How Much Backup Storage is Needed & Best Solution.

[ProtoAMP]

Hey guys, I was wondering what would be a good amount of storage to buy just for backup use. I plan on getting and 240gb ssd (bootdrive...which doesn't need backing up obviously), a 2tb seagate hdd (for programs and games, which I already have) and a 3tb WD Black hdd (for mass storage).

Firstly, do you think I need to get a WD black drive since the price difference between that and a seagate is £80 compared to £125 for a 3tb drive, if Im going to backup?

My second question is quite simple. Should I go with the WD Green drive (internal) or Seagate Expansion (external) to backup my files, since they cost about the same.

And lastly, based on the amount of storage I have, how much should I get? I know some people who back up on an 8GB flash drive, whilst I've seen other forums say that you should go with the same amount of what you're trying to back up. Im doing the scheduled windows backup if that helps.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kanewolf]

If you search on the web, there are some articles that show Seagate 3TB drives have a very poor reliability record. I would not get a 3TB Seagate.

The amount of backup storage is equal to the amount of data you CAN'T loose. Downloaded games don't need to be backed up because you can re-download them. Digital photos DO need to be backed up because they can't be recreated. Videos ripped from optical, don't have to be backed up because you have the original optical disk, etc.

Only YOU can determine how much you are willing to recreate.

 

[geofelt]

Consider the perils that you might encounter and the pain in recovering.

All of my games and photos fit on about 240gb, a SSD.
The photos are about 16gb and I back that up occasionally to a USB stick.
If I contracted a virus or the SSD failed, It would take forever to do a clean install and reinstall all the apps.
What I have done is buy a second Samsung ssd and clone the original to it.
I can then test that my backup is good without destroying the original.

I do run windows backup to an external hard drive from time to time.
But, I have no good way to test the recovery procedure.

One needs to identify what is really valued and back that up to an external device. A hard drive mounted within the case is vulnerable to a fire or ransomware.

Backups will be compressed, taking half or a third of the original space.

WD green is a good drive, and is very suitable for backups. Put one in an external usb 3.0 enclosure.
My impression is that WD tends to be more reliable than others, so I would favor them.

 

[Ok Go]

nowadays it's better to have an external disk with fast connection (esata+usb3 combo would be best). since you'll be able to backup not only one devices, but all devices that support your external disk and move it around easily while still has enough transfer speed.

 

[mcnumpty23]

or if you have old drives lying about and windows 8 or 10 preview

microsoft storage spaces is a very versatile tool featuring redundancy--i stuck in 6 old drives as they only go for about £15 a go on ebay nowadays to play with storage spaces

though i also back up to an external and a 128gb flash drive

never rely on only 1 back up strategy if stuff is important

 

[jsmithepa]

MINIMUM backup size = stuff you absolutely cannot lose... to yeah, I can re-install all my games but time is more valuable to me than $.

I recommend an external back medium. Humans do dumb things, if the drive is internal, you are half-asleep, you issue the wrong command to the wrong drive, BAM! if is external, it at least forces you to take another step to explicitly perform the action. What happens if God forbid you get burglarized, at least your backup drive is on a shelf.

 

[ProtoAMP]

Thanks everyone for helping me out on this. You guys are much more experienced and Im just glad that you guys took the time to help. Cheers. I think Ill be getting a WD Green drive and getting an external enclosure. Thanks again.