External hard drives are connected to computers through the use of an external port secured to the motherboard. External hard drives are different in size and shape, however their main purpose is to store documents, video, images, audio and many other file types. The actual capacities of the drives differ from large to small. This assortment of sizes allows the consumer to choose the right external hard drive for their needs.
Initially, bulky computer hard drives were housed outside of the actual computer in their own external cases, so by definition these drives fit into the external hard drive category. Eventually, advances in technology permitted manufacturers to place the drives inside the housing of the computers in their own drive bays. The capacity of an internal hard drive, though, was limited and so the need for external hard drives became evident, as consumers required more and more space for their files.
External hard drives come in a variety of styles and design. In most cases the internal structure of the hard drive itself is very similar to the standard internal hard drive on most computers.
There are basically two types of external hard drives. High capacity hard drives with storage of up to two (2) terabytes or 2,000 GB and more compact portable external hard drives that generally range from 64 MB to 320 GB and include compact flash or solid-state hard drives.
Connectivity for external hard drives has varied widely over time. The standard connection ports are SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), USB 1.1 and 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE 1394 (Firewire) and eSATA (External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). The most commonly used connection types that come standard on computers today are USB and Firewire.
There are two main differences in High capacity external hard drives and portable external hard drives. The first difference is the amount of storage. High capacity external hard drives can facilitate the storage of up to two terabytes of information. This is due to the fact that these drives are not limited by physical size and can hold the necessary amount of hard disks and mechanical heads that are necessary for such high capacity and are powered by an external AC power source. Portable external hard drives, on the other hand, are limited in size for two reasons. The first reason is that the power source is the computer that the drive is connected to. The second reason is dependent upon the storage technology and the amount of space for the disks or the solid-state drive, which is really nothing more than a printed circuit board.
Consumers looking for differences in external hard drives will find them in colors and sometimes shape. Colors of drive casings can be as varied as a manufacturer would like and shape is only limited to what can be produced by the various injection molds.
Initially, bulky computer hard drives were housed outside of the actual computer in their own external cases, so by definition these drives fit into the external hard drive category. Eventually, advances in technology permitted manufacturers to place the drives inside the housing of the computers in their own drive bays. The capacity of an internal hard drive, though, was limited and so the need for external hard drives became evident, as consumers required more and more space for their files.
External hard drives come in a variety of styles and design. In most cases the internal structure of the hard drive itself is very similar to the standard internal hard drive on most computers.
There are basically two types of external hard drives. High capacity hard drives with storage of up to two (2) terabytes or 2,000 GB and more compact portable external hard drives that generally range from 64 MB to 320 GB and include compact flash or solid-state hard drives.
Connectivity for external hard drives has varied widely over time. The standard connection ports are SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), USB 1.1 and 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE 1394 (Firewire) and eSATA (External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). The most commonly used connection types that come standard on computers today are USB and Firewire.
There are two main differences in High capacity external hard drives and portable external hard drives. The first difference is the amount of storage. High capacity external hard drives can facilitate the storage of up to two terabytes of information. This is due to the fact that these drives are not limited by physical size and can hold the necessary amount of hard disks and mechanical heads that are necessary for such high capacity and are powered by an external AC power source. Portable external hard drives, on the other hand, are limited in size for two reasons. The first reason is that the power source is the computer that the drive is connected to. The second reason is dependent upon the storage technology and the amount of space for the disks or the solid-state drive, which is really nothing more than a printed circuit board.
Consumers looking for differences in external hard drives will find them in colors and sometimes shape. Colors of drive casings can be as varied as a manufacturer would like and shape is only limited to what can be produced by the various injection molds.
About the Author:
Craig Stephenson is an expert in computer technology. Working in the computer industry for over thirty years he has seen huge technological development and understands just how good hard drives are today. If you are searching for cheap external hard drives please visit http://www.ebuyer.com
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