If you're looking to transport data between PCs, you're going to need a portable storage solution. But what are the options and which one should you choose? CNET.com.au's Portable Storage Guide has you covered.
There are three main types of portable storage device — travel drives, external hard drives and flash drives. Each type offers distinct advantages and disadvantages, depending on the desired use.
The typical flash drive is known by many names mdash; thumb drive, USB stick, memory stick — the vast majority of which connect through USB, although some notable exceptions have hooked into Firewire. They're small enough to slip into your pocket, and span from 256MB to 64GB in storage capacities. The term "flash drive" comes from the technology used to store your data — the solid-state flash memory, meaning it has no moving parts and is more likely to survive a drop.
External hard drives are typically faster and much larger in capacity than flash drives — from 500GB to 1TB. They are usually powered from the wall, and tend to function as a backup solution more than portable storage — but sometimes you really do need to cart that much data around! Unlike a flash drive they have mechanical parts, as they are simply a desktop hard drive stored in an internal case — making them susceptible to damage when dropped. These can come with a number of interfaces: USB2.0 (with 480Mbps theoretical maximum speed), IEEE 1394 (otherwise known as Firewire, and available in 400Mbps and 800Mbps speeds), and eSATA (3Gbps), the fastest of them all. Something to take note — although USB2.0 has a higher maximum theoretical speed than IEEE 1394 400, the latter tends to give higher sustained transfer rates as it doesn't get cycles stolen away from it by the rest of the system.
The final type of portable storage device is a compromise between the first two — the travel drive. This is still generally small enough to fit in a pocket (although probably uncomfortably!) and is actually a laptop hard drive encased in a plastic/rubber protective shell. By and large connection is via USB or 1394, and they can be powered directly from the USB/1394 port. In some cases USB ports may not provide enough power, and so the units are outfitted with an optional power cord.
While things have improved massively over the years, the smaller size and increased ruggedness of a flash drive still comes at a cost. Whereas a 4GB flash drive will set you back around AU$50-70, you can pick up a 160GB magnetic based travel drive, with forty times the capacity for only double the cost.
1%
1%
