Despite the widespread availability of the Internet, the problem of data exchange between different devices has not lost its relevance. Therefore, external drives used for these purposes are so popular. Indeed, if it is possible to store downloaded movies on a portable portable device, there is no need to re-download every time you change the gadget to view them (smartphone, tablet, computer, TV with a set-top box).
Recently, flash drives have become widespread – miniature, fast, capable of holding up to 64 GB of data (yes, there are models that are even more abrupt, but they are much more expensive). But it turns out that this type of media has a competitor – external hard drives. They are not so popular due to the fact that they are more expensive, but the amount of stored data there is much larger.
Therefore, we decided to compare these related storage media, exposing the advantages and disadvantages of each of them for your review.
Pros of portable hard drives and cons of flash media
An external HDD is a modification of a classic hard drive, focused on mobile use, which led to a number of technical features of such drives. In terms of volume, 3TB models are available today, which is comparable to their conventional counterparts. The speed of data exchange here is slightly lower, but in any case it exceeds that of flash drives.
- External HDDs may differ in terms of product thickness: there are 3.5-inch hard drives (this is the thickness of conventional HDDs);
- Pocket 2.5-inch versions are also available.
The main area of use for 3.5-inch drives is expanding the disk space of laptops. Such drives are quite massive and require additional power supply.
The pocket version is more convenient to carry and, importantly, more autonomous, not requiring the use of an external power supply. In addition, 2.5-inch hard drives are made in shock-resistant design, for them falling from a meter height is by no means a disaster. However, we do not recommend abusing this dignity, otherwise sooner or later you will need the help of a repair shop. As for the interface for connecting to other devices, modern models support both USB 2.0 / 3.0 standards.
Let’s consider other positive qualities of portable hard drives in the context of their comparison with competing drives:
- Although 32GB flash drives have become the de facto standard today, their larger counterparts are still quite expensive. The money paid for a 64 GB flash drive is enough to become the owner of a terabyte external HDD. The comparison is clearly not in favor of flash media, given that today you can download a 10-20 GB series in a matter of minutes, so portable hard drives can be used to store a large collection of films;
- now about the price. In absolute terms, HDDs are more expensive, and this is a very important factor. But if you think about it, the cost per 1 gigabyte of a flash drive is much higher. So the external hard drive has an advantage here as well. True, the end-user prioritizes the price tag, not the abstract characteristics that need to be calculated;
- with regard to such an important characteristic as reliability, here the hard drive is also ahead. For storing large amounts of data, an external hard drive is better than the default flash drive, but from a security point of view, it is better not to store important confidential data on a flash drive. Moreover, in the event of the death of the disk, the data can be restored, and the deceased flash drive means the irrecoverable loss of the recorded information;
- comparison of speed indicators is also in favor of the hard drive, but here the advantage over flash drives is not so obvious;
- if we talk about synchronization with a computer, then flash drives are completely deprived of such an opportunity. They can only be used for manual transfer of information. The external hard drive can be configured to provide multiple levels of synchronization;
With the FreeFileSync program, you can synchronize files and other data on the media.
- Flash memory, due to its design, has one important limitation regarding the number of allowable data write cycles. You can overwrite files 10,000 times, after which the media will start to fail. Do you think this is an impressive figure and will last for decades? You are wrong, flash drives rarely last more than a few years, especially when they are used intensively. Winchester allows you to rewrite information as many times as you like, using the principle of magnetization / demagnetization of the surface of rotating discs.
Advantages of flash drives compared to external HDD
If, based on what you read above, you have the impression that a flash drive sucks, do not rush to draw such drastic and hasty conclusions. These storage media have their own significant advantages, some of which portable hard drives will never be able to overcome. Even in the long run:
- An HDD, even a portable one with a shock-resistant case, is still sensitive to mechanical influences such as shaking and falling. A flash drive is more stress-resistant in this regard, besides, frost of 30 degrees for it is not a hindrance at all, it will be ready for use immediately after entering a warm room. The Winchester will need to be “kept” at room temperature, otherwise there may be troubles up to the failure of the device;
- what makes a flash drive very different from an external hard drive is its size. Here an undeniable advantage is on her side. It can be put into a pocket, wallet, handbag, or hung on a keychain. Miniaturization is really great! The same cannot be said about a portable hard drive, much more space is required to transport it, and a protective case will not interfere;
- in terms of power consumption, it will give odds to any external HDD, and a considerable head start. Many models of hard drives are generally not able to work exclusively via the USB interface, its power is not enough to rotate disks at high speed;
- the latter is a factor affecting acoustic performance. The flash drive has no mechanical moving parts, that is, it works completely silently. For a hard drive, this figure is measured in tens of decibels;
- in terms of ergonomics and design, the flash drive is also ahead. There are models on sale in a variety of shapes and colors, including those disguised as ordinary household items such as a wine cork or a miniature plastic car.
When choosing which is better, an external drive or a flash drive, it is worth taking into account all the above factors and determining for what purposes you intend to purchase a device for transferring digital data.
Where to stop
We can agree that the choice is really difficult, but there are applications in which there will be no competition between both types of devices.
In any case, if you have valuable information on your computer or laptop, for security purposes it must be duplicated. And if you don’t trust cloud services, which is quite reasonable, you can use both flash drives and portable HDDs as backup media.
Documents that can be stored on a USB flash drive.
Usually, such data does not take up much space, so a USB flash drive can be called a more expedient way of storing it, which can be put in a safe or hidden in a safe place.
It is also indispensable if you often operate on relatively small files within the capacity of the carrier. Using a screw to store multiple files hardly sounds like a great idea.
From this we can conclude that an external hard drive is better than a flash drive if you are a big movie lover or a music lover – in this case, you will always have a huge media library at your fingertips. Of course, on a portable hard drive, you can store not only data, but also programs, especially in the Portable version. Such a screw can be connected to any PC and use your favorite applications that do not require installation.
How did you decide or plan to solve the dilemma? We look forward to your comments on this matter.