Your data files, be it pictures, videos, important documents,
research materials, music, are very important. Losing any of them through
accidental deletion or data corruption is not an option. Unfortunately,
computers tend to crash. That's why it is a must to always backup
your important data. Backing up is a computer's equivalent to insurance. It
is probably the most important task you need to undertake as a responsible
computer user. To back up is to copy and archive files so they can be used to
restore the original after the data is lost or to restore them from an earlier
version. Therefore, it is very important to consider the hard drive you will
use to store your backup files.
If you are looking at using an external hard drive, you have the
option to use a desktop external hard drive or a portable external hard drive.
A desktop hard drive is recommended if it will only sit on your desk all the
time and will never budge. It has a faster read and write speeds and you can
get more storage for less money compared to the portable one. The only down
side for this is it is bigger compared to the portable version and it requires
an additional power adapter. A portable external hard drive is recommended for
someone who is always on the go since you can bring it wherever you are. It is
usually much smaller and lighter than their desktop counterparts. However, it
is pricier since you will be paying more per terabyte and will be sacrificing
some read and write speed, which results to longer waits for file transfers.
According to thewirecutter.com, the most important features for a portable
external hard drive are reliability, build quality, size, and weight, followed
closely by speed, warranty, customer service, and capacity.
Here are the top 5 external hard drives you can consider:
1. Seagate Backup Plus Slim
The Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the thinnest and one of the
fastest portable external hard drive to date. According to thewirecutter.com,
the hard drive's plastic case is very sturdy and does not flex or creak under
pressure. It is very light and compact weighing only 0.33 pounds and is 0.48
inches thick, 4.47 inches long, and 2.99 inches wide. In addition, the Seagate
Dashboard Software is very user friendly. It also allows you to customize your
backup settings and create a continuous backup with its default settings. There
is also a Seagate app available for iOS and Android users, which allows you to
back up your contacts, messages, photos, videos, and other data from your
smartphone to your hard drive thru either a Wi-Fi connection or your phone’s
data connection. Furthermore, it supports backup from a PC and a Mac, mobile
devices, and your data from your social media accounts.
2. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop
The Seagate Backup Plus Desktop is one of the first to offer up
to 5TB of storage space. Like any other desktop external hard drives, it
requires a separate power adapter and is ideal for home use. It is very fast,
running at 200MBps and it also comes with the Seagate Dashboard Software.
The Seagate Backup Plus Fast doubles the capacity, physical thickness,
and performance of the Seagate Backup Plus Slim. It is the only portable hard
drive on the market that offers up to 4TB of storage space. It is very fast,
running at more than 200MBps. It uses two internal hard drives (2TB each) on
the inside in a RAID 0 configuration. Since RAID 0 configuration is prone to
data loss, it is recommended to only use this drive for backup. Also, since
there are two internal hard drives that can fail, the whole portable unit dies
if one of the two drives fails. It’s also nearly twice as thick as the Seagate
Backup Plus Slim and it is heavier. Furthermore, it also comes with the Seagate
Dashboard Software, same with all the other Seagate external drives.
4. WD My Passport Slim
The WD My Passport Slim is a USB 3.0 portable drive with a speed
of more than 100MBps. It is very compact and sturdy with its rugged, aluminum
casing. It weighs 0.35 pounds and is 0.7 inches thick, 4.33 inches long, and
3.14 inches wide. It comes with a WD SmartWare backup software that allows you to
back up your data automatically and also allows you to save versions of your
files in order to protect them from accidental editing. Moreover, it has a
security feature that allows you to add a password to protect your data from
prying eyes.
5. WD My Passport Ultra
The
WD My Passport Ultra is very similar to the WD My Passport Slim, but it is
10Mbps faster. It is slightly larger compared to the slim version and it comes
in four different colors (titanium, red, blue, and black). It weighs 0.56
pounds and is 0.5 inches thick, 4.34 inches long, and 3.21 inches wide. It also
shares the same WD SmartWare backup software and security feature as the WD My
Passport Slim.