[REQUEST] Data Backup - Flash Drive or External SSD?

[SAFCasper]

Still annoys me they make 30mm nvme drives but NOBODY sells a 30mm portable enclosure. They are all made for 80mm drives.

But to answer the question I think I would prefer the external drive. Every flash drive I've used heavily has eventually suffered from a failed USB connector. It gets wiggled, it gets loose, eventually it stops working. If this happens for an external you just get a new cable.

I also find the faster flash drives are usually so chunky you can't have anything plugged in adjacent or even above or below it.

 

[nlinecomputers]

Still annoys me they make 30mm nvme drives but NOBODY sells a 30mm portable enclosure. They are all made for 80mm drives.

Really, every case I have ever seen has more than one mounting hole to accommodate the standard sizes.

 

[Porthos]

I just put an NVME in one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MNFH1PX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Appletax]

I just put an NVME in one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MNFH1PX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Unknown little brands like that scare me

 

[Porthos]

Unknown little brands like that scare me

To me, it is up to the drive you choose to put in it.

 

[Appletax]

I am pretty sure I want to go with a 1TB Samsung T5 external SSD. I love Samsung SSDs.

In my 11 years of residential computer repair, I have never come across a client that had more than a few hundred gigabytes of data, so I'm not sure if I want to get the 2TB version. It's rare that I even see a computer with more than 1TB of storage.

I don't think the speeds of the T7 are worth the big extra price. It's rare to work on a system with an NVME.

 

[NviGate Systems]

Controller for an external drive is crucial. A bad one will garble data and risk data loss. How do I know? Over 20 years experience in retail.

I didn't say it was a good experience!!!!

But yeah, crappy USB bridges can cause issues, so if you are dealing with a system that has issues already, why add another possibility to the mix? There are some decent brands that use quality chips and have the feedback to show it.

 

[lcoughey]

I don't know if it is my luck or it's common but I've had some cheap flash drives start throwing errors after a month or so of doing nothing but sitting on the shelf untouched. I've had some of the best ones do it after a year or so.

Flash memory degrades over time. Flash drives and SSDs are bad ideas for backups, unless short term.

 

[Appletax]

Flash memory degrades over time. Flash drives and SSDs are bad ideas for backups, unless short term.

Even an enterprise/Samsung Pro type of SSD with extremely high write endurance are a bad choice?

I thought that SSDs were more reliable than hard drives. No moving parts and such.

 

[lcoughey]

Jump to 30:05 about bit errors.

 

[britechguy]

I thought that SSDs were more reliable than hard drives. No moving parts and such.

There's already plenty of evidence, as far as long-term backup use, that precisely the opposite is true.

And it's all the more true that the failure modes of SSDs makes recovery of data more expensive and less likely.

SSDs have their place, but as long-term backup devices, with the current state of the technology, no thanks. I'll take an HDD any day.

 

[SAFCasper]

Really, every case I have ever seen has more than one mounting hole to accommodate the standard sizes.

There's no problem finding an enclosure to accommodate 30mm drives but they also support everything up to 80mm drives. What I want is a case that only supports 30mm drives therefore very small in size. Would make for a sweet portable enclosure.

 

[Markverhyden]

Even an enterprise/Samsung Pro type of SSD with extremely high write endurance are a bad choice?

I thought that SSDs were more reliable than hard drives. No moving parts and such.

Reporting reliability is, in reality, a very complex matter. Comparing stats between two totally different technologies can easily lead to the wrong conclusion(s). Yes, it does appear that SSD's might have a higher MTBF. But there's always more to the story. Such as recovering from the failure. Backups aren't perfect. One theme that's I've picked on over the last few years. If a spindle fails, as long as the platters are good and donor parts available, recovery is possible. Can't say that about SSD's. The price per unit of storage is still higher for SSD's than spindles.

 

[Porthos]

It's rare to work on a system with an NVME.

I have been seeing them quite often, Getting one Monday with blue screen issues.

 

[Stever]

There's no problem finding an enclosure to accommodate 30mm drives but they also support everything up to 80mm drives. What I want is a case that only supports 30mm drives therefore very small in size. Would make for a sweet portable enclosure.

This is what 3D printers are for

 

[NJW]

This is what 3D printers are for

I was thinking 'hacksaw' ...

 

[nlinecomputers]

I’m sure they exist but I’ve never seen a 30 NVMe, SATA or WiFi cards but not NVMe.

 

[SAFCasper]

I’m sure they exist but I’ve never seen a 30 NVMe, SATA or WiFi cards but not NVMe.

Don't think you get them in retail/consumer drives I've only ever seen them as OEM parts. We see them fairly regular in SFF Dell OptiPlex models and due to upgrading we have several just lying around spare.

 

[sapphirescales]

To me, it is up to the drive you choose to put in it.

Until the knockoff piece of Chinese junk shorts out and kills your nice expensive Samsung NVMe SSD. Do yourself a favor and buy from a reputable brand that's subject to our laws:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-Arion-Aluminum-Enclosure/dp/B07ZKB4SLK

Don't buy from weird off the wall Chinese companies.

 

[Appletax]

Until the knockoff piece of Chinese junk shorts out and kills your nice expensive Samsung NVMe SSD. Do yourself a favor and buy from a reputable brand that's subject to our laws:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-Arion-Aluminum-Enclosure/dp/B07ZKB4SLK

Don't buy from weird off the wall Chinese companies.

Hory shet, that is nice AF !!!!

That + 2TB Samsung 980 Pro NVMe

Edit: overkill NVMe for this.

"I also tested this on my laptop with Thunderbolt 3 and I was getting 1,050 MB/s read and write, much better and closer to the threshold for USB 3.2 Gen 2 which is approximately 1,250 MB/s. The drive inside is a 250 Gb Samsung 981a which is capable of 3,000 MB/s read and 2,200 MB/s write."