Even if you can try to partition the USB flash drive, you can only see one partition in the disk management. On the computer, only the external hard drive can be partitioned. Their weight is also reduced in order.Īnother difference between a USB flash drive and an external hard drive is reflected in how users manage these two devices. Usually, there are three types of external hard drives: 3.5-inch desktop hard drives, 2.5-inch notebook hard drives, and 1.8-inch mini hard drives. While external hard drives are shaped like hard drives because they're meant to replace internal hard drives. Generally, a USB flash drive only weighs 20 to 50g. USB flash drives can shape like many kinds of things, but the core part of a flash drive is a small memory stick. It wins mainly in these two respects: size and weight. Speaking of portability, USB flash drives are definitely the winner.
Some USB flash drives also have USB 3.0 today. The reason why external hard drives perform better is that they are more likely to come with USB 3.0 connectors, which help optimize performance. Comparing external hard drives and USB flash drives, the former is much faster in bulk data transfer while the latter may be faster when transferring small bits of data. Lack of this technology will make the frequently-updated blocks worn out more quickly and affect the service life of USB flash drives.Īnother thing users concern about is the transfer speed of these two devices.
The wear-leveling technology is an algorithm integrated into the firmware of the master controller, making each storage block used averagely to avoid some specific storage blocks from forming bad blocks due to overuse. That's because USB flash drives' master does not have wear-leveling technology, and often does not support trim, and are only suitable for intermittent short-term writing of data. LifespanĬompared with USB flash drives, external hard drives enjoy a longer lifespan. Storing more data in each unit allows manufacturers to use fewer flash memory chips to produce high-capacity products, but on the other hand, this reduces the speed of products. Each memory cell of SLC can store 1 bit of data MLC can store 2 bits TLC can store 3 bits. Flash drives usually use TLC, while external hard drives usually use MLC or even SLC. There are three main types of flash memory particles: SLC, MLC, and TLC. The reason why the USB flash drive has a smaller capacity is that it uses TLC memory particles. Now the capacity of USB is also increasing, users now can find USB flash drives of 128GB and 256GB in the market. The storage size of a USB flash drive can range from 500MB to 32GB. Information is stored in the form of bits on the semiconductor material on the chip. While a USB flash drive has no moving parts. In the external hard drive, there is an option to choose a hard drive or a solid-state drive (SSD).
It is worth mentioning that the capacity of external hard drives is constantly increasing. The storage size of an external hard drive can range from 150MB to 2TB. Generally, external hard drives have a larger capacity than USB flash drives. Here we have listed the six most concerning aspects for you to check the differences. What's The Difference between USB Flash Drive and External Hard Drive?Īlthough both of the two devices are used for data storage, they differ from each other in many aspects. Once connected, the external hard drive will appear as another drive on the system. Most operating systems are compatible with the external hard drive, so you can simply plug and play the device.
#What is the best external cd drive for mac Pc
What is a USB Flash Drive and What is an External Hard Drive?Ī USB flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface, and it's also called a pen drive and thumb drive.Īn external hard drive is a hard disk storage product that emphasizes portability and realizes large-capacity data exchange between computers.īoth devices can be connected to any PC or laptop using the USB port. Users might get confused, is a USB flash drive the same as an external hard drive, what is the difference between these two, and which one should I buy? In this article, we will tell you the answer one by one.
#What is the best external cd drive for mac portable
There are two popular choices when people planning to buy a portable storage device, one is the USB flash drive, and the other is the external hard drive.
0 kommentar(er)
