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External hard drive recommendation. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter STS
- Start date
Nick Smith
Member of the Staffordshire Bird Club
Mad_Sunday
Well-known member
Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba and Buffalo Technology are all well regarded brands, I've owned at least one drive from each without any complaint.
Decide on the size/capacity and then look for the best value IMO.
1. Decide on which physical size (2.5" portable drive or 3.5" desktop drive- the former are physically smaller and usually powered through the USB connection, whilst the latter tend to be cheaper/TB, have faster disc speeds and use a separate power adapter).
2. Choose a capacity. 2TB seem to currently offer the best value for 3.5" drives, typically only £15 more than their 1TB versions.
3. Many drives are USB3 capable, but not all. If your computer is USB3 capable (most are) then it offers significantly faster data transfer (5-10x compared to USB2) which reduces waiting times.
4. Check what's included with the drive: USB cable? Is it long enough for your intended use? If not buy online to save being ripped off by the high street chains who grossly overcharge for cables. (To get the full speed benefit of USB3 you need to use a USB3 cable, they differ from the older USB2 versions).
The linked thread bemoans, rightly IMO, the lack of power switches on most external drives these days. Having had a power supply fail and destroy a hard disk it is wise to disconnect your back-up/storage drives when not in use.
One simple solution is to use an in line switch like this for the 3.5" desktop type drives.
I've used Ebuyer and Overclockers for online PC parts, both have been reliable suppliers, although even Argos and Tesco occassionally have good deals so may be worth checking. HTH
[In an ideal world we all follow the 3-2-1 strategy for data storage and backup, just something to consider before committing all you photos to a single drive].
Decide on the size/capacity and then look for the best value IMO.
1. Decide on which physical size (2.5" portable drive or 3.5" desktop drive- the former are physically smaller and usually powered through the USB connection, whilst the latter tend to be cheaper/TB, have faster disc speeds and use a separate power adapter).
2. Choose a capacity. 2TB seem to currently offer the best value for 3.5" drives, typically only £15 more than their 1TB versions.
3. Many drives are USB3 capable, but not all. If your computer is USB3 capable (most are) then it offers significantly faster data transfer (5-10x compared to USB2) which reduces waiting times.
4. Check what's included with the drive: USB cable? Is it long enough for your intended use? If not buy online to save being ripped off by the high street chains who grossly overcharge for cables. (To get the full speed benefit of USB3 you need to use a USB3 cable, they differ from the older USB2 versions).
The linked thread bemoans, rightly IMO, the lack of power switches on most external drives these days. Having had a power supply fail and destroy a hard disk it is wise to disconnect your back-up/storage drives when not in use.
One simple solution is to use an in line switch like this for the 3.5" desktop type drives.
I've used Ebuyer and Overclockers for online PC parts, both have been reliable suppliers, although even Argos and Tesco occassionally have good deals so may be worth checking. HTH
[In an ideal world we all follow the 3-2-1 strategy for data storage and backup, just something to consider before committing all you photos to a single drive].
iveljay
Well-known member
From the Control Panel System information, open Device Manager which will list USB 3 controllers and hubs under the Universal Serial Bus Controllers Tab.
The actual sockets on the PC may have pale blue visible either on their mounts or insulators.
It is a relatively recent implementation so not all computers are equipped and some of those that are have poor implementations. As some systems have both USB 2.0 and seperate USB 3.0 sockets, they are usually clearly labelled.
USB 3 disc drives will still work on USB 2 connections, but only at USB 2 speeds.
The actual sockets on the PC may have pale blue visible either on their mounts or insulators.
It is a relatively recent implementation so not all computers are equipped and some of those that are have poor implementations. As some systems have both USB 2.0 and seperate USB 3.0 sockets, they are usually clearly labelled.
USB 3 disc drives will still work on USB 2 connections, but only at USB 2 speeds.
Last edited:
Mike
The attached pdf shows what I used. I think I bought it from PC World and I think I used an internal power connector but I seem to remember the tech guy in PC World saying it wouldn’t be necessary. I’m afraid it would be too much of an effort now to get into the back of the PC to check on the power connection.
I started with a "TeckNet® USB 3.0 4 Ports PCI Express Interface USB 3.0 Expansion Card" from Amazon but it wouldn’t work properly – it seemed to recognise (or not) whatever was plugged into it with a degree of randomness that was completely unacceptable. I’m sure it must be possible to get 3 or 4 port cards that work OK and the limiting factor maybe my PC – certainly I don’t get the fastest USB3 transfer speeds that are possible with the latest gear.
I should say I’m not a techie so anything I do has to be informed by advice from others or from web tutorials. That will have been the basis for this particular upgrade.
Bill
The attached pdf shows what I used. I think I bought it from PC World and I think I used an internal power connector but I seem to remember the tech guy in PC World saying it wouldn’t be necessary. I’m afraid it would be too much of an effort now to get into the back of the PC to check on the power connection.
I started with a "TeckNet® USB 3.0 4 Ports PCI Express Interface USB 3.0 Expansion Card" from Amazon but it wouldn’t work properly – it seemed to recognise (or not) whatever was plugged into it with a degree of randomness that was completely unacceptable. I’m sure it must be possible to get 3 or 4 port cards that work OK and the limiting factor maybe my PC – certainly I don’t get the fastest USB3 transfer speeds that are possible with the latest gear.
I should say I’m not a techie so anything I do has to be informed by advice from others or from web tutorials. That will have been the basis for this particular upgrade.
Bill
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello all,
Should you have a spare 2.5" drive, it can be mounted in a plastic case with a USB3 interface. In the States, I got one made by Other World Computing, for US$20, cable included. I had a spare SSD from a laptop, whose motherboard failed.
It seems that the only thing faster than USB3 is Thunderbolt.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
Should you have a spare 2.5" drive, it can be mounted in a plastic case with a USB3 interface. In the States, I got one made by Other World Computing, for US$20, cable included. I had a spare SSD from a laptop, whose motherboard failed.
It seems that the only thing faster than USB3 is Thunderbolt.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
Robert L Jarvis
Robert L Jarvis
I cannot see how that could work either, the adapter would have to be connected to a USB2 port??? so how it give USB3 speed??
Contrary top what a previous postee put about computers and USB3 sockets, if your computer is more than a year old it is unlikely to have this connection port.
STS As for an external HDD to store your photos, it would be risky relying on one, ideally you would need two for safety and a minmum size of 2TB.
Myself I have two HDD as well as the computer main of 1.5gb however I also have a blu-ray writer and back up my stills and video to blu-ray discs for originals and for processed photos and videos. Maybe I am a bit ott but at least I am covered.
Contrary top what a previous postee put about computers and USB3 sockets, if your computer is more than a year old it is unlikely to have this connection port.
STS As for an external HDD to store your photos, it would be risky relying on one, ideally you would need two for safety and a minmum size of 2TB.
Myself I have two HDD as well as the computer main of 1.5gb however I also have a blu-ray writer and back up my stills and video to blu-ray discs for originals and for processed photos and videos. Maybe I am a bit ott but at least I am covered.
Robert L Jarvis
Robert L Jarvis
STS I think that is the best option, you can buy a heck of a lot DVDs for the price of a HDD.
Mad_Sunday
Well-known member
There are several "cloud" storage methods available that let you save stuff too. Google drive offers 15GB for free (about 20 cd's full) and you have the benefit of being able to access them from any device (phone, tablet, PC, laptop etc. anywhere). A good option if you don't need TB capacity.
Info here...... https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2736257?hl=en
Pete
Info here...... https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2736257?hl=en
Pete
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