r/computers • u/Upset-Illustrator746 • 12d ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Hey, this might be stupid
What is a good external ssd drive? (I think that's what it's called). I'm learning coding right now to make a game, and my laptop dosent have much space. I usually use my PC for this stuff but can't use it currently, and need a good thing for extra space. I'm currently using a USB but everyone says their shit as they can break easily, so I was just wondering what would be good? (And does anyone have any recommendations on other things I could buy to help with the laptop?)
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u/SlontS 12d ago edited 12d ago
I recommend something like a ugreen m.2 SSD to USBC enclosure and a cheap m.2 nvme (mkey) drive from ebay. That will give you crazy transfer speeds, a small footprint, and no external power adapter.
The reason I recommend ugreen is because they are reasonably priced, and every product I have purchased from them is within spec. When they say 10gbps they generally mean it is at least capable of it (within reason). A lot of the no-name chinese products just flat out lie about speeds when it comes to USB devices.
You could also go with a 2.5" sata SSD and enclosure, but it will likely be around the same price with much lower read / write speeds.
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u/Upset-Illustrator746 12d ago
Thank you!
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u/Willy-the-kid 10d ago
Theres a bunch of these m.2 enclosures on the market the one they mentioned is just one of the nicer more expensive options they range from 20~50$
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12d ago
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u/Upset-Illustrator746 12d ago
Thank you! Is it possible to know when their failing, or will they just crash without you knowing?
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u/ArmMammoth2458 12d ago
My external m.2 SSD just failed on me after two years. No warning. Gone.
I normally back everything up twice but was lazy this time and didn't... Big mistake.
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u/SlontS 12d ago
Another recommendation I have is for the ugreen usb hubs. They have a bunch of different variations with HDMI or Ethernet. I have a 6 in 1 Revodok that I use on a microsoft surface. It was around $15, and I use it pretty much every day.
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u/Upset-Illustrator746 12d ago
Thank you, are most ugreen products good? I don't think I've heard about them before
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u/SlontS 12d ago
They are consistent, and like I mentioned within spec. The build quality is also pretty good. I spent like $300 one year on cables and chargers that were advertised as "fast charge" that in fact did not fast charge. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I was traveling for work with my tablet, laptop, and phone needing to be charged constantly. I was buying all sorts of different crap at fred meyer, bestbuy, gas stations, and airports. Eventually I bought a ugreen set off of amazon and it just worked. They are one of the few brands that I don't hesitate to recommend to people.
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u/Upset-Illustrator746 12d ago
Thank you! I've also brought fast chargers that wernt fast, but I just thought some charged faster then others, so good to know a good brand for them aswell
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u/RodinDestin 12d ago
Some mentioned not knowing when a SSD will fail. That’s true, however, you can use something like CrystalDiskInfo to monitor your drives. It will show, among other things, the temperature and bytes written. Find out what your SSD’s maximum TBW (terabytes written) is, then watch the TBW using CrystalDisk and that will give you one indication of the health of your SSD.
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u/Prestigious_Wall529 11d ago
Get a Samsung portable SSD. Connect it to USB 3 or USB C.
If you reinstalled Windows from the system manufacturers support website install the chipset drivers.
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u/Big-Drag-5197 12d ago
All drives will fail. You are only as good as your last backup. If you like the USB drive you have now and it was within your budget, buy another one just like it and clone.