The choice between a USB drive and an external hard drive entirely depends on the user’s specific needs and preferences. When selecting, it’s important to consider key requirements, such as storage capacity, speed, and budget, in order to make the right decision.
While cloud storage and backup facilities are generally easy to use and make data instantly accessible, there are several reasons why users still prefer an external hard drive. Not the least of these is security. Keeping sensitive data offline means reducing the risk of it being targeted by an online attack. Use of a cloud backup or cloud storage inevitably means sharing access with the third party responsible for providing hosting services. So, if privacy and portability of data are paramount, opting for an external hard drive is a sensible choice.
Regional Director – UK and Ireland, Kingston Technology EMEA.
The two key external hard drives
Physical storage comes in a variety of options, but the two main types are fast USB flash drives and Solid-State Drives (SSDs). A USB flash drive is usually a small device that is connected to a device using a dedicated USB port. These handy, and ubiquitous, devices are easily transportable, even in a purse or pocket and are available in multiple styles and sizes. They are simple to use and are now regarded as a necessary and inexpensive peripheral for storing files or transferring data between devices without a network connection.
An SSD is a self-contained hard drive with a lead that is connected to the user’s device, also through the USB port. These drives feature non-volatile flash memory which can facilitate the storage of much higher volumes of data. We make these available in multiple sizes from 480 Gigabytes (GB) through to models that can store up to 4 Terabytes (TB) of data.
Examining the pros and cons – portability, capacity, performance
Deciding between an SSD and a USB flash drive is entirely dependent on the user’s storage and backup needs. Clearly, due to its compact size, a USB flash drive leads in terms of portability. They are so small that they are often used as branded marketing giveaways to hang on a keyring. By comparison, while most external SSDs would fit in a small bag and would be considered portable, they are slightly heavier than a USB and more suited to quickly reading and writing large volumes of data.
The storage capacities of SSDs pack a punch, and this makes them ideal for more high-capacity storage needs. To put this into context, a single computer might typically have a storage capacity of 500 GB which could accommodate between approximately 125,000 and 155,000 images. If an external SSD has a capacity of 4 terabytes – 8x the capacity of a standard computer – it could comfortably store millions of documents, images, video content, music files and multiple other data.
While small in physical size, the capacity of USB flash drives is often greater than users imagine and may be sufficient for the vast majority of storage needs. We have models that allow up to 1TB in storage, but the standard is 256 GB.
Speed and performance are always important factors to consider when it comes to storage, and SSDs are widely regarded to be the fastest external drive option, which also helps to provide efficiency gains for users that require rapid data access. The gap between SSDs and USB drives, however, has narrowed with the arrival of USB 3.0 models which have accelerated read/write speeds.
Neither SSDs nor USB flash drives feature moving parts which makes them both durable. However, SSDs have a longer lifespan and will withstand knocks and vibrations while USB flash drives are better suited to shorter-term and less demanding usage.
When it comes to price, USB flash drives will usually be less costly than external SSDs, making them the more affordable option. However, if users have demanding storage and backup needs, an external SSD will provide the more cost-effective option in the long-term. There are also savings to be made on different models of SSD, depending on usage. SSDs delivering up to 1050MB/s read, 1000MB/s write are approximately £60 less than those delivering up to 2000MB/s read, 2000MB/s write in our range.
Usage cases for USB flash drives
For the storage and transfer of files, documents, photos and videos, these drives are hard to beat. They have the capacity to carry portable applications, such as antivirus tools or productivity software so it can be transferred to different computers, or presentations that can be conveniently, and securely, delivered in meetings. USB flash drives are frequently used as bootable drives, and they can store system recovery tools to help with troubleshooting and recovering operating systems and used as a physical key to secure access to computers and software. They are simple and affordable, making them ideal for the distribution of files to colleagues.
Usage cases for external SSDs
When transferring large files or backing up high volumes of data, SSDs are a faster option. Professional photographers, videographers, graphic designers and architects can store and edit high resolution media files and 3D modelling graphics using SSDs, thanks to their fast read and write speeds. Gamers often use SSDs to expand storage for games, which helps to reduce load times and improve gaming performance. To assist with disaster recovery, SSDs are ideal for full system backups, but they can also be used as bootable drives for operating systems. Because of their high capacity, SSDs can store and stream greater volumes of high-quality multimedia content including 4K videos and high-resolution audio files directly. They are also a popular option for caching frequently accessed data thereby accelerating database performance and server operations.
Summary
Both forms of external drive offer secure storage and backup. While USB flash drives provide affordability, flexibility and convenience in any professional, education and personal environment, external SSDs offer high-speed, robust storage for more demanding data-heavy requirements across multiple use cases.
We list the best portable SSDs.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro
