In this report
Overview
Hard drives
Flash drives
Optical drives
Online backup services
Pros and cons
FORUMS
ELECTRONICS FORUMS
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October 2007
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Weighing the options: Pros and cons
 
  Capacities Price Range/Per GB Pros Cons Best uses
Two internal drives in a RAID 1 array 80GB to 1TB $60 - $400 for second drive, depending on capacity/$0.40 -$1.33 Fastest; can buy a PC preconfigured this way; no software is required; backups are immediate and automatic; large capacity; prevents data loss from a single drive failure. Susceptible to malware, home theft, or disaster; one entire drive is dedicated solely to backup; can't recover accidentally deleted or overwritten files. Immediate, automatic, hassle-free backups.
External Hard Drives 60GB - 1TB (single drive) $72 - $350/$0.35 - $1.20 Fastest for large capacities; inexpensive; connects via USB, firewire or eSATA; smaller models may require no external power. Susceptible to malware, home theft, or disaster; must configure and run backup software. Primary storage of large amounts of data.
Flash Drives 128MB - 8GB $15 - $130 Small; portable; connects via USB; requires no external power. Easy to lose; size makes labeling difficult; must configure and run backup software for easy successive, incremental backups. Limited storage; secondary backup.
Optical Media 700MB (CD) - 50GB $0.22 (CD-R) - $50 (Blu-Ray double-sided DVD) With the exception of HD DVD and Blu-Ray, discs are very inexpensive; most computers have players/burners; easy to use. Slow; limited capacity; susceptible to scratches and physical damage; discs can't be read by all drive types; incremental backups require special software. Archiving songs, video, and photos for use on consumer electronics devices.
Online Backup Services 250MB - unlimited Free - $64.95 per month Unlimited storage potential; most secure; nothing to break; safer from theft than local backup; remote file sharing is possible. Slowest; monthly fees can be high; requires fast, reliable Internet connection; must trust site's security, longevity. Extra security of offsite storage. Can supplement wiith local copies of crucial files. Some services let you share files remotely.