| Weighing the options: Pros and cons | |||||
| Capacities | Price Range/Per GB | Pros | Cons | Best uses | |
| Two internal drives in a RAID 1 array | 500GB to 3TB | $60 - $400 for second drive, depending on capacity/$0.13 -$0.17 per GB | Fastest; can buy a PC preconfigured this way; no software is required; backups are immediate and automatic; large capacity; prevents data loss from a single drive failure. | Susceptible to malware, home theft, or disaster; one entire drive is dedicated solely to backup; can't recover accidentally deleted or overwritten files. | Immediate, automatic, hassle-free backups. |
| External Hard Drives | 500GB - 3TB (single drive) | $85 - $400/$0.13 - $0.17 | Fastest for large capacities; inexpensive; connects via USB, firewire or eSATA; smaller models may require no external power. | Susceptible to malware, home theft, or disaster; must configure and run backup software. | Primary storage of large amounts of data. |
| Network Attached Storage | 1TB to 80TB+ | $100 - $2000+ | Fast for large capacities; no software is required; backups are immediate and automatic; extremely large capacity; prevents data loss from a single drive failure. inexpensive; connects via Ethernet to be accessed shared by more then one computer. can be accessed from remote locations for field workers. Data backed up across multiple drives for backup. | Susceptible to malware, theft, or disaster; At least one entire drive is dedicated solely to backup; Maybe able to recover accidentally deleted or overwritten files. Can be accessed/hacked from remote locations across the internet if not properly secured. | Primary storage of large amounts of data. Immediate, automatic, hassle-free backups. |
| Flash Drives | 8GB -128GB | $15 - $220 | Small; portable; connects via USB; requires no external power. | Easy to lose; size makes labeling difficult; must configure and run backup software for easy successive, incremental backups. | Limited storage; secondary backup. |
| Optical Media | 700MB (CD) - 50GB | $0.22 (CD-R) - $50 (Blu-Ray double-sided DVD) | With the exception of Blu-Ray, discs are very inexpensive; most computers have players/burners; easy to use. | Slow; limited capacity; susceptible to scratches and physical damage; discs can't be read by all drive types; incremental backups require special software. | Archiving songs, video, and photos for use on consumer electronics devices. |
| Online Backup Services | 250MB - unlimited | Free - $64.95 per month | Unlimited storage potential; most secure; nothing to break; safer from theft than local backup; remote file sharing is possible. | Slowest; monthly fees can be high; requires fast, reliable Internet connection; must trust site's security, longevity. | |
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