Introduction
Whether you're looking to buy a new computer or upgrading one, it's important to choose the right storage options. There are lots of different choices out there, so it's important that you know what they are and which ones will work best for your system.
External hard drives
An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be plugged into your computer. It's one of the easiest ways to increase your computer's storage space, but it also has its drawbacks.
A few drawbacks to an external hard drive is that they tend to be more expensive than internal ones and they tend to be a little slower due to the way they connect to your PC. If you're looking for something small enough to carry around with you on a regular basis, an external hard drive may be right for you.
Internal hard drives
Internal hard drives are the best option for those who want to add more permanent storage to their system.
If you have a desktop, internal hard drives are easy to install and can be found in most electronics stores and Amazon. The main thing is making sure you have somewhere to mount the new drive in your case.
If you don’t want to buy an entire new computer but still want more storage space than what comes standard on your existing machine, getting a new drive is a great option—just make sure that the computer has enough ports so that you can connect an external drive if necessary (and make sure they're compatible).
Solid state drives (SSDs)
Solid state drives (SSDs) are faster, more reliable, and smaller than hard disk drives (HDDs). SSDs have a limited life span so they need to be replaced periodically. They're also a bit more expensive compared to HDDs but can be worth the investment if you want speed:
Faster performance: A HDD stores data on spinning platters (a type of magnetic storage), but an SSD stores data in flash memory chips. No moving parts, so it’s much faster at reading and writing data.
More reliable: An SSD has no moving parts like those in an HDD; instead, it uses flash memory chips that don't wear out over time like rotating platters do with HDDs. This means less mechanical wear and tear on your computer as well as quicker access times when opening programs or files stored on them!
M.2 solid state drives
M.2 is a type of solid state drive, and it’s faster than SATA SSDs. It also has the benefit of being smaller than its SATA counterpart and more expensive. But what does that mean for you?
M.2 drives are still in their infancy as far as storage goes, but they promise to be faster than current hard drives while also offering better performance when it comes to boot times and other tasks like gaming or video editing; however, these benefits depend on how well manufacturers implement them into their systems.
Before you get an M.2 drive, you need to make sure your PC had a connection for one. You can buy an adapter for your PCI slot, but may not get the same speed and benefits as you would from connecting it directly to your motherboard.
NAS storage devices
Network attached storage (NAS) devices are network-connected, so you can use them to store data on a network. NAS devices can also be used to share data across multiple PCs and Macs.
NAS storage devices come in many different shapes, sizes, and configurations—but all of them work the same way: they're connected via cables or wireless connections to your router or modem (if you have one). The hard drive inside of your NAS is what stores all of your files; it's similar to how an external hard drive works when plugged into a computer via USB cable.
RAID
RAID is a type of storage that combines multiple drives into one larger, faster drive. It's often used to improve performance and protect data in case one or more drives fail.
RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and it can be found on NAS devices and some external hard drives as well. If you're looking for extra speed or better protection for your files, then this may be the right solution for you!
There are lots of options, so it's important to choose the right one for your system.
You’re going to want to choose the best storage device for your needs. Here are some main points to consider:
External drives are more expensive than internal ones, but they don't offer quite as much speed or reliability. If you're only storing photos and videos, and want to take those with you, an external drive will be fine for you; otherwise, invest in an internal one.
NAS devices are great for sharing files across multiple computers—and they can be connected directly or via Wi-Fi (on a router). This makes them ideal if you need a simple way to share files between multiple machines in one household or office space without having all those different devices physically connected together at once!
HDDs are cheaper, but slower than SSDs, though modern drives have gotten pretty quick
SSDs use the same connections as HDDs so it's likely you can add one easily to your system
M.2s are the fastest option, but you need to make sure your system has the right connection for it
Conclusion
The best way to make sure you choose the right storage solution for your system is to look at your budget, look at the system you are adding to, and figure out of you need the files in other places. There are many options available, and it can be difficult to know what will work best for you until you know what you need it for. It’s also important not to get overwhelmed by all the different features available on these products; just keep in mind that most have a similar feature set so there's not really a wrong answer!
---Written poorly by AI, edited poorly by typicalthrill
