I could really use some advice on how to back up my data since I'm feeling a bit lost. I often get confused about the differences between HDDs and SSDs, as well as other tech terms like SMR. I've previously had a bad experience with Seagate drives and usually opt for WD My Book, although that can get pretty pricey.
My current strategy is to buy multiple drives. My concern is that if I invest in a large drive like a 22 TB one and it fails, I lose everything and a lot of money. But having too many smaller drives, like 4 TB ones, would take up too much space in my home. So I figure something in the middle, like 12 TB drives, might work better.
About three-fourths of my data remains untouched, with the rest being organized, deleted, or edited. I typically use my drives for storing home videos, photos from my phone, eBooks, downloaded shows, music, and sometimes games or software.
I have a few hundred dollars saved up for this, which is my only budget for the year. How can I make the best choices on brands, models, and types of drives? Should I get one SSD and a cheap HDD, go for two HDDs, or maybe invest in a WD My Book along with a cheaper Seagate? It's all a bit overwhelming!
3 Answers
A good rule to follow is the 3-2-1 rule for backups:
- Keep 3 copies of your files (to guard against accidental deletions or corruption).
- Store them in 2 different locations (helps prevent total data loss if a drive fails).
- Ensure at least 1 copy is offsite (protects against disasters like fire or floods).
So, you could keep your main copy on your computer, have a second backup on an external drive, and a third on cloud storage or at a friend or family member's place.
If you have a little extra cash, think about a home NAS (Network Attached Storage) system. They typically range from $400-500 and are super user-friendly. Plus, they offer great long-term backup solutions with RAID setups. For your drives, I’d recommend SSDs for your main device and HDDs for larger storage needs—they're more affordable for the storage size you need. As for brands, reliability is pretty similar across the board, but you can check out reliability reports from places like Backblaze, which they update quarterly.
Thanks for sharing those tips, they’re super useful! I’m definitely going to look into the 3-2-1 rule more closely.
You might want to consider how much data you're looking to back up. Just to give you some perspective, if you have about 18 TB of data, it’s smart to think about your options carefully.
Cloud storage is also worth checking out alongside physical drives, especially for the really important stuff.
Yeah, I've been curious about cloud storage too. How much does it usually cost?