I'm nearly out of storage on my custom-built PC and am considering a 5TB external drive for files I access every day. I'm a semi-professional digital artist, so this would include images, speedpaint recordings, project documents, and files from programs such as SAI and Photoshop. I would need to keep the drive connected while using my computer rather than treating it as occasional backup storage.
I already regularly back everything up to another large external hard drive, and I try to keep important files in at least two places. However, that backup drive has its own power adapter and isn't very convenient to carry around. I'd also like the working drive to be portable enough to use with my laptop or take with me in an emergency.
Would an external HDD be reliable and fast enough for this kind of daily use, or would an external SSD, internal drive, or NAS be a better choice?
3 Answers
An additional internal drive would generally provide better performance and avoid occupying a USB port, but it’s not necessary if you need the files to travel with you. Installing one is usually straightforward, though you would need a compatible drive bay, data cable, and power connection. A computer shop could install it if you’re uncomfortable opening the case.
For your situation, a portable external SSD is probably the best working drive, with the existing powered HDD retained as a backup. If you mostly work at one location and want multiple devices to access the same files, a NAS is worth considering, but it won’t be as convenient to take with you during travel or an emergency.
An external HDD can absolutely be used this way, especially for documents, project files, recordings, and general image storage. The main downside is speed: opening and saving large projects will usually be slower than working from an internal SSD, and external enclosures may use fairly ordinary hard drives. Keep it somewhere stable, avoid unplugging it while it’s active, and use a proper eject procedure.
Your backup habits are the most important part. Since these files represent years of work and may support your livelihood, keep at least two copies, ideally with one copy disconnected or stored somewhere else. A NAS with mirrored drives could also work well at home, but it would be less portable.
For files you actively edit every day, an external SATA SSD would give you a noticeably smoother experience than an HDD. Even a reasonably priced SSD is much faster at random access and large project loads. You could use the SSD as your working drive and keep the larger HDD for backups and less frequently accessed material.
A 5TB portable SSD may be expensive, though, so another practical setup is a smaller external SSD for current projects plus the 5TB HDD for your wider library. Make sure the SSD is from a reputable brand and don’t treat it as a backup by itself.
I already keep a second external drive updated as a backup, so the working drive wouldn’t be my only copy. Portability is important because I sometimes draw on my laptop and want to be able to take the files with me.