External hard drive: reliability rating, models, manufacturers, volume

When you choose a computer or laptop, you have to pay attention to many parameters. It would seem that it is not difficult to understand what a graphics card, processor or memory should be. The difficulty is that each of the parameters has its own characteristics. For example, to select a hard disk, you need to pay attention to its volume, speed, or connection interface.

The choice of any device, especially associated with a PC, requires very careful analysis. But what if you chose an excellent laptop, but its only drawback is a small amount of memory? This was taken care of by the best manufacturers of external hard drives.

For what?

Rarely when it turns out to get a PC that would suit absolutely in all aspects. Sooner or later, there are "pitfalls" that you did not notice before. It happens that the video card is obsolete, it happens that there is not enough memory. By the way, in this case there is one nuance. The fact is that some users can load the computer with different programs. To satisfy their needs for memory, you need to buy a new hard drive.

But there are times when a user works with a lot of material. It can be an editor or a photographer who needs to create his own archive. In this case, you can buy an external hard drive. The reliability rating will be considered a little later, but now we learn about the advantages and disadvantages of these devices, as well as the reasons for their appearance.

Why?

External HDD appeared along with the fear of data loss. Many experts were faced with the fact that they did not have flash drives for storing information. Buy them countless uncomfortable. Previously diskettes and disks came to their place, but now this option is even worse. As a result, an external hard drive appeared when the memory capacity was more than 500 gigabytes, and ideally - 1 terabyte.

The cause of fear of information loss was the spread of viruses, Trojan horses, software spyware and other things that could erase all important and necessary materials. External HDDs have become a lifeline in this situation. Their volumes could be large enough to throw off not only important documents, but also favorite multimedia files.

Reliability and durability

The advantages of such devices are many. It does not matter what your external hard drive is, 500 GB or 2 terabytes. Everything depends on your preferences. The main advantage of it is the large reserves of memory. Pleases and its cooperation with the PC. You do not need to search for additional software to be able to connect the hard drive. Depending on the cable interface, you connect the wire with the correct connector. On the computer, the device is identified as an external storage device. Before you - full access to all information.

By the way, the disk can also be protected from other people's eyes. Unlike the integrated rail, this can not only zapololit, but simply hide it far away to the desktop. Also, as mentioned earlier, along with an external hard drive, the user is protected from any threat. For example, you worked with important documents and you need to keep them in stock. You can copy them to the HDD, and in case of a virus attack on your PC all the important information will remain intact.

By the way, there is one more advantage. External hard drive, the reliability rating of which we learn very soon, has a very strong case. In general, the device consists of the HDD itself and its sturdy box. Depending on the type, your hard drive will be protected to some extent against external impact and wear.

Well, the last significant advantage is the structuring of information. Like ordinary HDD, the external one can also be divided into blocks, in which information is stored. Also, it is easy to recover data from it, and to eliminate the loss of materials from the internal HDD, they can easily be transferred to an external one.

disadvantages

There is also a major drawback, which got an external hard drive of 1 terabyte. The price is sometimes very high. This is due to many reasons: sometimes it is artificially increased, sometimes due to the popularity of the brand. Although still buying a 1 terabyte of HDD will cost you less than buying 30 flash drives at 32 GB.

The more carefully the user will treat the external hard drive, the longer it will live. Premature failure is more often associated with external damage, especially during transport. Somewhere accidentally knocked, somewhere dropped - sectors are damaged and data is lost.

The same story and with the files that fall on the HDD. If they are already damaged, after they hit the device memory can spread viruses and destroy all data.

Types of External Disks

To choose a quality product, you need to study the external hard drive you like. Volume is not the only parameter by which you can determine the model. Pay attention to the types of HDD.

The first type differs in that its size is 3.5 inches. This is usually bought by the owners of desktop PCs. Unlike the second type, it has larger dimensions, so it needs extra power. Nevertheless, this option is considered excellent. Its main feature is the possibility of automatic backup.

The second type is more compact - only 2.5 inches. He has to be always at hand. Very sturdy this external hard drive. The reliability rating is always led by devices of this type. This is due to the fact that they have excellent impact resistance. If he accidentally drops out of his pocket, he will not suffer much. Maybe the case will be scratched, and your information will remain intact. Although there are limits to everything: if you do it with a hammer, then most likely you can say goodbye to him.

The most reliable

In order to distribute the railway by reliability rating, it is necessary to pay attention to a few basic parameters. First of all, it is longevity, typical problems, materials, software failures, etc.

Many experts checked the leading manufacturers of hard drives more than once. They revealed that at the moment the most reliable HDD remains the device from the company Hitachi. In addition to the fact that this fact is confirmed by the opinions of users, a certain number of models from this company were also analyzed. The results of the inspection showed that Hitachi can be damaged only in case of inaccurate handling. The rest was not found neither factory marriage, nor a weak knot.

Once at a time you do not have to

It is worth paying attention to other companies that produce external and internal railways. The main "loser" in reliability is now Seagate. The developers created the design of the disk in a short time, which affected the quality of the product. The main problem with the Winchesters of this company is in weak nodes. There are also data that in the series a fairly large percentage of rejects. There are goods that have not lived for more than a year.

In general, the problem that the external hard drive Western, Samsung, Seagate and others received is a failure of the chip. This affects the operation of the computer, it starts to slow down and hang. If you reboot the PC, the disc disappears from the system. So, his microcode has already been destroyed.

Also there is a problem with the engine spindle in some parts. Usually such a breakdown occurs in the HDD, which has a large amount of memory. In this case, the design uses more magnetic plates. They overload the axis of the hard drive, under their weight it bends, and then ceases to rotate. It does not happen by itself. It is enough to accidentally catch the railroad or accidentally drop it. You can note such a breakdown by listening to the HDD noise. Usually it starts to "buzz" abruptly.

Very fragile

The external hard drive WD 2Tb also failed the user several times. Because of the large amount of memory, these products have a load of magnetic plates on the axis, so they often do not live more than a year. They also have malfunctions in the work of magnetic heads. This is due to the fact that the disk overheats or gets external damage.

In general, the design of any HDD of this company is very flimsy. The external hard drive WD Elements is sensitive to shock and pressure. By the way, if you apply force to the body, the lid shifts, and the magnetic heads are at a low angle to the magnetic plates. Such a breakdown will immediately "bury" all your information on the railway. Nevertheless, Western Digital is popular among buyers. These shortcomings are rare. Basically, most models are reliable on the part of mechanics and electronics.

Option for 500 GB

Lately, a lot of external hard drives have appeared on the market. They are produced by different companies, and even those companies that are not familiar to anyone now become the sales leaders. External hard drive 500 GB - this is the most simple and common option among users. Its main advantage is price.

In this category, there are two models, which are now considered leaders in reviews and sales. Only for 3800 rubles you can buy ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650. The main highlight of this railway is its structural strength. In addition, the device has an interesting attractive design: bright colors and carbon inserts.

For reliability, this drive has received a three-layer rubberized body, due to which it can amortize shocks during use and transportation. The plastic is strong enough and minimizes scratches.

This model was based on the famous railway from Toshiba. Its speed is 5400 rpm. Winchester was very compact and light. Information can be exchanged at a maximum speed of 120 mb / s. There is a status indicator, as well as a USB 2.0 interface.

The second model in the category of inexpensive external hard drives is Western Digital WDBLNP5000A-EEUE. He has a very cute appearance. Inside there is a firm railway from the manufacturer. The rotation speed is 5400 rpm. The buffer is 8 megabytes in size. The data transfer rate is the same as the previous device. The drive works with USB 3.0 interface. There is a status indicator. Unlike the previous model, the device is sold together with the diagnostic and maintenance software. The price of this device is 5300 rubles.

Universal drives

Next, we'll look at an external hard drive of 1 terabyte. The average price is 4-6 thousand rubles. Silicon Power Stream S03 stands out among all. Railway has an interesting design. Outwardly very similar to a notebook with rounded sheets and a curved upper corner. There is exactly the indicator of work. To exchange information through this drive, you can use the interfaces USB 2.0 or USB 3.0.

Body materials are strong enough. It is made of high-quality plastic, the surface is matte, so less attracts fingerprints and dust. There are rubber seals at the shell, which protect against impact. At the moment this is the best external storage among terabyte versions for only 4300 rubles.

Among the disks that have a memory capacity of 1 terabyte, one can distinguish and Toshiba STOR.E SLIM. The design does not stand out anything remarkable. The exterior is classical, having a compact size and metallic color. On the board is an integrated SATA-USB controller. The interfaces USB 3.0 or 2.0 function, displaying the status of the work in blue and white, respectively. Speed up to 110 Mb / sec.

The drive has strong materials that increase its impact resistance. Also, the device can be secured from other people's eyes by setting a password and setting up automatic backup. The main advantage of this railway is its heat resistance and quiet operation. But the lack of hardware encryption is unpleasant news. The price of this device is 4800 rubles.

Giants

Someone one terabyte will be small, for such people was created external hard drive Toshiba CANVIO ALU on 2 TB. The case is made of aluminum, there are 4 colors of the device. It has a rough coating, due to which it does not slip out of the hands. The design has a shock sensor, which increases the integrity of stored materials. The transmission speed is about 115 MB / s. The main advantage of this drive is the build quality. In addition, it works very quietly, does not overheat, and is also available with a utility for backup. The cost of it is 6600 rubles.

There is another model of the same size from Western Digital WDBU6Y0020BBK-EESN. It is slightly cheaper than the previous drive. It looks pretty simple too. Has a shock-resistant case and a rough high-quality plastic. Works with a speed of 120 Mb / s and an interface USB 3.0. Its main advantage is: quiet and low temperature with active work.

Giant

But Seagate Backup Plus Fast Portable Drive is now considered a revolutionary storage device. Its volume is already 4 terabytes. Its main task is a fast backup. It can also serve as an excellent archive for important files. Its real data transfer rate is now considered uncompromising - 220 MB / sec. This is due to the fact that two hard drives were placed inside.

This decision also influenced the dimensions of the device: 307 grams is enough for external media. Works with USB 3.0 interface. Can cooperate with two devices at once. Disadvantages of this external hard drive is also there: noticeable heating and a very high price - 25 thousand rubles.

Among the users there were dissatisfied. Many who encountered this model complained of the brakes in their work. And if you record information on the device can be without problems, then read it more difficult. The launch of the recovery software program pointed to the damaged sectors. As already mentioned, external storage devices from Seagate are now the most unreliable. This is especially true for devices with a large amount of memory. Therefore, you can meet more than once negative feedback about Seagate Backup Plus Fast Portable Drive from users.

Results

It is now difficult to determine which is better to purchase an external hard drive. The reliability rating is not easy either. This is due to the fact that not always the equipment is of high quality. Some devices come defective. The average survival rate of an external disk is about 3-4 years. But such indicators can not be achieved by all companies. More than five years usually live devices from Hitachi and some younger models of Western Digital.