External hard drives make it incredibly easy for users to transfer large amounts of data from their computer to other sources. It’s incredibly easy to transform internal hard drive into external by installing the right enclosure on it.

The external hard drive makes it easy for users to back up their data and prevent data loses. By installing a good enclosure on your internal hard drives you improve their durability and you can install them on any device you have.

 

What are some of the features of external hard drive enclosures?

Materials used

External hard drive enclosures are created using 3 main materials – metal, aluminum and plastic. Sometimes, manufacturers use a combination of all three materials to make the enclosure even more durable and efficient.

 

Connection Type

Most of the external hard drives can be connected to your computer system using standard USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports. The choice for the most suitable type of connection needed for your external hard drive depends on the free ports you have in your system.

USB 2.0 offers a lot higher file transfer speed than USB 1.1 and if you have such port on your system its best to take advantage of this connection type.

 

Hard Drive Interface

Most of the internal hard drives used in Desktop computers come with two main types of interfaces – SATA and IDE. The hard drives using the SATA interface are largely popular and offer better performance than those using IDE. There are special enclosures for SATA hard drives, which will enable you to take advantage not only of USB 2.0, but also Firewire connection type.

 

Size

Depending on the machine they are used for, hard drives come in two main sizes – 3.5 and 2.5 inch. The first ones are widely used for desktop configurations, while the second one for netbooks and laptops. Typically, the 3.5 inch hard drives are more reliable and offer faster transfer speeds, but the size really depends on the machine you are looking to upgrade with an external hard drive. 

 

Bays Available

Hard drive enclosures are available with single and dual bays. Depending on the amount of external hard drives you want to use, you can choose between the two types of enclosures. You can always buy new single bay hard drive enclosure if you need some extra storage space in the future.

 

How to use an external hard drive enclosure?

You just learned the main features of external hard drive enclosures, so if you don’t know where to start from, here are some simple steps to prepare the right hard drive enclosure for your needs:

 

• The most important thing to consider when choosing external hard drive enclosure is the connection type supported by your computer. USB interfaces are incredibly popular and they are the most preferred choice for users.
• Place the internal hard drives in the enclosure and connect all necessary cables. Once you have the hard drive connected to the enclosure you simply need to plug it in your computer.
• You are done! External hard drive enclosures make it incredibly easy and fast to transform internal hard drives into external ones without almost no technical knowledge.