Digital storage media has come a long way since the days of tape drives and floppy disks. For modern consumers, hard disk drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD) are the most common computer storage media. Many new computer models sold today come with SSDs, but additional storage in the form of an external SSD is still required. Of course, external SSDs can also be used and offer advantages that HDDs do not.

Advantages of external SSD

SSD is faster than HDD: SSD is a significant improvement over HDD in terms of data transfer. The fastest commercial hard drives offer speeds of 160 MB/s, while even entry-level SSDs are often more than three times faster, and many SATA drives can easily deliver read and write speeds in excess of 500 MB/s. The most powerful NVMe drives on the market are capable of speeds of up to 7,000 MB/s, making them ideal for transferring large files like videos or large graphics files.

SSDs are more resilient than HDDs: Due to their design, SSDs are more resistant to damage than HDDs. A hard drive consists of mechanical components, including a spinning hard drive, which reads and writes via mechanical actuators that move across the surface of the hard drive. The hard drive and its components may be damaged if dropped or used continuously for a long period of time. This makes hard drives particularly vulnerable when used as external storage because they are portable and more likely to be dropped or bumped during transportation or even during normal use.

SSDs are quieter than HDDs: HDDs can make noise due to moving mechanical parts. While this may not be an issue for some users, other users working on projects such as voice-over or audio mixing, or those who frequently participate in video conferences, may prefer a less noisy system.
SSDs consume less energy than HDDs: In systems such as laptops that draw operating power from batteries, HDDs drain power faster than SSDs. This means that a laptop equipped with an SSD can often run on battery power longer than an equivalent system equipped with a hard drive.

SSDs are lighter than HDDs: SSDs are very light due to the type of components required. Depending on the model, an external hard drive can weigh up to 680 grams. External SSDs can weigh as little as 29 grams, such as the Kingston XS2000 External SSD, which fits in your pocket and delivers up to 4TB of high-speed storage.
Advantages of hard drives
HDDs are cheaper than SSDs: Production technology and related factors make HDDs cheaper to produce than SSDs, making them more economical when purchased in bulk.
Hard drives offer higher capacities: Since hard drives are cheaper to produce, high-capacity models are more suitable than commercial products. Not only are 10TB external hard drives cheaper than 10TB external SSDs, they’re also easier to find.

Should I choose an external SSD or HDD?

There are many reasons why SSD is recommended for external storage. If you need extra storage for photos, games, or video clips that you edit and reference frequently, an external SSD may be your best option. The speed, robustness, and portability of external SSDs make them a suitable medium for storing personal data. Kingston cm long.