Can i JUST use an external hdd?

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gotMUSE

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Jun 26, 2013
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This site has answered many of my questions without me even asking, but im a little bit stuck with this. Im making a budget build and online i found a deal on a seagate satallite 500gb external hard drive for $20. Sounds like a good deal, but is it a good idea to just skip out on internal hard drives completely? Im thinking yes because the motherboard im getting has no usb 3.0 ports but i want to see what some more knowledgeable people think. Thanks in advance.
 
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vmem
if the motherboard you're getting has no USB 3.0 ports, you'll end up with a painfully slow computer (10Mb/s maxed out), it will probably take you 5 minutes just to boot up...

also, external harddrives are designed for data backup and typically spin slower, around 5400rpm-ish. you want to get at least a 7200rpm drive if that's going to be your main harddrive. (fyi you'll get at least 100Mb/s on read speeds, so more than 10X the speed of that external harddrive)
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vmem

vmem

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Feb 17, 2012
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if the motherboard you're getting has no USB 3.0 ports, you'll end up with a painfully slow computer (10Mb/s maxed out), it will probably take you 5 minutes just to boot up...

also, external harddrives are designed for data backup and typically spin slower, around 5400rpm-ish. you want to get at least a 7200rpm drive if that's going to be your main harddrive. (fyi you'll get at least 100Mb/s on read speeds, so more than 10X the speed of that external harddrive)
 
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burdenbound

burdenbound

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Aug 9, 2011
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I would advice against using an external hard drive to run your operating system off of. It will be painfully slow and you run the risk of it getting damaged, constantly unplugged, etc... No need to skimp out on the part of your computer which holds all your data.
 
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gotMUSE

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Jun 26, 2013
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thanks for the quick reply :)
 
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ram1009

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Jun 28, 2007
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I use an external HDD all the time for data storage, mostly movies but I would NEVER use it for my OS. I also would advise against buying a $20 HDD of any description. It's obviously used and in unknown condition no matter what the owner says. There's a reason why HDD OEMs limit their warranties to 3 or 5 years at most. A bargain isn't what you pay but what you get and a used computer component isn't a bargain at any price.
 
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