[SOLVED] 2Tb USB SSD or 1Tb 7200rpm SATA HDD?

Spyro 999

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Mar 17, 2020
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I wanted to buy a 512GB NVMe SSD and a 1TB Seagate BarraCuda 7200rpm HDD for my new computer but I remembered I have a 2TB USB 3.0 Segate backup plus slim drive laying around in the house.

Would it be better to use that 2TB USB SSD and a 256GB NVMe instead of the initial configuration?

I know that USB 3.0 is 1 Gb/s slower than SATA III but SSDs are also way faster than HDDs.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Why would using the existing 2TB external drive mean lowering the NVMe drive size to 256GB?

I'm personally not a fan of external drives for "all the time" use.
Backups, transferring data between systems and locations, yes.
Everyday storage space? No.
 

Spyro 999

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Mar 17, 2020
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Why would using the existing 2TB external drive mean lowering the NVMe drive size to 256GB?

It's for trying to save money because I don't have a lot of budget for this build and a 256Gb NVMe would be enough for me if I have an SSD as large storage.

I'm personally not a fan of external drives for "all the time" use.
Backups, transferring data between systems and locations, yes.
Everyday storage space? No.

My main question is does a USB 3.0 SSD faster than a SATA III 7200rpm HDD?

I know using external storage for everyday use is not the best thing but I already have it laying around and if it would let me save some money and it is somewhat faster or equal to an HDD I would probably do it unless you have other concerns, such as reliability or durability issues.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
An internal drive will never get knocked off the desk.

Is it faster or slower than an internal HDD?
Yes...:)

A lot depends on the type of data you're transferring.
A lot of tiny files, probably slower through the USB.
A single large file, maybe faster.
 

Spyro 999

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Mar 17, 2020
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An internal drive will never get knocked off the desk.

I would mount it inside my PC case to avoid such issues.

A lot depends on the type of data you're transferring.
A lot of tiny files, probably slower through the USB.
A single large file, maybe faster.

It would probably be for games so a lot of it will be loading scenes and things like that.

Is there a noticeable difference between both?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
It would probably be for games so a lot of it will be loading scenes and things like that.

Is there a noticeable difference between both?
Mounting an external inside the case? well, OK.


Games = thousands of tiny files.

The cool thing about drives is that you can add more/better/faster/bigger as time goes on.
It is never = "This and only this configuration, forever and ever"
 

Spyro 999

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Mar 17, 2020
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I saw a video on YouTube where someone disassembles that exact drive and it is a Samsung 2TB SATA SSD in it with a USB adapter on it...

Would it be worth it to disassemble my drive to get SATA III speeds?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
I saw a video on YouTube where someone disassembles that exact drive and it is a Samsung 2TB SATA SSD in it with a USB adapter on it...

Would it be worth it to disassemble my drive to get SATA III speeds?
Some external drives can be removed from the enclosure, and used as a regular internal. I have an 8TB Seagate like that. Taking it out exposes regular SATA connections.
Some can't. The USB-SATA bridge is built directly into the PCB on the drive.
 

Spyro 999

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Mar 17, 2020
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Sorry guys I was totally wrong...

I opened it and saw it was not an SSD but an HDD.
It has a SATA connector though...

The only problem is that this drive doesn't have any rpm ratings on it so I can't see if it is worth it to use it or not...
 

Spyro 999

Commendable
Mar 17, 2020
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Ok quick update...

Searching for the model number in Google reveals it is a 5400rpm 2Tb HDD...

I am kinda disappointed but I'll think about what I should do now.

I also have a 2,5" 750GB 7200rpm HDD at home...
Should I use the 750GB and the 2TB as well as a 512GB NVMe in my computer?
Do you think it would be good?