Storage: The average person will often find 64 gigabytes (GB) to be more than enough, especially if you’re using the hard drive simply to store extra photos and documents. It’s also worth mentioning that advancements in technology mean the type of USB ports that these drives use may become obsolete, requiring you to buy an adapter to connect them to your latest devices. However, if your hard drive were to physically break, it may be difficult or impossible to get back the information you lost. Hard drives also have a fixed cost instead of a recurring fee. On the other hand, external hard drives have the upper hand in putting information security in your hands. You’ll want to know what will happen to your data in every sort of situation-especially in the event that whoever you’re using (though unlikely) goes out of business. It’s always best to look into the security info of the platform that you choose, too. But you may incur monthly fees for extra space, so putting everything on the cloud will be far more expensive in the long run. It also has the advantage of being accessible almost anywhere, allowing you to sync and reach your materials from services like Apple iCloud, Microsoft Dropbox, or Google Drive so long as you have a device with a Wi-Fi connection. On one hand, the cloud is typically more convenient, providing a reliable and safe option that allows you to keep adding more storage. When it comes to choosing between cloud storage and external hard drives, it really depends on preference. Take a look at our buying guide below before reading our reviews of several of the best hard drives.
Fortunately, many options exist to help you get the right size, storage amount, and durability features like waterproofing. External hard drives are excellent, often cost-effective, solutions when your computer runs out of space.
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Whether you need somewhere to download more games, a repository for all your family photos, or a secure place in which to store important documents, we can all use a little (or a lot of) extra storage. A hard drive is an important asset for anyone who spends a lot of time in the digital realm.