Internal vs. External HDD

I thinking about adding space to my current XP system and can't decide between a second internal drive or an external one. I could really use some pros and cons from those that have an external drive.

This is what I am thinking. I would like to add additional storage space for files. I would also like the extra space for backups of important files. I do not have a second HDD bay, but I have the space to set one in the case. If I go with external, I can back up files from all my systems (although this isn't a huge priority, just a bonus) easily. If I move photos and music files over to the external, will they be as easily/quickly accessible as an internal drive? I am looking at the 500GB range with USB connection. What is the reliability compared to internal drives?

Any personal experience that you can share would be great. Thanks!

Mike

 

Pete,

Thanks for your thoughts. If I get an external drive, I don't plan on moving it too much. Maybe an occasional move down stairs to backup another system.

Mike

 

Mike:

You have some other options too. I am partial to removable drive bays, although one needs an empty 5¼" drive bay in the case itself to accomodate this approach. These drive bays (which are mounted in the case) include a tray which holds the drive itself and is in fact removable. If one wants to use more than one drive, extra trays can be purchased or the drive itself can be removed and replaced. Prices range from roughly $8 - $40.

 

Rockster2U,

Thanks. Unfortunately, both my 5 1/4" bays are occupied at the moment. However, it is something to keep in mind.

Mike

 

From the sound of what you're going to do, I'd probably recommend an external HDD as they're quite flexible.

I don't know if your mobo supports it but you can also use an eSATA interface for the external drive. It's quite a bit faster than USB.

If you intend on keeping it turned on for any length of time, you'll need one with a cooling fan and even then I don't recommend keeping them on for very long. My friend got one with passive cooling and kept it on for very long periods of time and I think the thing melted on him. I told him he was crazy for keeping it on for 10-12 hours at a pop.

And yeah, if you drop it, it's pretty much over. My stepdaughter had her external drive precariously perched on the couch arm. I knew this was quite dumb but I've learned not to provide wisdom to all-knowing teenagers. The power cord was elevated above the floor so it was an accident waiting to happen. After transferring about 12,000 songs from her laptop to the external HDD, my wife tripped on the wire and the HDD fell about 18 ". But it was enough to put the drive out of commission - the songs were gone. Another hard-learned lesson.

I do my backups to an external HDD (eSATA) with Acronis TrueImage 9. I also clone my primary HDD to another internal HDD every now and then.

What's nice about having an external backup is that if anything blows or fries (e.g. as a result of a huge power spike), you've still got your backup. With an internal drive, you could lose everything.

 

Chiles4,

Thanks for the response. Sorry to say, only IDE interface in my system. I have read about the cooling problems and will keep that in mind if I go the external route. I know all about the "all-knowing" teenagers. I've been through two and have a third one coming up. The funny thing is that once they get into their 20s, they realize that we are right sometimes.

Mike

 

Hi Mike,

eSATA card (PCI)?
http://www.cooldrives.com/es4rapcicafo.html
For eSATA II you would need PCIe, but if you got a SATA II drive it would be backwards compatible with the eSATA card and probably be very compatible with your next computer. Your next computer may not have an (onboard) IDE controller.

Matt

 

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the link and info. Something else to consider.

Mike