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The Cheapest Price, Best Selling High Tech Products 2019

HIGH TECH PRODUCTS - CHEAP

Quality at the cheapest prices on the web

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Giants in the field

Before we start, we present the TOP 3 brands of hard drives without going into detail.

Western Digital

Western Digital acquired Hitachi's hard drives division. It became number 1 in the world with 50% of the market.

Toshiba

The diversification of Toshiba in the field of semiconductors meant that this company ended up manufacturing them. The purchase of the Fujitsu box helped him a lot.

Seagate

The American company Seagate bought Samsung's hard drives division not long ago. It is well known for making products for the PS3 from Sony as well as those for the Xbox from Microsoft.

Uphill manufacturers

Several manufacturers of the same products from the East have emerged in recent years. Let's name only Blueendless and Acasis.

Ratings

The portable external hard drive decried in this page was noted by the people who made its acquisition on the internet (Amazon, Aliexpress, Fnac, Ldlc, etc.). For each manufacturer, five percentage figures are presented. The first corresponds to a 5 * rating, the second to a 4 * rating, etc.

Seagate, 1842 reviews:
   82,0% - 12,0% - 1,4% - 0,7% - 3,9%,

Toshiba, 1079 reviews:
   71,0% - 25,0% - 2,0% - 0,9% - 1,1%,

Western Digital, 751 reviews:
   75,0% - 22,0% - 1,2% - 0,6% - 1,2%,

Blueendless, 5350 reviews:
   84,0% - 10,0% - 1,0% - 1,0% - 1,0%,

Acasis, 1038 reviews:
    88,0% - 9,0% - 1,0% - 0,0% - 2,0%.

Notations
Notations

Which external hard drive to choose for PC?

To be equipped with an external hard drive, you have to buy it, which is not easy. Which external hard drive to choose? You just have to know that the best hard drives belong to the most requested brands which are the Toshiba, Western Digital Elements, Seagate. But several other brands are also popular and some models have an elegant design. In addition, they can be used with Raspberry Pi, computers and even tablets.

The storage capacity is generally 500GB, 1TB , 2TB and 3TB. It can go up to 4TB and even more today.

The portable external hard drive is housed in a shockproof case, formatted from the factory, equipped with its USB cable.

You have to know how to choose and buy your equipment at the best price (since it exists) and cheap in some market models with an attractive value for money.

In IT, we use the following devices:
- Storage media for computer,
- Compact for Xbox One and for Sony PS3 and PS4,
- the one used as storage server.


Seagate Expansion Portable

Remaining compatible with USB 2.0 although it is made for USB 3.0. The transfer of files is quick with Seagate or Seagate Backup.

The Seagate range consists of:

- Maxtor
- Duet
- PortableBackup Plus
- Wireless plus mobile storage media
- Portable Expansion and Expansion Plus
- Fast SSD

The Seagate portable hard drive is not expensive. It can be found on the net at the best price.

Here are some features:

    - Very fast transfers,
    - Compatible with USB 3.0 and 2.0,
    - Connects directly,
    - Reformable NTFS file system,
    - USB port.
    - Plug-And-Play Function.


Toshiba Canvio Basics

The Toshiba Canvio Basics allows:

- Broadband transfers,
Thanks to USB 3.0 technology, this type is much faster than with USB 2.0 technology. However, it remains compatible with USB 2.0,

- Simple plug-and-play operation,
It is ready for use with Microsoft Windows without the need for any software. Intuitive drag and drop is a must,

- Putting data in a safe place,
Indeed, it provides a secure and reliable location for all kinds of data.

Specifications are as follows:

   - Very fast transfer speed 5 Gbits/s,
   - Plug-and-play function,
   - Compact case,
   - Configuration : W10-W8.1-W8-W7,
   - Available port USB 3.0 or 2.0,
   - 750 MHz processor or higher,
   - NTFS file system,
   - Reformatting possible for Mac,
   - Capacities 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB and 4 TB,
   - Available color: black.


Toshiba Canvio Connect II

The Toshiba Canvio Connect II allows:

   - to prevent unauthorized access to personal information thanks to a small security software included which secures the hard disk with a unique password,

   - to save data using the same software,

   - very fast transfers,

   The main features are:

   - The same as the Basics,
   - Except that the 500 GB does not exist,
   - Four colors: black, red, blue and white.


Toshiba Canvio Advance

The Toshiba Canvio Advance allows:

    - a complete backup solution thanks to preloaded software,
    - quick recovery of files and folders,
    - Compatibility is automatic with Mac thanks to an NTFS driver,

   Supplied in a compact case to run without software or utility, it is equipped with Plug and Play function,

   Thanks to the internal shock detector and Ramp-Load technology which removes the read/write heads, the stored data is protected during movement.

The main features are:

   - Very fast transfers,
   - Plug-and-play function,
   - Compact case,
   - Configuration : W10-W8.1-W8-W7,
   - Available port USB 3.0 or 2.0,
   - 750 MHz processor or higher,
   - Available in 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 2.5 TB and 4 TB,
   - Colors: black, white, red, blue and beige.


Western Digital Elements

Features

Western Digital is compatible with new USB 3.0 devices and remains compatible with those equipped with the USB 2.0 format. Connected to a USB 3.0 port, it offers high read and write speed. In addition, it is impact resistant, durable and reliable in the long term. Disc starts after use.

Western Digital's range consists of:

- My Passport
- My Passport SSD
- My Passport Ultra
- My Passport for Mac
- WD Elements SE

The price is generally not expensive and the choice is made here on the principle of the best price.

Let us quote some characteristics:

   - Hot change,
   - Interface: USB 3.0 - USB 2.0,
   - Size: 2.5 ",
   - Configuration : W10-W8.1-W8-W7,
   - Data transfer rate in USB 2.0: 480 Mbit/s,
   - Data transfer rate in USB 3.0: 5000 Mbit/s.


Growing brands

In this range of "various" names, we have found 3 excellent brands of Chinese manufacture whose value for money is very interesting.

The three brands of similar products have entered the markets. They are popular in Asia and are starting to sell on major platforms on the net.


Blueendless

The Blueendless product is as follows:

- HDD without installation software,
- Compatible with all operating systems,
- Compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 without addition,
- 4 colors, black, red, blue and silver.


Acasis

The article in the Acasis range has the following properties:

- HDD,
- Interface type USB 3.0,
- Existing capacities, 750 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB,
- 5 colors, silver, pink, black, red and blue.


Kesu

Its presents himself with:

- Storage capacity from 160 GB to 2 TB,
- Interface type USB 3.0,
- 7 colors, black, red, silver, pink, gray, green and blue.

Which one to choose?


Which 1to external hard drive to choose ? Before any purchase, this question is legitimate. All the details are presented to the consumer and the final choice is up to him:

- one or two USB ports,
- USB C or USB 3.0 interface,
- possible encryption,
- bulky storage,
- a product compatible with all peripherals,
- a connector, an adapter in addition,
- compatibility with all devices,
- a large cache memory,
- sata i, sata ii, or sata iii.

   The best external hard drive on the market is one that is simple with several necessary features including USB-C connectivity and less superfluous. This type of object exists. Its purchase cost is good and its value for money is interesting. In addition, it can be used everywhere and especially with Raspberry

Choice for "Gaming"


The product is necessary if the storage space of your PS4 or your Xbox is limited. In both cases, any USB 3.0 compatible hard drive with a minimum capacity of 256 GB is suitable (a game occupies up to 60 GB).

   A configuration is necessary as well as some restrictions exist.





Disque dur

File


Definition

The hard drive (disk drive) is a computer component dear to everyone. Its function is to offer storage solutions (such as SD card or as NAS network storage) for all digital data:

- operating system,
- documents,
- photos and videos,
- any program and any application.

The storage is done in function of their sizes. Heavier data necessarily takes up more space than light data.

The size of digital data is determined in megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes.

The external drive is just a portable storage solution (similar to the USB key) which can be used in the following two cases:

- when you run out of space on your computer's internal hard drive,
- when you want to transport your data away from your computer.


Technical characteristics

Liaison

The internal is of classic type connected to the computer through the motherboard by a connector.

Difference between internal and external

The internal is an integral part of a computer and is connected directly to its motherboard while the external is a plus, usually plugged into a USB port linked directly to the motherboard.

Storage capacity

The High Tech product can have any capacity but the maximum capacity standards are between 2 and 4TB. You should still know that there is at least one new hard drive on the market that has a large capacity reaching 25TB.

Form factor and interface

Two form factors exist:

-2,5" for laptops,
  This type has a compact size,
   It is light and called pocket.

-3,5" for desktop computers,
   This type is designed for sedentary use, with large capacities of storage.

For the interface, the new models use USB3 instead of USB2.

Rotation speed

The different transfer speeds possible in revolutions/min are:

- For the 2''1/2 (portable)
   5400 rpm basic format
   7200 rpm plus format

- For the 3''1/2 (desktop computer)
   7200 rpm basic format
   10000 rpm on SATA and SCSI drives
   15000 rpm only on SCSI drives.


HDD disc

Constitution

The Hard Disk Drive uses a mechanical system made up of several plates, generally made of aluminum for its lightness, mounted on a rotating axis using a motor.

These trays are covered with electromagnetic layers which keep the data when the disc is not used.

Each of the existing platforms is equipped with a read/write head which a second motor controls. This second motor moves all the heads at the same time.

The main role of these heads is to collect the digital data which will then be given to a pilot motor controller..

The data thus collected are formatted and transmitted to the computer via its motherboard.

Data transfer rate or rate

The access time is the time taken for each head to come to the right place for reading or writing.

The longer it takes for this head to be in the right place on the board, the longer the read/write operation.


The SSD

Constitution

The SSD is recent. It is not based on the same system as the HDD. Indeed, it uses a different technology since we go from mechanics to electronics (flash memory).

The SSD uses electronic components for the storage of data like the RAM of computers with the only difference that the stored data is not lost when the disk is not used.

All the components are replaced by electronic components.

Operation

The Solid State drive is equipped with cells which record data in writing and which provide this data in reading. But these cells have a limited writing life. This has the effect that after a certain time, the first cell used becomes unusable for writing. The system automatically chooses the next cell. Data is not lost, but storage capacity deteriorates.


Comparison between HDD and SSD

Advantages of HDD

- Lifespan: Unlimited,
- Transfer: Backups are quick since the transfer speed is high,
- Cost: At equal capacity, HDD external drives are much cheaper.

Benefits of SSDs

- Silent: Since there are only electronic components, it is silent in operation,
- Shockproof: Shocks have a great impact on mechanical parts and little on electronic components,
- Heater: Electronic parts heat much less than mechanical parts subject to friction.
- Speed: The latency is very low, this type of disc is very fast.

Major disadvantages of SSD

So far, three major drawbacks have slowed the spread of SSD: price, storage capacity and lifetime.

However, progress has been made and these three drawbacks are gradually disappearing. Indeed, the price gap tends to narrow, the storage capacity evolves and the lifespan improves.


Backup, formatting and synchronization

Backup

Most computers back up the used operating system from the computer to an external storage device. The opposite is less true.

There is however a backup software called AOMEI Backupper which is free. It allows you to retrieve and store data from one storage space to another. Large files don't worry him. Just plug in your external USB drive.

You should also know that there is an option that allows automatic backup of files. Software of this type is compatible with all discs.

Formatting

It is generally sold pre-formatted in FAT32 or NTFS but it is always possible to format and reformat it at any time. It is also possible to make partitions.

Some precautions are to be taken:

- Formatting removes everything that exists on the media. You have to make a copy of the files before,
- Formatting in FAT32 is limited to 4 GB. It is therefore recommended to use NTFS for large capacities.

Synchronization

We talk about file synchronization. But what does that mean? It is quite simply a process which allows, each time there is a change (addition, modification or deletion) in the source, the corresponding target files change automatically on the external support. The update is no longer necessary.

The free AOMEI tool

This tool is fantastic. It's called "AOMEI Backupper Standard". Backup, format, restore (system, disk, files, partition), clone from one medium to another. It is also a partition manager (reduce, resize, divide, create, merge, delete and copy).

The tool is compatible with Windows, and we give you the link to download it for free: AOMEI Backupper Standard for FREE download


Windows and Mac compatibility

It is possible to make any disc compatible and usable on Windows and Mac. For that, some operations are to be made for the formatting which must be absolutely in exFAT.

On Windows:
- connect your drive,
- open Windows explorer,
- right click and choose "format",
- in the drop-down list, choose "exFAT",
- get started.

If you have any problems, the AOMEI Partition Assistant software does the job very well.

On Mac:
- connect your drive,
- click on its icon in the left column,
- go to "Applications",
- click on "Utilities",
- click on "Disk Utility",
- select your disc,
- click on "Partition",
- select the format type "MS-DOS (FAT)",
- validate by clicking on "Partition".

Now, you have the compatibility with Windows and Mac.


Usage tips

Here are the tips that manufacturers provide to their customers:

- Use enclosure if possible to protect the disc.

- Back up regularly
It is better to duplicate files than to move them, something that some manufacturers facilitate by delivering data transfer software.

- Take care
External hard drives don't like heat and don't like being overloaded.

- Check the copies
To avoid any surprises, check the files from time to time and in case of problems, make a copy of the original on another medium.

- Avoid shocks
Supports, especially HDD, fear shocks. Pay attention to this point and avoid moving them during operation.

- Vary the backup media
The life of hard disks rarely exceeds 10 years. Another backup medium must be provided after a certain time.


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