With technology moving at such a fast pace it’s difficult to keep up with it all. One thing you can be sure of though is that we will always need more space to store our digital files. Making use of a portable hard drive is becoming an increasingly popular option for many people looking to store their files conveniently and cheaply.
What Is A Portable Hard Drive?
Unlike normal external hard drives, a portable hard drive does not require a separate power source and plugs into a single USB socket on your computer/games console etc. They usually make use of 2.5″ hard disk drives which makes them small and easy to carry around with you where ever you go.
The Best Portable External Hard Drive Retailers
You can save a lot of money or get more storage capacity for your money by shopping online. Check out these trusted retailers-
What Should I Look For In A Portable Hard Drive?
If you’re not technically minded then it is easy to get confused by all of the computer jargon when looking for a portable hard drive. Don’t worry though, this quick guide will teach you everything you need to know to buy the right one for you.
Amount Of Storage
One of the first things you need to consider is how much space you actually need. This is actually quite tricky to judge, but bear in mind that you need a drive that can meet the needs of your current and future storage needs.
Portable hard drives come in a range of capacities typically ranging from 120GB – 1000GB (1TB). You will also find that the higher capacity drives will cost more, however you get more GB for your money if you buy a larger capacity drive so bear that in mind. Quite often is worth spending that extra £10-£15 to double up on available storage.
Quite often I get asked “Well how many files will 500GB hold?” and it is tricky to answer because people use thier portable hard drive for different purposes. Have a look at the table below which should give you a rough idea of what a drive will hold. I would recommend that you buy a bigger drive than you think you need though.
I usually find that a 1TB external hard drive is big enough to cater for most people’s needs.
Connectivity
The vast majority of the best portable hard drive units use the USB interface to plug-in to devices. USB drives provide the ultimate convenience as they need to special software to work. All you have to do is plug it into a USB port on your computer and you will have instant access to the files.
You can plug USB drives into a range of devices including games consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 to access your photos, music and videos on the big screen.
Avoid Cheap Unbranded Drives
Hard drives do fail, and when they fail more often than not you will lose all of your data. Having worked as a PC repair technician for many years, I can’t tell you how many times I have seen years of family photos vanish into thin air because of drive failures. Cheaper unbranded drives are made from much cheaper lower quality parts and are more prone to failure than a well built drive.
When it comes to safe guarding your data, it is worth spending a little extra to get the best portable hard drive from a well known hard drive manufacturer for that extra piece of mind. On top of that they usually come with long guarantees spanning over a few years which you just don’t get with an unbranded drive.
I would recommend any of the following- Western Digital, Maxtor, Toshiba, Seagate, Samsung, LaCie, Sony, Iomega, Fujitsu, Hitachi or Buffalo. All of these have great track records for providing high quality reliable products.
This is one of main areas where people go wrong when buying a portable external hard drive, all I can say is you get what you pay for and it just isn’t worth the risk with your personal data and files.
What Can I Use A Portable External Hard Drive For?
You can use a portable external hard drive for a range of things; they are like the Swiss army knife of the computer world.
Backup Your Data
One of the most common uses is to backup your existing data easily. Previously I mentioned that I had seen many people lose years of family photographs due to hard drive failures. This could have been avoided if they backed up their data and I can’t stress enough how important it is to do on a regular basis.
Most portable hard drive units come with backup software that will automatically synchronise your files meaning your most important data is always backed up.
Increase Storage Capacity
Some people just need more storage plain and simple. As we begin to consume more and more digital media we need more space to store it all. Photo, music and video files are growing in size everyday!
Take Your Files With You
This is the biggest advantage to having a portable hard drive. They are small and lightweight meaning you can take them with you wherever you go. Whether your transferring files from one computer to another or want to take your data with you it’s very easy to do with a portable external hard drive.
Digital Media Library
A lot of people choose to store all of their music and movies digitally. If you store them on a portable drive then you can literally have your entire music, movie and TV show collection on you at all times to enjoy with your friends.
Where Is The Cheapest Place To Buy The Best Portable Hard Drive?
A lot of high street retailers including the likes of PC World and Curry’s charge an arm and a leg for portable hard drives. You can get a much better deal and a wider range of choice by shopping online which is generally the case with most computer related products.
I have had great experiences with the reputable online retailers below-
In Closing
I hope this article has helped to shed some light on portable hard drives and their wide array of uses. Remember when buying a drive you should consider-
- Storage Space – Does the drive have enough space for your current and future data storage needs?
- USB – Ideally you will want a USB drive for ultimate convenience and compatibility with a range of devices
- Branded Drives – Don’t buy cheaper unbranded drives, they are usually unreliable and prone to failures and data loss
Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions about how to use your portable hard drive or anything else computer related for that matter.
