Mini hard drives are small, portable external storage drives that fit in a pocket and don’t require an AC adapter. They are durable, come with backup software, and are ideal for commuting. They are more convenient than standard external drives and flash drives. Some manufacturers market 2.5-inch drives as mini drives, but true mini drives are smaller and more expensive. When purchasing, consider the main goal and whether portability is important.
A mini hard drive is a very small, ultra-portable, platter-driven external storage drive with a built-in USB cable or interface. The mini hard drive fills a niche in the market where a flash drive of the same capacity would be too expensive and a standard external drive too bulky to be considered ultra-portable. A true mini hard drive fits easily into a pocket without adding weight, and doesn’t require an AC adapter, tapping into the USB port for power.
Mini Hard Drives incorporate shockproof designs for maximum durability. Most models come with a minimum one-year warranty and are PC and Mac® compatible. Many models also come with or can be integrated with backup software designed to make the data protection process quick and easy. This combination can make the mini hard drive an ideal companion for commuting back and forth between work and home, or between your home desktop and laptop computers.
With more and more people switching from desktop computers to laptops, hard drive space is becoming more important. Laptops lack the space for RAID arrays or multiple hard drives, and as of Spring 2009, most laptop motherboards only support one internal drive up to 250 Gigabytes (GB). While this threshold is set to increase, there are many people who no doubt find themselves moving movies or other large files off their laptop to keep the drive from getting close to capacity and slowing down.
One nice thing about a mini hard drive is that its small size makes it much less of a hassle to get out and use. It won’t take up space on a desk or floor, and it doesn’t require a bulky AC adapter or outlet. When not in use it can be placed in a drawer, backpack, laptop case, purse or pocket. It’s almost as convenient as a flash drive or memory stick, and with the right backup software, it can be even more convenient.
Due to the popularity of the mini hard drive, some manufacturers are marketing 2.5-inch (6.35 cm) drives as mini drives, although these are the same size as standard laptop hard drives, built into external enclosures. A true mini hard drive is smaller, such as the Apricorn Aegis 1.8″ (4.57cm) 160GB drive, although the smaller and lighter the drive, the higher the price for the same capacity, for the same other conditions.
Before deciding on a model, determine your main goal for the purchase. If the goal is to download large files and media to store on an external device, the ultraportable angle isn’t as relevant, and you may want to save money by considering a 2.5-inch (6.35cm) model. If you’ll be using the device on the go, portability becomes more important, and spending more money for an extremely small and lightweight unit is likely an investment you’ll appreciate every time you use it.
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