Windows 7: portable external HDD Vs. Desktop external HDD?

What's the difference between portable external HDD and Desktop external HDD? I notice desktop external HDD cost more.

What's the point of different size of external HDD 2.5" and 3.5 "?

Size, speed, cabling, cache, etc.


Do you want to use it in a laptop or desktop?


Ken J

External hard drives come in two sizes, 2.5" and 3.5".

The 2.5" are the portable ones that can be easily carried around (they have relatively small capacity and a small enclosure) and are usually USB powered. The downside is they are not unbreakable (you need to take decent care of them), also usb power becomes an issue if you have many other usb powered devices connected to the same computer. If the drive is underpowered, it'll behave wierdly.

Desktop external hard drives are normally 3.5" hard drives mounted in a relatively larger enclosure, sometimes with integrated fans (that helps keep them cool).These drives are designed with storage capacity in mind and can go upto 2 tb or even 3 tb nowadays. They often come with a separate, independent power supply.

2.5" is also the size of internal hard drives of notebooks, while 3.5" ones fit internally in desktops.

I'll be using it on a desktop and a laptop to store stuff. Most likely I won't be moving it outside my house.

How good/bad are the external HDD with the software included?

if it were up to me i would get a BARE drive and format it the way I want it.. i have a WD mybook and it has all this crap software built into it via a virtual disc... try as i may i cant get rid of it.. its stored in the firmware of the drive

The quality of external hard drives seems to be very good. I have 7 drives of different manufacturers (both 2.5. and 3.5"). None have failed in appr. 3 years - knock on wood. For very critical data (e.g. images) it is always an advantage to alternate between drives. That gives you extra security.

I have 4 ext HDDs
Portable:
(1) WD Elements 500GB,portable 2.5",5400rpm, USB powered, extremley small
(2) WD Elements 7500GB,portable 2.5",5200rpm, USB powered, extremley small
Desktop:
(4) Seagate Expansion 500GB,desktop, 3.5",7200, mains powered
(5) WD Elements 1TB, desktop, 3.5", 7200, mains powered.

All have sata drives inside with usb converter.
(4)&(5) are faster as you would expect but heat can be a problem. Both can hit 50C+ and I have a small fan for cooling on hot days. These are normal sata drives in a confined space. Any built in power management doesn't seem that great to me. I turn them on and off when needed.
I question their long term reliability if left running for long periods in warm ambient temps. I'd go for an extra internal with good cooling if powered on all the time and accessed frequently.

I like the little portables. Yes a bit slower but I find them great for backups - like an overgrown USB flash drive. If you also have a notebook - perfect. They seem to run quite a bit cooler and seem to have better power management (???).

Pricewise - not much of a difference where I'm from. WD 1TB recently on sale for $87.

I strongly support the previous poster - Buy the bare bones units - NO SOFTWARE BACKUP rubbish.

So i should go for one that doesn't need any software. Should I go for a usb powered one or an one that requires an power outlet?

The only time I will be plugging the external HDD in is when I need to use it, after i'm done with it, i'll just unplug it.

I have two seagate portable hard drives and two Rosewill external enclosures with 3.5" 1TB Samsung Spinpoints in them. I love both. The enclosures to me are more like desktops. The seagate portables are just that, portable. They run off USB power and are not much larger than your wallet. They are great for taking whatever you want with you. The rosewills are great too. Another advantage is If my computer HD goes out, I can take the Spinpoints out of the enclosure and install it in the computer in 5 minutes.

EDIT: most of the hard drive come with backup software on them. I have never seen any of that software I want to use. Withe the Seagates, I reformatted them and got rid of it.

So if I have to get the HDDs with software preloaded in them (because the ones i'm looking at is at my price range and 7200 rpm), i can reformat the drive to get rid of it?

Do i even have to use the software to back up my computer? Can't I just use the windows 7 one?