USB 2.0 External HD or IDE HD pros/cons?

[COPO]

I'd like to buy additional storage and been looking online at future shop at the USB 2.0 external HD. There's a 250GB currently on for $170. Canadian ($144.US). Are these drives as fast as the IDE's. I like the fact that the USB externals are portable. What are your pros and cons? Thx in advance.

[shiva_42]

I'd like to buy additional storage and been looking online at future shop at the USB 2.0 external HD. There's a 250GB currently on for $170. Canadian ($144.US). Are these drives as fast as the IDE's. I like the fact that the USB externals are portable. What are your pros and cons? Thx in advance.

PROS: portable
CONS: more expensive, slower, more prone to external failure(s) (stuff like dropping it, etc.), more difficult to control heat under prolonged usage

In a nutshell, if you WANT the portability, or are just uncomfortable opening up your case, get the external drive; otherwise, I can't justify the downside. That being said, I HAVE a couple of portable drives, but I use them specifically in circumstances where the portability is driving the equation.

[ceri sheeran]

Hi,

If you use an external drive for backups, then you can secure the backup away from the computer it is a backup of.

This is amongst the most critical factor of backups.

They are none or little use in the most severe emergency, if the backup is internal to the computer it is of. Or lives next to it.

hth

Ceri