Top 5 Reasons To Invest In An External Hard Drive

In an age where both desktop and laptops now have staggering amounts of computer storage and RAM memory, it can be difficult to see why the average computer user would need an external hard drive. However, with prices of hard drives and SSDs dropping, they are becoming a convenience that many computer users simply should not be without. From storing downloaded movies and music to providing a reliable back-up, here are the top five reasons to invest in an external hard drive.

1. Portability

The nature of the external hard drive means that they are even more portable than many laptops. Compact and hardwearing, they can be taken to work, on business trips or even over to a friend’s house at the weekend. Most of them connect easily through USB cables, meaning that they can be utilised almost anywhere with the correct link-ups.

2. Capacity

Though computers and laptops often have more than enough storage space on which to run, especially with the multitude of computer hard drive upgrades available to them, having extra space means never having to worry about download capacities. Large volume files such as high-definition movies and whole music libraries can be stored on external hard drives with no need to delete older files or make room.

3. De-clutter

Rather than navigating through an old laptop, with dense folders full of documents and files that are years on, having an external drive means keeping a laptop or computer free of clutter without deleting anything. The portability of the units mean the files are easily accessible with a USB cable, and can be reached without slowing down the main machine.

4. Back-ups

Those who use their computers and laptops for business should always practice backing up their files in case of a system crash on their main unit. The external hard drive is not permanently connected to the computer or laptop, so any system failures or corrupted data will have no effect on the files stored on the external unit, and all files can then be restored.

5. High Speed

External hard drives which are connected with Firewire will have very fast data transfer rates and will be able to copy large files from computers or laptops in a relatively small period of time. For those who use their computer for video, image or music editing and need to work alongside large volumes, this will come in extremely handy.