New
#1
Internal rack, outside enclosures or other solutions for backup ?
I'm looking to upgrade my external backup solution. Currently, I have two 2,5", 500 GB, SATA 3 Gbps Western Digital Blue Scorpio disks in Icy Box metal enclosures, which I either connect via eSATA 3 Gbps, by sliding them in the associated, internal rack, or by external eSATA or USB 2.0 cable.
However, I have outgrown their capacity, and the contacts of the internal rack are not as reliable as they used to be.
I plan to replace them by two 1 TB Seagate Barracudas (2,5", SATA 6 Gbps).
Initially, I had planned to put them in new metal enclosures with a USB 3.0 or 3.1 interface, such as this one, and connect them alternatively by cable to my USB 3.0 port.
However, I am aghast at the buyers' reviews I've read. This type of enclosure seems to be poorly built and to fail regularly, whatever the brand. The micro-B USB 3.x female connectors, in particular, seem to be a weak point. Most vendors don't even mention the chipset they use to convert SATA into USB, and it seems this is a key factor for performance.
So I've turned my attention to internal racks with trays such as this one, or this one.
Does this type of equipment withstand daily swaps, or is it meant for occasional disk change only ? I image my PC every day on alternate disks. I understand that the SATA connector directly attached to the disk is mechanically stressed each time one slides the rack in, so isn't that detrimental to the connector's life ? Are you supposed to do that to your disks ? Wikipedia surprisingly says that SATA connectors are specified for 50 insertions only.
Also, what do you do with the tray-mounted disk when it's outside the rack ? The electronics and connector being exposed, I suppose it's very easy to zap the disk with static. I've seen precious few (and expensive) plastic boxes to that effect -- plus they are sized for naked drives.
Do you see a better option ? Budget is limited, and one disk at least has to be offline at all times, in order to protect against malware. Thank you.