These days many of us need external storage for our computing and multimedia use. But the type (or types) of external hard drive you require is entirely dependent on your needs.

Why do I need an external hard drive?

There are several reasons why you might need an external hard drive of some description, including:

1. Portability - you need to move files between various computers or devices
2. Security - you want to back up your files rather than storing them all on one computer
3. Storage - you have lots of multimedia files such as songs, pictures and movies that are taking up room on your computer and you need somewhere to store them.

USB drives

USB drives, also known as USB flash drives, memory sticks or thumb drives, are the cheapest and simplest form of external hard drive. Basically, you connect the drive to your computer’s USB port and use it to transfer files between other computers or devices. These are particularly handy if you have a printer with a USB port that allows you to print photos directly. Prices start from a few dollars for USB flash drives with smaller capacities.

USB drives are best used when you are only planning to store relatively small amounts of data - for example, no more than 16GB. USB drives with larger capacities aren’t as cost-effective as the next category - portable hard drives.

Portable hard drives

Portable hard drives - also known as pocket hard drives - are very handy devices that you can carry around and store larger quantities of data on (up to 1000GB). They also connect via a USB port but also require a power supply such as a powerpoint. You should be able to pick up a smaller capacity portable hard drive for well under $100.

The only drawback with portable hard drives is their lack of compatability between PC and Mac, so make sure you consider this before making your purchase.

Desktop hard drives

As the name suggests, desktop hard drives are made to sit on a desktop at work or home and are not very portable. For this reason they are best used for backing up files and external storage only. The main advantage here is large amounts of storage - up to 2TB (that’s 1024GB). Many come with software bundled to make the backing up process easier.

Best external hard drives

We recommend external hard drives from Western Digital, Iomega, Seagate and Maxtor.

Buy a cheap external hard drive on sale

By Caroline Warnes