Portable storage devices come as a handy option when you are going out of town or just don’t want to carry a heavy notebook along with you all the time. Simply connect the portable storage device and you’re done. But have you ever get confused whether an ultra-portable flash drive suit your needs or a portable external hard drive is the thing you need. We have you covered. Here’s the USB Flash Drive Vs External Hard Drive comparison which will help you decide the best and the most suitable option for you.
USB Flash Drive Vs External Hard Drive: Back to Basics
A regular desktop computer uses an internal hard disk drive which has a magnetic disc which rotates at a speed of multiple thousands rotation per minute. It has an arm which writes and erases the information of the disc in bits. This happens on the desktop or a laptop. However, an external hard disk drive is a portable device which allows you to store your data in a secure place.
External Hard Drive
The biggest advantage of using an external hard drive is that you don’t have to carry your entire computer or laptop to carry the data. The external HDD works with both PC and Mac. It functions similarly to the internal hard drive. The external hard drive also has the same design and built, but it has an extra layer of protection using an own protective casing which a traditional drive don’t have.
These drives can be connected to any PC or laptop using a USB port (Universal Serial Bus). Most of the operating systems have compatibility with the external hard drive so that you can simply plug-and-play the device. When connected, the external hard drive appears as another drive on the system. The external hard drives are available in different storage sizes from 150MB to 2TB.
It is worth mentioning that the capacity of external hard drives is constantly increasing. In external hard drives, there are options to choose the hard disc drives or a solid-state drive.
USB Flash Drive
The USB flash drive is also known as a thumb drive, memory stick, pen drive, or disc on a key. It is a small portable storage device which comes handy while travelling. The USB flash drive contains a solid state memory packed in a sturdy plastic case. The drive can be connected to PC or laptop by using its built-in male USB plug.
The USB flash drives don’t have any moving parts. The information is stored in bits on the semiconducting material on a chip. You can get a USB flash drive from 500MB to 32GB; however, there are flash drives available in the market that can store data up to 1TB or maybe 2TB.
USB Flash Drive Vs External Hard Drive: Which is better?
The external hard drive has an edge over the USB flash drive considering the storage size to price ratio. However, the external hard drive is significantly larger in physical size than USB Flash drive. While so, the disc drive is subject to magnetic fields and impact; so the data might get lost if any of such situation occurs with the disc drive.
The external hard drives are best suitable for use with computers and laptops. The USB flash drives, on the other hand, are very portable, easily available, and relatively durable. The price of the USB flash drive is lower than the external hard drive as smaller memory size flash drives are available at reasonable price. This is perfect for those who have to share presentations on a projector on a regular basis or for those who wish to carry their data always with them in portable form factor.
While the market is flooded with data storage options, there is no clear winner in the USB flash drive Vs external hard drive battle. The decision of choosing between USB flash drive and external hard drive depends on the personal preferences and requirement.