How to Buy External Storage: SSD, HDD, Flash Drive or Memory Card
What do you need the drive for?
An external HDD is the cheapest per gigabyte and suits archives and backups that you rarely touch. An external SSD is much faster, quiet and not afraid of knocks, and is taken for video, photos and console games. A flash drive is handy for carrying small files, and a microSD or SD card is needed by a camera, drone, GoPro or phone. Decide the task first, and the choice narrows quickly.
Interface and speed
The word USB alone says little. Speed depends on the standard (USB 3.2, Thunderbolt), the connector type (Type-C or Type-A) and what your PC or laptop supports. A fast SSD in an old port will run slowly. For 4K video, for example from a GoPro, the card class (U3, V30, A2) and steady write speed matter, not only the peak read speed printed on the box.
New or used, genuine or fake
Drives, especially flash drives and cards, are faked: the box says 1 TB, but the real capacity is many times smaller. Buy from trusted sellers, ask for a warranty, and after delivery check the capacity with a special utility. Used HDDs should be bought with great care: ask about running hours and the SMART status. For an SSD, the remaining write endurance matters.
What to put in your request
- drive type: external HDD, portable SSD, flash drive, microSD or SD;
- capacity: in GB or TB;
- interface: USB 3.2, Type-C, Thunderbolt, card class;
- model: for example Samsung T7 or SanDisk Extreme;
- new or used;
- what for: backup, camera, console, phone, video editing;
- quantity;
- warranty, delivery, budget.
Example: “I need a new 1 TB portable SSD with USB-C and speeds from 1000 MB/s, for example a Samsung T7, for video editing. With an official warranty, courier delivery to Kuala Lumpur, budget up to RM 350.”
How to compare offers
The same capacity can come with different speeds in different models, so look at real read and write figures. Ask whether the cable of the right type is included, and whether the warranty is from the maker or from the shop. If you are buying several, say flash drives for a company, agree the batch and the price per unit straight away.
How it works on BlaBlaPrice
You write a request on BlaBlaPrice, it is checked, and sellers of computer equipment reply in the chat: model, price, warranty, delivery. They compete, so terms often improve. The best-value offer is shown first, with reviews next to each. Your phone number is hidden, and it is free for buyers. More on the “How it works” page.
For cameras and phones also see memory cards and flash drives, and for building a PC, components.
