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Although some of USB interfaces come with faster speeds but the external hard drives involve an interface change, for example, switching from SATA to USB introduces some latency. Internal vs External Hard Drive SpeedĪre internal hard drives faster than external hard drives? The answer is going to Yes.Īs we know, an external hard drive connects to a computer through a USB cable. Other differences like performance, reliability, and cost are discussed in the following content. The usage is the main difference between the internal hard drive and external hard drive.
However, take an external hard drive out of the hard drive case and you will discover the internal hard drive has the same internals structure with the hard drive used in the computer. This kind of hard drive is installed within the laptop or the computer host.Įxternal hard drives are not placed inside a laptop or a computer host-they connect to a computer via a USB or FireWire cable. Internal vs External Hard DriveĮvery computer ships with a hard drive-that is the internal hard drive. How to expand your computer storage space? Upgrade to a large internal hard drive or connect an external hard drive? What are the differences between an internal hard drive and an external hard drive? Keep reading.
What to Do If You Choose an External Hard Drive. What to Do If You Choose an Internal Hard Drive. Pros and Cons of Choosing Internal and External Hard Drives. So I guess my question is - is the 2.5 noticeably quieter, and is that enough reason to go for it? Or is 3. What draws me most to the 2.5 is the idea that it is quieter (pc is right next to my bed, and I have hypersensitive hearing), and the fact that it'll take up less space in my already cluttered case (and sit nicely next to the SSD).īut it also might be a fraction slower (5400rpm vs 7200rpm, but less distance to cover means almost the same speed, is that right?), and maybe a bit less reliable than the 3.5? Everything is backed up, so I'll survive if it does, but I'd rather preempt any hassle.Īnyway, I was going to just buy another 1tb 3.5 drive, but then I saw the 2.5 and did a bit of reading, and it's pretty much split 50-50 between people saying there really isn't any real reason to use it (in a desktop), and those saying there isn't any real reason not to, and they both cost about the same (for the 1tb Seagate Barracuda). I still have the original 1tb HDD which I use for storage and gaming, but it has been making strange noises lately, and I think it might be time to upgrade before it dies on me. I got my desktop custom made from PC Specialist almost 5 years ago, and have since upgraded some bits and bobs, including moving my OS to an SSD.