Removable Storage Device Buying Advice
We’re here to help you!
We're here to help you buy a new MP3 player. We've got advice and information about all the latest Removable Storage Devices. We also discuss the various formats and connection techniques for your new Device.The market has matured, so has the range on offer, and price is not the only factor that should determine what you buy. You might also be surprised what an Removable Storage Device can do, as its name is a legacy that belies its true abilities.
Primary Factors
Firstly consider whether you need an internal or external drive. It is cheaper to buy an internal storage drive. So this may be a good option if you do not want to use it with other computers and if your computer can accommodate it, otherwise it is more versatile to buy an external drive.
The main factor to consider when buying removable storage is the capacity you will require. Work out the minimum capacity, based on the quantity, size and types of files you wish to save, and how much you want to store on each disk/cartridge. Try to go for the drive with the highest capacity, within your cost and compatibility constraints.
Compatibility is an important consideration if you plan to use the data stored on the storage media in other locations or other machines, such as at university, work, etc.
Media
It is important to consider the cost of the media, it may work out cheaper to buy a more expensive drive where the cost of the media is low – if you are likely to need a lot of disks/cartridges, than it would be to buy a cheap drive with expensive media.
Durable disks: If you are intending to store your data for decades optical media -- CD-recordable (CD-R), CD-ReWriteable (CD-RW) or writeable DVD - is more stable than magnetic disks or tapes, so opt for optical-disk drive technology. Check out CD Drives in our Computers > Components > CD Burners.
Interface
You should choose the interface (such as SCSI, USB, parallel port) based on your computer’s available ports. If you already have a SCSI card it is best to opt for a SCSI drive as the performance is better. If performance is very important you should avoid parallel port and IDE slots for internal devices. USB is very convenient as it is plug and play and is efficient in data transfer speeds. If you have a laptop you may want to use the PCMCIA slot.
After Sales
Check the terms of any drive's warranty and examine the retailer’s return policy. You should also consider whether you can reach technical support outside of normal business hours.
Performance
In assessing the performance, consider the storage speed and access time. The storage speed should be as high as possible as this relates to how fast information can be written. Whilst access time should be low as this is the time it takes to read the information.
Devices Types
Floppy
Floppy drives spin relatively slowly at around 300-360 rpm so the magnetic surface doesn't wear out too quickly and can only hold 1.44Mb of data. Floppy drives have evolved into faster high capacity drives known as superfloppy drives, these are Zip and SuperDisk.
SuperDisk
These are high density 3.5 inch floppies that hold 120MB. SuperDisk drives are available in external (USB, parallel) and internal (IDE, SCSI) interfaces.
They are backward compatible with floppy disks, so you can use your old floppy disks in the new superfloppy disk drives.
Zip
There are currently three Iomega superfloppy drives - Clik! 40 MB, Zip 100 MB and Zip 250 MB. Zip drives are not backward compatible with 1.44 MB floppies.
The Clik! drive is intended for use with a digital camera, notebook or PDA. The drive is small, portable and accepts two inch square Clik! disks which hold 40 MB.
The Zip drive is simple to use and you should have little trouble swapping files. There are two models - taking 100 MB cartridges or 250 MB cartridges. The 250 MB drives also take 100 MB disks. Overall, the 250 MB drive is faster than the 100 MB version. It reads 100 MB media as fast as 250 MB cartridges but writes to the old media slower than a 100 MB drive. Both 100 MB and 250 MB cartridges come pre-formatted for either Mac or PC. Zip drives are available for IDE internal or parallel, SCSI and USB for external.
Jaz
Jaz drives available in 1 GB and 2 GB sizes. The 1 GB cartridges will work in the 2 GB drive but not vice versa. If you need to store and retrieve large quantities of information like multiple operating systems or video/animation/CAD you should consider a Jaz drive. These drives are fast enough to run full-motion video and other applications right off the drive. Jaz drives can be set-up internally or externally via SCSI. External drives can be connected to PC laptops by parallel port or PC Card adapters.
