If your computer is bogged down with digital music files, movies, and other various multimedia files, an external drive can be a real lifesaver. Many of us collect multimedia files like Mark Zuckerberg collects friend requests, and a computer’s drive can get overstuffed quite easily.
Also, many of our most important documents are now virtual files that would be disastrous if deleted, so a reliable back-up system is a necessity. Lucky for us, there is a litany of affordable external drives on the market to help us remove the burden from our computers. Here are some of the best on the market.
The top-rated model on the market is the Iomega Professional Hard Drive 1TB – 34280. For those who don’t know, a terabyte is roughly 1,000 gigabytes, which, until recently, would have required multiple hard drives in the past. It comes with an eSATA interface that allows you to transfer your files at the the lightning-quick rate of 3 GBs per second, which is faster than a USB or FireWire 400 port is capable of.
It also sports a sleek exterior. If you like Iomega drives but want to spend less than $100, the Iomega eGo BlackBelt 34621 500GB USB 2.0 Portable External Drive is a nice alternative. Though it only stores half as many files as the 34280 and doesn’t provide eSATA throughputs, 500 gigs is enough for most, and it also comes with a shock-resistant rubber ring that is perfect for people who bring their external hard drive with them everywhere.
Just behind the Iomega hard drives is the excellent Seagate FreeAgent Go Portable External Hard Drive. While its 640GBs of space doesn’t quite match up to the 34280 model, the user-friendly model still offers plenty of storage room and a sleek design that is available in three different colors. It is only 2.5 inches (the size of a small book) and will slip easily into your backpack, messenger bag, or laptop carrier.
If you require a truly massive amount of storage space (more than 1TB), the LaCie Disk Quadra External Drive and Western Digital Elements’ External Drive are just the models for you. The former packs an incredible 2TB’s of space, while the latter’s 1.5TB drive is similarly massive. The LaCie model is both sleek and incredibly powerful, as it offers eSATA compatibility (3 GB/s).
If you like, it can also run through your FireWire (800 and 400) and USB ports. As you’d expect, it carries a hefty price tag that will set you back around $200. The Western Digital hard drive doesn’t offer supercharged transfer speeds, but it still is a sturdy, reliable machine with an incredible amount of space for almost $100 less than the LaCie model.
As you can see, there are a variety of excellent models on the market that will help free up your computer’s hard drive. The choice is yours.
For more information about the Best External Hard Drive, visit the Computers category on Bestcovery.com.
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