I am looking to buy an external hard drive for extra storage. Could you tell me about the advantages of owning a desktop external drive over a portable hard drive?
—Kunal Chopra Rohan Fernandes, Anita Singh, Raiz Sheikh
At the very basic level, desktop external hard drives need to be plugged into a power socket, while the portable variety draws power from the USB port when it's connected to your PC or laptop.
The desktop variety uses a 3.5-inch drive that operates at 7200rpm, while portables use a 2.5-inch drive that run at 5400rpm. Theoretically, the faster speeds (rotations per minute) in the former translate to lower read and write times and therefore, faster file transfers.
Byte-for-byte, desktop hard drives are generally more economically priced when compared to portable versions.
In desktop drives, you also get networked models that can be connected to an Ethernet (RJ45) port that allows you to access and store your data over an internet connection.
For a simple backup solution
Buy the WD Elements Wired External Hard Drive: Rs 6,400 for 2TB; Rs 8,200 for 3TB Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive: Rs 7,400 for 2TB; Rs 10,000 for 3TB, Rs 12,400 for 4TB If you need greater capacity, you could look at the... WD My Book: Rs 19,900 for 6TB For fast speeds ensure that you connect these to your desktop's or laptop's USB 3.0 ports.
For 'anywhere access' to your data
Opt for models that come with an Ethernet port. As noted above, these drives can be used to store data from all the devices on your home network. Besides, you can access your stored content from remote locations over an internet connection.
WD My Cloud Personal Storage: Rs 9,600 for 2TB; Rs 11,500 for 3TB Seagate Central Shared Storage: Rs 9,300 for 2TB; Rs 11,000 for 3TB The WD My Cloud comes with a USB 3.0 port which allows you to connect additional USB drives to expand storage; while the Seagate Central's USB 2.0 port supports the attachment of an external hard drive or a printer.
Both devices support the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard that allows you to stream multimedia over a home network on compatible devices.
But if you're looking for something that is lightweight and easier to carry around, we suggest you opt for a portable hard drive from manufacturers such as Adata, Seagate, Transcend and WD with prices starting at Rs 3,500 for a 500GB hard drive, going up to Rs 8,200 for a 2TB model.
Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
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