher data transfer speed than HDD and lower power consumption. However, it is inferior in volume and price. These are disks with a relatively small volume and still a high cost.

SSHD (Solid State Hybrid Drive) incorporates technologies from both types of memory. At its core, it is a HDD with a solid-state memory section. Target of this device— speed up disk operation due to the fact that the most frequently used files will be stored in the flash memory of the disk. And the main information is on magnetic plates. These hard disks are less popular compared to the previous two.

Which type of memory to choose external media depends only on your needs and financial capabilities.

Portable storage capacity

The choice of external drive will be influenced by the purpose for which you plan to use the device. The 2.5-inch is usually limited to 500-750 GB, but it is mobile and portable. And 3.5-inch ones can contain terabytes of information. If the device is needed for frequent transfer of small information, external drive It’s better to choose 250-500 GB. If you want to create a home media library or archive, then you need several terabytes. After all, file sizes are constantly growing, and as storage capacity increases, the price per gigabyte decreases.

External information transfer speed hard drives depends on the interface, that is, the connection method.

The most common is USB. USB 3.0 with data transfer speeds of up to 5 Gb/s is relevant today. USB 2.0 has maximum speed transfers 480 Mb/s. They differ slightly in price, but you can judge for yourself in terms of speed. This connector is present on almost any device. You can always find an adapter for it. The popularity of the interface can be decisive when choosing external hard drives.

• The SATA standard, on the contrary, is now almost never used for external hard drives. The maximum allowed speed is 6 Gb/s. This connector is mainly used for internal hard drives.
• eSATA is a subtype of the SATA standard.
• FireWire is a fairly rare connector that can achieve data transfer speeds of 400 Mbit/s.
• Thunderbolt is an Apple standard. Maximum speed 10 Gbps.

The spindle speed will affect parameters such as the speed of information transfer, power consumption, noise level and how hot it gets.

• 5400 rpm is the slowest and quietest;
• 7200 rpm - average rotation speed;
• 10,000 rpm is the fastest (among HDDs) and the loudest.

FAT32 and NTFS

FAT32 is old file format systems. NTFS is newer and supports files larger than 4 GB. This is important to consider when choosing external hard drives. After all, if on a computer file system FAT32, but on a portable NTFS drive, there will be a hardware conflict and the PC will not see the removable device.

When you choose an external drive with FAT32, you need to know that it will work perfectly with all operating systems, but will not support files larger than 4 GB.

The speed of the external drive is affected by the size of the clipboard. The larger it is, the faster the performance will be. Some drives are equipped specialized programs. They allow you to back up files, create a password-protected disk partition, and much more. Although all this can be done using third-party programs.

Some models have an Ethernet network connector as well as Wi-Fi. Such models can be used as a server with a home media library. This is very convenient when you use several computers at home. And if the device has an additional USB port, it can be used to recharge gadgets.

Seagate has released a wonderful drive, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim. Transcend also distinguished itself with its StoreJet 25M3 model. Western Digital placed in the top five twice removable media with Elements Portable and My Passport Ultra discs. And the leader of the top five was Seagate Expansion.

Which medium you choose depends on your needs and financial capabilities. Before making a final decision about which model and which company to buy, be sure to read reviews of external hard drives. At the most popular models There are quite a lot of reviews based on which you can form your opinion.

Rostislav Kuzmin

Good afternoon, dear readers of my blog! Returning to my usual topics, I hasten to tell you how to choose an external hard drive, as well as why it is more convenient than an internal one or a flash drive.

Recently a neighbor came to me: he bought a storage device, inexpensive, used, but how to use it, why it was needed, he couldn’t imagine. In general, I took it because they gave it away cheaply. There is a category of people who are easy to persuade to buy unnecessary thing. Well, at least in this situation the device turned out to be useful. As a professional, I considered it necessary to conduct an extensive educational program in case someone wants to buy a gift, but doesn’t know what. So I'll start from the very beginning.

It would be correct to define this accessory in a few words.

An external hard drive is a drive that can be connected to a computer or laptop (and some models - to a smartphone) if there is not enough built-in memory. Devices can be mobile or stationary; differ not only in memory capacity, but also in many technical specifications, which must be taken into account when purchasing.

The device consists of a storage unit and a case in which it is placed. The accessory for operation is much more convenient than the built-in one hard media or flash drives, for which, usually, the declared volume does not correspond to reality. An external drive will allow you to expand the memory up to 2 TB - 2000 GB - quite enough for large-scale projects.

Who needs an external hard drive?

Over many years of working in a hardware store, I have learned this fact - some consumers purchase computer devices only because “everyone else has it, so I need it too.” Of course, such clients are a gift from God for a salesperson whose salary depends on the number of sales. But I love it when the buyer is satisfied, the chosen product actually turns out to be useful, and the person then returns, becoming my regular customer.

Therefore, I want you to clearly understand that you need the device. These may be cases:

• If you often go on business trips and don’t have a laptop, don’t drag your work or home computer with you. And here removable storage very convenient in this situation.
• You are a desperate music/movie lover - you just filled your computer’s memory with music/movies. In general, I advise storing on a stationary hard drive only necessary information which is used daily. And all important files It’s better to duplicate/move to removable storage. And under no circumstances trust important documents postal services: firstly, the box can be hacked; secondly, if suddenly you have a problem with the Internet, you will not be able to right moment use the information.
• When there is no computer or laptop, and the iPad is not able to accommodate the required number of files. By the way, removable storage is very convenient for a tablet, especially when traveling.

So, a firm decision has been made - we proceed to a scrupulous analysis of the main criteria.

Main requirements

There is something of a joke among salespeople that a real consultant decides what the client wants. If you do not want to be sold a product that is sitting in a warehouse or simply based on the principle of the highest price, learn to understand what you need.

Usually, choice of hard disk is determined by the following factors:

1. Volume. This is the first thing any user will pay attention to, even a hopeless “teapot”. It is precisely because of the need for additional memory external accessories are purchased.
2. Memory type. Factor responsible for data transfer speed + file safety.
3. Disc shape.
4. Interface is a criterion by which the compatibility of an accessory with the equipment for which it is purchased is determined.

There are several additional factors that I will discuss separately.

Knowing what parameters to use when choosing an external hard drive, you can avoid being deceived by unscrupulous sellers on the Internet, especially when purchasing a used device.

How much memory do you need

I advise you not to take 500 GB “dwarfs”. The capacity is colossal for flash drives, but for an external drive it’s mere nonsense. When buying removable storage with memory less than 1 TB, you overpay per unit of volume. For example, models with the indicated capacity cost from 3,500 rubles, and with twice as much - only 5,000. This is minimal savings on accessories for an average price segment. In the luxury range you can save up to 5,000 – 6,000 rubles. Therefore, take 2 TB to forget about the lack of volume forever.

An exception may be if you purchase an external drive as a gift and want to record a specific amount of information on it. Or when an accessory is needed for a TV that supports a certain format.

So that when you come to the store you don’t get confused about which brand of disk to choose, be guided by the ratio of price and capacity. 1 TB drives are located in approximately one price category– 3,500 – 5,500 rub. But among 2 terabytes, the gap is much larger - from 5,500 to 19,000 - 20,000. Brands are considered the most reliable Transcend, ADATA, Western Digital And Seagate.

Types of memory

There are two types of disks – HDD and SSD. The first ones, which have already become classics, work due to rotating elements. They are ideal for long-term file preservation. The second - more modern - are solid-state, therefore, do not have rotating parts. They are mainly used for caching - that is, storing information in an accessible place, possibly temporary. It would be a stretch to say that SSD technology plays a role random access memory. It is impossible to say with certainty which better format. But I am 100% sure of one thing - it’s better not to mess with hybrid models. They are quite rare, do not bring much benefit to the wallet and do not particularly affect the download speed.

• The first type of device has been used for a long time, which made it possible to take into account all the needs, eliminating the shortcomings as much as possible. In addition, the HDD is accessible and convenient. The only negative is a slight, uniform hum when operating at high speeds (determined by the speed of downloading files). Prices for such devices start at 3,000 rubles.
• Solid State SSD media less susceptible to damage due to the absence of rotating elements. Often, such disks are used as internal drives. The main feature The accessory is considered to have extremely high download speed and compact size. But the high price makes the device unpopular among consumers. If you decide to purchase an SSD, keep in mind that cheap models practically do not live up to their declared properties. So you will have to spend at least RUR 15,000.

Size matters

If you are purchasing a device for iPad, it would be logical to opt for the compact version. At the dawn of the era of removable media, external storage was used regular disk, which required a power supply. The whole structure was cumbersome, although reliable. Today this format is still in use, but has been partially displaced from the forefront.

The largest size and, accordingly, memory capacity are those of “3.5” format media. They can store tens of terabytes of information. They can be used for corporate storage, but no one will prevent you from purchasing such a device for your home. Due to their large volume they are relatively inexpensive.

The most popular size is “2.5”. Such drives can hold up to 10 TB of files - ample memory for storing photos and videos at home. I didn’t find any downsides to this format, except that a gigabyte of information will be a little more expensive than the previous option.

The revolutionary “1.8” form factor has not yet won the trust of consumers, despite its compact dimensions, decent capacity (the same as that of “2.5”) and the use of SSD technology. This may be due to the cost, which is an order of magnitude higher than standard drives.

Connection method

It is impossible to choose a reliable external drive for a laptop without taking into account the interface: in this case- a factor that determines the method of connecting the media to the gadget.

There are several connection methods.

1. Favorite among users and sellers, USB is used on almost all modern drives. Despite the versatility of the output - you can insert any plug into it - the interfaces still differ in download speed. The most popular version is considered to be version 3.0 (up to 5 Gb/s), but 2.0 (only 480 Mb/s) is already outdated. Advanced USB 3.1 uses a “Type-C” connector, and it is only compatible with new models of laptops/tablets.
2. The SATA, eSATA and FireWire interfaces are practically no longer used for modern external drives. So if you want to buy used media, be careful so that they don’t sell you a device that is incompatible with today’s technology.
3. Thunderbolt is designed specifically for Apple. Fans of the brand will be captivated by the transfer speed – up to 10 Gb/s. But limited compatibility adds a fly in the ointment.

Additional requirements

Reading reviews on forums, I came to the conclusion that the following factors are important for most users:

• Format – stationary or mobile disk. The first is relevant for a computer, and also if you need to expand the memory, but there is no need to carry the drive somewhere. The second one is ideal for a laptop or iPad.
• The presence of a built-in fan to cool the device. They especially need it HDDs form factor 3.5 ”.
• Rotation speed is directly related to the noise level of HHD accessories. The higher the speed, the faster downloading. But the slower the disk spins, the quieter it operates. Decide what is more important to you.
• Additional connectors – for example, for Wi-Fi.

I hope this article will help you choose the best external hard drive. But which brand should you trust? All the best!

Thank you for your attention! See you again on my blog. Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.

Cool

An external hard drive is essentially a regular hard drive, placed in protective housing for ease of transportation. Over the past few decades, he has been the best option for storage, Reserve copy or transfer of information of any volume. They are ideal for those who need to transfer data from computer to computer, or, for example, take a presentation with them on a business trip, especially since the modern generation of external hard drives has so much compact dimensions, which can easily fit into a woman’s bag.

You should choose this accessory based on several basic parameters:

1. Volume.
2. Speed ​​of work.
3. Connection interface.
4. Memory type.

Volume

For the most part, modern external hard drives in the 2.5-inch form factor have a capacity of 160 GB to 1.5 TB, and in the 3.5-inch form factor - up to 3 TB. There are also models on the market that can store over 3 TB. However, they consist of multiple hard drives. In addition, the price of the selected model will directly depend on its volume. Withdraw optimal value The price-quality ratio can be calculated by calculating how much 100 GB on a particular hard drive will cost. In addition, it should be taken into account that the larger the hard drive, the higher its noise level and power consumption.

Operation speed

Speed ​​is important indicator work hard disk, and directly depends on the spindle speed and buffer volume. The higher these parameters are for the selected model, the higher its operating speed in general. U external hard The connection interface also affects the speed of the disk. The maximum data transfer speed is provided by eSATA and USB 3.0 interfaces. The higher this indicator, the faster the disk works. The main speed indicators of hard drives presented by manufacturers on the market today range from 5400 rpm to 7200 rpm and in some models they can fluctuate in one direction or the other, depending on the needs of the end customer.

Other indicators, such as clipboards and internal cache memory, are not so important for making the final choice. A volume of 8-16 MB is suitable for most cases.

An external hard drive is sensitive to temperature changes, so you should not turn it on when entering a warm room from the cold. It takes him at least half an hour to “warm up” to room temperature.

Connection interface

Majority modern models Manufacturers equip external hard drives with USB 2.0 and 3.0 interfaces. The USB 2.0 connector is the most common. Less common are samples that support FireWire and eSATA interfaces. “Advanced” models are equipped with the ability to work within a network by using LAN connections(Ethernet), in isolated cases- Wi-Fi. Before you buy external hard drive, you should make sure that your PC also has the appropriate connector. This is necessary to verify whether the external drive can be connected directly. If not, then don’t be in a hurry to get upset - now there are many adapters that will help you effectively use your purchase. Connection methods are conventionally divided into: serial and parallel. Serial ATA (SATA) is considered serial, and Parallel ATA (PATA) is parallel; and, of course, EIDE. Hard drives with a SATA interface have a higher transfer speed than PATA, as well as ease of installation and operation. At the same time, the serial interface (SATA) has a data exchange speed of 150-160 Mb/s, and PATA does not exceed 100 Mb/s. Connecting an external hard drive of any type also requires the presence of a connector of the appropriate type in motherboard the computer itself.

If you have chosen an external hard drive with a classic USB interface, preference should be given to a model that supports USB 3.0. This standard is gradually replacing USB 2.0. And if USB 2.0 can still be connected to USB 3.0, then the other way around is no longer possible.

Memory type

External drives use two main types of memory:

• HDD (hard/magnetic disk drive) is a drive whose operating principle is based on hard magnetic disks. It is the main one in most devices. The advantage of hard drives with such a data storage system is their low cost. Among the disadvantages, it should be noted that there are moving parts in the design, which makes such drives more sensitive to mechanical stress: shaking, falling, etc.
• SSD (solid-state drive) is a new solid state type drives in which there are no moving parts in the design. This allows this species drives must be resistant to mechanical stress. This gives the user the opportunity to use the device in almost any environmental conditions. This type of memory has lower power consumption and higher speed of reading and writing information. And its compact size allows you to easily transport it with you. The main disadvantage is the high cost of this type of memory and limited quantity rewrite cycles – no more than 100,000 times.

Among buyers today, the most popular external hard drives are from the following manufacturers: Western Digital, Asus, Verbatim, Seagate, Samsung. The huge advantage of these brands is that they manufacture their products themselves, without resorting to outside help. While other manufacturers only create boxes, installing the “filling” of other brands.

A personal collection of digital data tends to grow exponentially over time. Over the years, the amount of data in the form of thousands of songs, films, photographs, documents, all kinds of video courses is constantly growing and they, naturally, must be stored somewhere. computer or, no matter how large it is, will still someday completely run out of free space.

An obvious solution to the problem of lack of storage space is to buy DVDs, USB flash drives or external hard drive (HDD). Flash drives usually provide several GB disk space, but they are definitely not suitable for long-term storage, and besides, their price-volume ratio is, to put it mildly, not the best. DVDs are a good option in terms of price, but not convenient in terms of recording, rewriting and deleting unnecessary data, but they are slowly dying out and becoming an outdated technology. An external HDD provides a large amount of space, is portable, easy to use, and is perfect for long-term data storage.

When purchasing an external HDD, to do right choice, you should know what to look for first. In this article we will tell you what criteria you need to follow when choosing and purchasing an external hard drive.

What to look for when buying an external hard drive

Let's start with choosing a brand, the best of them are Maxtor Seagate Iomega LaCie Toshiba And Western Digital l.
Most important characteristics, which you need to pay attention to when purchasing:

Capacity

The amount of disk space is the first thing to consider. The basic rule that you should follow when purchasing is to multiply the capacity you need by three. For example, if you think 250 GB extra space The hard drive is enough, buy a model from 750 GB. Drives with large amounts of storage space tend to be quite bulky, which affects their mobile capabilities, this also needs to be taken into account by those who often carry an external drive with them. For desktop computers, models with disk space of several terabytes are available for sale.

Form factor

The form factor determines the size of the device. Currently, form factors 2.5 and 3.5 are used for external HDDs.
2.5 form factors (size in inches) - smaller in size, light weight, receives power from the port, compact, mobile.
3.5 form factors - larger in size, have extra food from the mains, are quite heavy (often more than 1 kg), and have a large amount of disk space. Pay attention to the mains power supply, because... if you plan to connect the device to a weak laptop, then it may not be able to spin up the disk - and the disk simply will not work.

Rotation speed (RPM)

Second important factor, which must be taken into account is the rotation speed of the disk, indicated in RPM (revolutions per minute). High speed Provides fast data reading and high writing speed. Any HDD with a disk rotation speed of 7200 RPM or more is good choice. If speed is not critical for you, then you can choose a model with 5400 RPM; they are quieter and heat up less.

Cache size

Every external HDD has a buffer or cache that temporarily holds data before it goes to disk. Drives with larger caches transfer data faster than those with smaller caches. Choose a model that has at least 16 MB of cache memory, preferably more.

Interface

Apart from the above factors, another important feature is the type of interface used for data transfer. The most common is USB 2.0. USB 3.0 is gaining popularity, the new generation has significantly increased data transfer speeds, and models with FireWire and ESATA interfaces are also available. We recommend choosing models with USB 3.0 and ESATA interfaces, which have high data transfer speeds, provided that your computer is equipped with the appropriate ports. If the ability to connect an external hard drive to as many devices as possible is critical for you, choose a model with the version USB interface 2.0.

Analyzing accumulated files and archives with photographs, a collection of films, installed games and programs, most of us can't or don't want to delete anything to free up space. A natural desire arises - to buy another one. Moreover, there are only two options to choose from: external or internal.

To choose the right external hard drive, you need to answer the question: will it boot from the new drive? operating system Windows or Linux? If not, then an external hard drive is an excellent alternative for increasing the storage space for files and photo folders. An external hard drive is much easier to install than an internal one - you connect it using the included cord to the corresponding port on the PC case, and it's ready to go.

If you have to constantly transfer large amounts of information, then the best solution there will be choice exactly . In order for it to meet your needs and be easy to connect, you need to choose the right external hard drive, i.e. decide on the connection method - serial interface(Serial ATA, or SATA) or parallel (Parallel ATA, or PATA; also known as EIDE). SATA drives have more high speeds data transfer and also easy to install. SATA interface increases the maximum data exchange rate to 150 Mbit/s (PATA - no more than 100 Mbit/s). But they cost much more and, in addition, must have an appropriate one.

There is one more nuance - compared to built-in hard drive, the external one costs more, and significantly. In addition, data exchange between the external drive and the computer is slower. But the external drive does not violate temperature regime computer, because outside the computer. The accumulation of additional ones inside the computer leads to disruption of the calculated air flow and causes overheating of the system. In addition, the temperature regime also depends on the filling of the internal space with connecting wires - SATA drives use 8-core cables, while PATA is connected with forty-core patch cables. In addition, each new SATA drive is connected to its own connector, so the user does not need to install jumpers to determine the master and slave drives.

If the choice fell on an external hard drive, then you should pay attention to such a parameter as the rotation speed. There are three main rotation speeds - 5400, 7200 or 10,000 rpm. The most common hard drives have a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. If you want to save money, then you can safely purchase a disk with 5400 rpm. You should also take into account such a parameter as cache memory. Most disks are produced by manufacturers with cache memory from 2 to 8 MB. Larger volume improves processing productivity