Which external HDD type to choose

[ajreynolds]

I'm working out details for a new system where I'll be using a SSD for my main drive, but I want to add an external HDD for mass storage of pictures, videos, music, etc. I'm trying to decide which is the best interface to go with, USB 3.0, eSATA 6Gb/s, or even Gb Ethernet. I know by the raw specs, eSATA would be the fastest, but from the articles I've read, USB and eSATA looked relatively equivalent and were much slower than the spec. The articles I found were a year or two old though, so I'm not sure how much things have changed. Also, none of them compared USB and eSATA to NAS, so I don't know where that stands.

Please provide whatever insight and advice you can on this. I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

[kenrivers]

From personal experience I prefer USB 3.0 over eSATA. I've had some difficulty with eSATA when it comes to disconnecting and getting the computer (laptop) to shut down properly. For me it has been a hit or miss thing. However, it could be the user and not the interface. I can't help with the NAS comparison.

 

[Paperdoc]

You are right - the actual performance of a rotating HDD will look about equal when connected via USB3 or eSATA 6. That's because the HDD itself will not exceed 150 to 175 MB/s average data transfer rate, which is just over the theoretical max of the original SATA, and less than SATA II (more properly, SATA 3.0 Gb/s). The limit is in the physical movements of parts in the HDD itself, and not in the communication link. So the specs of the newest interface links all exceed what the drive itself can do.

 

[ajreynolds]

In that case, I suppose a simple USB 3.0 enclosure and a SATA 6Gb/s drive might be the most flexible way to go. Thanks for the input.