I want to get a new external drive to run scheduled backups of all my files and am wondering if I should go another route besides USB. Would it be better to get an esata, or get one with an ethernet hook up? I am thinking with the ethernet one, I could store that somewhere else in the house, so at least that would be more likely to be safe in the event the computer was stolen. Also, is it ok to leave them on all the time, or will that significantly reduce the life of it?
Best interface for external hard drive for backups
- Thread starter dm76
- Start date
I am shopping for a Network Accessible Storage device myself. It will keep all the family's music and photos on it. In my case, it is not a backup solution, as it will be accessed regularly and always on-line.
Your best bet will be a drive which you back up to regularly, but take off-line when not backing up. Having two backups would be better-- one that is located away from your home/office would be ideal.
eSATA is good if you want a portable solution (provided your computer has an eSATA port), since you wouldn't have to tote a power supply around with you. An NAS would likely stay attached to your network, but it would likely make for faster backups, depending on network speeds.
Your best bet will be a drive which you back up to regularly, but take off-line when not backing up. Having two backups would be better-- one that is located away from your home/office would be ideal.
eSATA is good if you want a portable solution (provided your computer has an eSATA port), since you wouldn't have to tote a power supply around with you. An NAS would likely stay attached to your network, but it would likely make for faster backups, depending on network speeds.
OverClocker
New Member
i always go for triple interface: usb, firewire 400 and 800. This way, i have options just in case one connector does not work.
Good question.
I am not well-versed in the eSATA as yet, and therefore I failed to make an important distinction earlier-- eSATA drives require external power, whereas eSATAp provides power for that type device. There is 5vdc available, it seems, through the USB interface (eSATAp sockets can also be used as traditional USB ports), and 12vdc available, at least on desktop computers, for running larger drives (3.5" drives and opticals). It seems, though I have not been able to verify this, that the 5vdc power used for 2.5" notebook drives comes from the Southbridge.
That is, the Southbridge portion of your computer's chipset provides the USB and other peripheral interface (hardware) drivers, and while those drivers do provide 5vdc for the USB interface to power devices plugged into it, some of those Southbridges (in the past, at least) were susceptible to damage from heavy loads placed on them.
This is why I and many other hardware gurus recommend that you use an externally-powered USB hub between your computer and any USB devices which draw more than a minimal amount of current and/or if you have a habit of adding and removing USB devices on a regular basis with the machine powered on.
In the case of an NAS drive, then you would probably want to have an external power source for it anyway, regardless of the interface.
I am not well-versed in the eSATA as yet, and therefore I failed to make an important distinction earlier-- eSATA drives require external power, whereas eSATAp provides power for that type device. There is 5vdc available, it seems, through the USB interface (eSATAp sockets can also be used as traditional USB ports), and 12vdc available, at least on desktop computers, for running larger drives (3.5" drives and opticals). It seems, though I have not been able to verify this, that the 5vdc power used for 2.5" notebook drives comes from the Southbridge.
That is, the Southbridge portion of your computer's chipset provides the USB and other peripheral interface (hardware) drivers, and while those drivers do provide 5vdc for the USB interface to power devices plugged into it, some of those Southbridges (in the past, at least) were susceptible to damage from heavy loads placed on them.
This is why I and many other hardware gurus recommend that you use an externally-powered USB hub between your computer and any USB devices which draw more than a minimal amount of current and/or if you have a habit of adding and removing USB devices on a regular basis with the machine powered on.
In the case of an NAS drive, then you would probably want to have an external power source for it anyway, regardless of the interface.
I picked up a Seagate Freeagent Goflex Desk 2 TB for $100 and despite many negative reviews, I figure with a 2 year warranty and the fact that this is for backups, I would never lose any data because it would still be on my main hard drive. But then I am thinking I might not like the idea that there is no power button on this and it will be running all the time. I would think that a drive running constantly without cooling would reduce the life of it. So I don't know, maybe I will look around for other solutions. It is nice this can be updated to USB 3 though.