There are two main reasons why you’d buy an external hard drive. First, your laptop or desktop is running out storage space; it’s a common problem, especially if your computer is several years old. Or secondly, if you want to backup your various digital files (photos, videos, music) so that if something happens to your computer (maybe it breaks or gets stolen), you don’t lose everything. Maybe it’s a combination of both.
You might be thinking, why would anybody invest in an external hard drive when you could just use a cheap cloud-based service, like 1Drive or iCloud? Well, there are a number of reasons.
First, an external hard drive is a one-time fee and while it’ll be a more expensive upfront cost, it will less expensive in the long run — those monthly subscription fees add up.
Secondly, there’s security. With cloud services you hand over all responsibility for your photos, documents and other data to that storage provider; with an external hard drive, you’re in the driver’s seat.
Finally, there’s speed. Even if you have a really fast internet connection, the transfer speeds with cloud services can’t compete with today’s external hard drives. Plus, they often come with a bandwidth cap.
Sure, external hard drives need more desk space and they’re less portable, but knowing the things you need are secure — that’s priceless. (Note: if you’re looking for a portable hard drive, which are smaller, cheaper and more rugged, check out the Western Digital’s My Passport or SanDisk’s Extreme Portable SSD.)
