Toshiba 320 GB External Hard Disk Drives for All Your Data Storage Needs
Before the ubiquity of thumb drives and external hard drives, people had to bear with the slow transfer speeds and extremely limited data capacity of older standards starting from floppy disks compatible with their Windows device, up to DVDs and CDs. Nowadays, the bar for capacity and speed has been set to new heights because of improved data storage technology and portability.
What Is an External Hard Disk Drive?
An external hard drive has an interior component similar to what you would find on a desktop or laptop computer. The hard drive is the same type used in your computer but is enclosed in a case that provides protection and portability along with the necessary circuitry to power it independently of your computer. Be aware that some hard drives require you to download software to access the drive.
- Capacity: Drives vary widely in capacity. Those bought in the early days of external hard disk drives will have 60 GB to 120 GB of capacity and that was top-of-the-line back then. With Toshiba hard drives, you can get upwards of 320 GB of file storage or much more.
- Portability: Despite the increased data capacity of modern eternal hard drives, their footprint has not changed at all, save those specialized for home use. This is because the interior hard disk must still be the same size for them to be compatible with computer motherboards. The goal has always been to retain size while increasing data capacity, lending to higher portability and utility.
What Are the Disadvantages of External Hard Drives?
- Closed System: An external hard drive is a closed system, meaning you cannot upgrade its data capacity to one larger than it came with. However, being a closed system is not that bad because on the hardware side, there are interior components used to prevent data corruption, such as special padding and shock absorbing materials that may be rendered ineffective if a physical upgrade is performed.
- Fragile: On the flip side, hard drives are always inherently fragile due to the nature of their operation. They rely on precisely calibrated spinning magnetic discs which are easy to misalign or damage with a bad fall.
What Toshiba Drive Models Can I Buy?
- Desktop: The Canvio line for Desktop specializes in large capacities intended for data archiving or personal network accessed storage. Large and bulky, they are not meant for carrying around.
- Basic: The most approachable line of external hard drives is the slim Basics 2.5-inch with 320 GB of file storage. It is USB 2.0 compatible and ideal for moderate file transfer volumes.
- Premium: The premium line focuses on large capacity and high speed but at a higher cost. These have aluminum housings with a sleek finish and are compatible with USB Type-C standards.