Which external hard drive to get?
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Hello all,
Previously I had a 3TB WD My Passport & a 4TB WD My Passport external hard drive.
Both are consider my latest external hard drive, yet both died so fast.
Lucky I separated these content from my other stuff.Lost my previously collection, and started over and over again.
(I become more picky and lesser in my collection for less heartache.)
Also sorry can't help to seed those files I lost.
So importantly, which external hard drive anyone recommend to get?
Which brand/model? or Buy less capacity but more HDD instead?For reference, from this post date, currently HDD have 5TB capacity.
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5TB drives are the standard right now. For the most part, any of these should be good.
I used both Seagate and WD.
I noted that you have posted about gaming before, so you could go with the WD-Black.
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@zellwes2 Personally, I've always trusted Western Digital drives. They are good quality and last a really long time.
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Rule 1: All hard drives fail. ALL OF THEM!
Rule 2: 100% of hard drives fail. ALL OF THEM!
Rule 3: ALL hard drives fail. ALL OF THEM!The only way to protect your data locally is by using something called RAID (it's a computer acronym for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). While there are DAS (Direct-Attached-Storage) RAID devices, unless it's USB 3, I would go with a NAS (Network-Attached-Storage) device. The issue is SPEED. (You can also backup your data [porn collection?] in the cloud, but that's a monthly cost...)
There are low-end NAS RAID arrays out there for $200-300. I have used inexpensive models from QNAP and Synology - both have worked well for me and my clients. (My own porn collection is on a QNAP 4-drive NAS device).
But, a few caveats:
- There is a considerable up-front cost to a RAID device: the RAID box itself doesn't have any storage (drives), so you have to "populate" the box with hard drives... multiple drives!
- You have to routinely check the system to ensure that the inevitable drive failures are detected and the failing/failed devices are replaced quickly.
So some quick computerese technology stuff... There are multiple "levels" of RAID:
- RAID 0 simply spreads your data across multiple drives, but offers NO PROTECTION! (if ONE drive fails, you may lose ALL of your data!) -- NOT RECOMMENDED!
- RAID 1 (called a mirror) copies whatever is on one disk to a 2nd disk. Thus, if you lose a disk, there is a complete copy right there! (BEST PROTECTION, HIGHEST COST: buy 2 4TB drives and store up to 4TB of data!)
- RAID 5 (most common) spreads your data across all of your drives, but sets aside storage too for a "checksum". The amount of storage "lost" for the checksum is determined by the number of drives in the array: use just 3 drives, and you lose 1/3 of the raw storage to data protection.
The most common small-business (or, in my case personal) array is a 4-drive unit, with all 4 drives populated. Assume you purchase 4 5TB drives... you will store data on 3/4 of the total storage area, and 1/4 will be used for data protection. The math, then, is that your 4 5TB drives will allow you to store AND PROTECT 15TB of data (the last 5TB of data is used to provide protection).
Now, you can see why there is a large up-front cost:
- $200-300 for the RAID device
- $100 EACH for 4TB Seagate IronWolf drives TIMES 4!
That's $600-700!
BUT, if you make that investment, you won't ever have to start over again (so long as you keep an eye on it! Drives fail - and so long as you lose only ONE DRIVE, your RAID ARRAY will keep your data safe!
[NOTE: I'm a computer consultant - I've glossed over lots of technical details, but included enough to help you get started. Feel free to email me on here of you want additional help.)
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I have always used WD external hard drives and so far I have not had any problem with them. Actually I have not lost info from them ever (so far!).
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@andergarcia said in Which external hard drive to get?:
I have always used WD external hard drives and so far I have not had any problem with them. Actually I have not lost info from them ever (so far!).
Hard drives are like cars.... some can last 500,000 miles, where the next one off the line couldn't make it to 100,000...
Just know this: 100% of hard drives eventually fail!
Take it from an IT professional!
I built my NAS device with 4 6TB drives (about 18TB total storage) about 4 years ago - one of the 6TB drives failed after about a year... its replacement and the other 3 are still going strong! BUT: I have a spare sitting on top of the unit for when the next one starts to fail... I don't like risking my data!
(NO, that's not my PORN drive, that's my WORK drive!) My porn is kept on a different NAS device populated with left-over 3TB drives taken from a series of servers I decommissioned years ago... I still have about 4 or 5 of these "left-over" drives to use as spares as the ones in the current unit fail).
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@zellwes2 Here is your guide if you are interested: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-buy-an-external-hard-drive/
types of external hard drives:
https://www.google.com/search?q=types+of+external+hard+drives&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiX3_OygoXvAhWEQc0KHcBYAg4Q1TV6BQgYEN8B&biw=1366&bih=657
