Whats the difference between portable and external HDD?

[z3r04cc355]

I wanna buy portable HDD. Im stuck with 2 options.
Portable and external HDDs.
Are they both similar in function? I know that external HDD is bulkier in size and heavy to as compared to portable HDD.
I wanna know abt some extra features that portable or external HDDs lack from each other, like speed of data transfer, rpms, etc... and cost too.

z3r04cc355 Reviewed by z3r04cc355 on 11th Apr 2010. Whats the difference between portable and external HDD? I wanna buy portable HDD. Im stuck with 2 options. Portable and external HDDs. Are they both similar in function? I know that external HDD is bulkier in size and heavy to as compared to portable HDD. I wanna know abt some extra features that portable or external HDDs lack from each other, like speed of data transfer, rpms, etc... and cost too. Rating: 5

[=:Jack:=]

i would recommend u to buy external HDD with an adapter case
with this u can use it inside the cpu and also outside the cpu

[z3r04cc355]

But i dun wanna use for internal storage. I just wanna use it 2 store TV shows, some movies and my other data.
I wanna buy Seagate 1 TB portable. But dunno whether shud i buy external or portable.
I wanna compare the features of both the types.

[sniffdog]

As you don't need an external power supply, the portable ones (eg WD Passport) are great to carry around. They fit in the pockets of your jeans.
They are more expensive than external HDD like the WD Mybook which you don't want to carry around for sure.

I love it!

[nEw_boY]

Main difference is the Speed..
Like comparing a Broadband with Dialup connection...

You will loose much speed although it mainly effect while copy-pasting not while watching moves & stuffs...

Both have it`s own advantages & disadvantages...!!

[GoonzNetwork]

yea my advice if your not gonna be carying it around is get an internal and put it inside wayyy faster writing speed

[Porsche_maniak]

As the other guys told...
External - You may move it everywhere,but copy/paste speed is slower.
HD inside - the opposite.

[GoonzNetwork]

also if u go external dont get a seagate they have the highest fail rates and well simply put a waste of money

[jayfella]

a portable HDD is a small 2.5 inch HDD - usually found in laptops, its more portable because its so tiny and requires so little power, and as such usually has a very small power adapter.

an external HDD is a large 5.25 inch HDD found in desktop computers. Its faster and cheaper and can often store larger amounts, but is not as portable (you cant put it in your trouser pocket, for example) - but still portable enough to take to ur friends house on the bus.



for long-term storage, just get an external.

[CM]

i would recommend u to buy external HDD with an adapter case
with this u can use it inside the cpu and also outside the cpu

I would recommend that too as external HDD

Main difference is the Speed..
Like comparing a Broadband with Dialup connection...

You will loose much speed although it mainly effect while copy-pasting not while watching moves & stuffs...

Both have it`s own advantages & disadvantages...!!

It's definitely not of that comparison lol. Portables are @5400RPM and externals are @7200RPM.

It all comes down to if you want portability or not. If not, just get an external and I would recommend an enclosure for a normal HDD. If you do need a portable solution, go for a portable one.

I bought a external HDD with an enclosure and it was the best thing I've ever done since I am now building a PC and I can just drop it in there.