How Do I Choose the Best Cheap External Hard Drive?

With the rapid development of networks and multimedia, people are increasingly encountering large-capacity data exchanges in units of GB. In the face of such large data, hard disks are undoubtedly the best carriers. However, ordinary hard disks are installed in chassis. And the operating system is installed, so it is not easy to move. The role of the hard disk box is to physically protect a hard disk, and at the same time use a mobile connection method to achieve the role of a mobile hard disk.

HDD Enclosure

With the rapid development of networks and multimedia, people are increasingly encountering large-capacity data exchanges in units of GB. In the face of such large data, hard disks are undoubtedly the best carriers. However, ordinary hard disks are installed in chassis. And the operating system is installed, so it is not easy to move. The role of the hard disk box is to physically protect a hard disk, and at the same time use a mobile connection method to achieve

Hard disk enclosures need a certain degree of sturdiness in protecting hard disks, and they have the effect of anti-vibration and non-slip, and their volume cannot be too large. Hard disk boxes also need a way to facilitate connection with a computer, so external hard disk boxes basically use USB interfaces, and built-in hard disk boxes are relatively rare. Because there are more types of hard disks, there are many corresponding types of hard disk enclosures. For example, hard disk enclosures that use desktop hard disks usually require additional power.

There are also many friends who use the USB interface to move the hard disk box without using an external power supply. The hard disk also works normally. The USB interface can provide 0.5A current, but it must be distributed to other USB devices. It is prone to power shortage. The hard disk may appear at any time. Abnormal failure, so it is best to use an external power supply. In order to strengthen the power supply, generally a 2.5-inch USB hard disk box will provide a power cable to get power from the PS / 2 port of the computer. Usually, taking power from the PS / 2 port will not affect the use of the mouse. However, the PS / 2 port does not support plug-and-play, which has an impact on the hot-swap operation of the mobile hard disk box (although I haven't had any problems pulling the mouse while it is powered on, but I may have burned it anyway). As for the IEEE1394 interface, it can provide a maximum current of 1.5A. Therefore, the 2.5-inch hard disk case using this interface does not require an external power supply to move the material of the hard disk case.

The mobile hard disk enclosures on the market are very strange. Apart from the different shapes, the weight is also very different. The small ones are only tens of grams, and the large ones are more than two pounds. . The common materials for mobile hard disk enclosures are plastic, aluminum, and aluminum-magnesium alloys. The difference in these materials is not only reflected in the weight of the mobile hard disk enclosure, but also in the heat dissipation performance.

Low-cost mobile hard disk enclosures are generally made of plastic materials and have poor heat dissipation. Using such a product for a short period of time to use a hard disk is still normal, but if it is continuously working for a long time, the heat generated by the hard disk is difficult to dissipate due to the poor heat dissipation performance of the plastic hard disk box, which is accumulated in the hard disk box, and the temperature rises In severe cases, the hard disk will stagnate, the data will be damaged, and even the machine will freeze. The mobile hard disk enclosures of major manufacturers and regular manufacturers mostly use aluminum materials, even aluminum-magnesium alloy materials. They greatly reduce the quality of hard disk enclosures, and as good heat conductors, they have better heat dissipation effects. Can make your hard disk work longer and more stable.

Whether a mobile hard disk enclosure is easy to use depends on the design. Generally speaking, most mobile hard disk enclosures have the following designs:

Ventilation holes: If the shell of the mobile hard disk enclosure is not a good thermal conductor, there should be heat dissipation holes on it to help the hard disk to dissipate heat. However, for 2.5-inch hard disks, since the heat is better controlled, you don't need to worry too much about this.

Dust-proof design: Install a sealing ring on the shell of the mobile hard disk enclosure to reduce the intrusion of dust. Of course, the premise is that the shell has good heat dissipation.

Anti-slip design: The anti-slip pattern on the shell design of the mobile hard disk enclosure, or the installation of non-slip plastic pads, etc., in order to increase the friction of the shell and prevent the hard disk enclosure from falling out of your hands unintentionally.

Shockproof design: Good hard disk enclosures should be covered with elastic material on the inside and the surface, especially the corners that are easy to bump, or be rounded to reduce the impact of external shocks on the hard disk. In general, non-slip materials also serve the dual function of impact-resistant cushions.

Hard disk indicator: There is a hard disk signal light on the housing. When the hard disk has data to be read or stored, the indicator will flash to remind the user to pay attention. In addition, the indicators should be easily visible. Some products with simple design either have no indicator light, or the location of the indicator light on the circuit board is not ideal, the physical interface is too close, and the line of sight is easily blocked.

After 2001, a new product, called a hard disk player, was actually a type of hard disk box. Its main purpose is also a mobile hard disk function, but it added a decoding chip that can directly play movie files on the hard disk.