When you purchased your computer, you thought it had plenty of space. Or at least, it seemed like it did until photos, videos, programs, documents, and other files began crowding the hard drive. Whether desktop or laptop, 10 years old or only 2, running out of disk storage on your Mac or PC is a widespread problem with an easy solution. For a lot of people, the go-to is cloud storage services such as iCloud or Google Drive, but these aren't a great fit for everyone, especially if you have a lot of files or need to access them offline. In this case, an external drive is the best option because you'll have all your files on hand at all times and it can store significantly more data than a cloud drive. In this article, we'll help you better understand the use cases of a physical drive, and roundup the best external drives for backup and storage purposes. Both Mac and PC options are covered. Quick Summary Tired of learning all the 'techy' terms related to hard drives? We understand. Here's a brief of our recommendations to save you time exploring. For Mac users: From the sleek design to the pre-formatting, this terabyte-sized drive is perfect for Mac users who need a little extra space and offers an extremely high 7200 RPM speed for accessing all your files. Oct 23, 2018 - The best online backup services have fast, reliable performance, plus simple. Everyone who uses a computer needs a dependable way to back up its data. That Backblaze lacks, but it costs more and doesn't include unlimited cloud storage. Native Mac/Windows apps, Yes, Yes, No, Yes, Yes, Yes. For Windows PC users: At 5400 RPM but only around 3' x 4', this tiny drive packs a real punch. You can get it in sizes from 1 to 4 TB, all of which are equally portable and will allow you to access your files with speed and efficiency wherever you go. For the best of both worlds: Whether you simply prefer the speed of an SSD or use both Mac and PC on a regular basis, this drive offers formatting that works everywhere you go and top notch read/write rates. The drive is small, portable, and sleek (available in multiple colors!) Who Should (or Should NOT) Get This? You don't have to be a power user to make use of an external drive, but if you aren't sure you need one, here are some considerations: • Has your computer slowed down due to being stuffed with files you aren't necessarily using all the time? • Do you need to backup your computer, especially if you're worried about a crash soon due to the age of the machine? • Are the fees for your cloud storage service not worth the amount of storage you get? • Do you want to clean up old files that you only occasionally reference? • Need a better place to run large applications from, or have programs you want to run on more than one computer? If you're saying yes to any of these, then there's a good chance you would benefit from an external drive. Before removing files from the hard drive, it would be wise to make its backup. For this purpose use Apple’s Time Machine as it will produce the simplest and safest backup. You can easily check if you really need to clean up your drive by opening Finder and then MacBook on the Devices section on the left-hand Sidebar. Mac app for cleaning up hard drive. Even in 2018, MacBooks still have tiny hard drives that fill up quickly. Luckily there are quick and easy ways to free up space on your hard drive. Here’s how to clean up your Mac and reclaim some drive space. It'll give you space and security that you need. However, an external drive might not be the best choice for you if you only have a few files that need storage, or if you already have a backup of your computer for example via backup software. In that case, using a small flash drive or an online cloud storage provider might be the better option. External Drive for Storage & Backup: What to Look for? File Capacity The number one consideration when buying an external drive is how much space it has to offer. Depending what type of files you'll be storing and how long you want the drive to last, you may want more or less space. However, when buying an external drive you should be getting at minimum 128GB, as anything less will be better served by a flash drive. Many people will be much more satisfied with closer to 1 TB of storage though since space tends to disappear faster than you would think. Type: HDD and SSD External drives come in two types: HDD and SSD. The former is what is normally referred to as a “hard drive', since it uses a physical spinning disk to read and write data, while the latter, sometimes called a solid-state drive, actually uses flash memory and stores everything electronically and has no moving parts. An HDD tends to be cheaper, but SSDs are faster and more reliable. Formatting An external drive is typically formatted for either MacOS or PC use. While there are some drives that work on both, most tend need to be reformatted to be functional on the opposite system, and that will erase all your data. Formatting in the first place can also be difficult, so look for a drive that's already formatted to work with your computer and know that you will only be able to access your files on machines of the same type. Speed All external drives are rated for read-and-write speeds, which is how fast they can store, retrieve, and display information. Higher speeds are better, but a small difference won't be noticeable. An HDD is generally not capable of the higher speeds of an SSD, but they do tend to be much cheaper. The Best External Drive for Backup in 2018: Our Picks 1. This drive is preformatted just for you, offering a high RPM for fast file access and connects easily via USB.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |