Choosing Between an Internal and External Hard Drive

You need more space. You need a bigger hard drive. Your daughter’s iTunes collection is getting larger and more comprehensive. You need more space. How big is that attachment you sent me? You need more space. You spend half your day burning your old pictures onto CDs. You need more space. Your computer is painfully slow. You need more space. I’m sorry, sir, I can’t install that program because I need more space. I need more space. I need more space.

OK, you’ve got it. You need more space. What does that mean? Well, essentially it means you need to buy another hard drive. With all the different hard drives on the market, how is a wary consumer to decide? The first thing you need to establish is whether you should buy an internal or an external hard drive.

When deciding between an internal and external hard drive, there are a variety of things to consider:  physical constraints, ease of installation, speed requirements and your future plans should all be considered.

Will It Fit In There?

Depending on the physical constraints of your computer, your choice may have already been made. In order to install a hard drive inside your computer, you must have room for it there. Check and see if your computer has an available slot to put an extra hard drive into it. If it does not, then you must either purchase an external hard drive, or if your needs require that you get an internal hard drive; you have the option of replacing your current drive.

That Was Easy!

One of the largest benefits of buying an external hard drive is that it’s EASY to install. You just plug it into your computer, and you’re ready to go. If you feel uncomfortable opening your computer, or really just don’t want to be bothered and your primary concern is that your new hard drive be easy to install, an external hard drive is definitely the way to go. On the other hand, if you were grounded as a child for taking apart the telephone, or are skilled with a basic screw-driver and have a little extra time, installing an internal hard drive is really not a very complicated process.

The Need For Speed

Don’t you wish that amongst the cacophony and clamor of our lives, that when something truly important came along that your vision would acquire a slightly red tint and a big voice would come down from the heavens and say, “Pay attention, Bob, this is important.” Wouldn’t that be nice? Well, this is for you:

PAY ATTENTION, BOB – THIS IS IMPORTANT

When it comes to speed, there is absolutely no comparison between an internal and external hard drive. An internal hard drive is the hands down winner every time.  It’s just plain faster, by a lot. So, if you are planning on creating, editing or moving large files on a regular basis then you’ll want to get an internal hard drive. The extra time it takes to install will be worth it in the long run. On the other hand, if you just need to move some files you don’t use that often, an external hard drive is a fine solution.

Into The Great Wide Open

Adding a new hard drive is often a choice people make before upgrading their entire system. When deciding between an internal or external hard drive, ask yourself what your plans are for the future. If you are planning on buying a new computer soon, it’s much easier to bring your data with you to your new computer with an external hard drive.