USB Flash Drive or WD Green M.2 - Which One Is More Reliable as an External Storage Device?

HairyChickens on 23/04/2022 - 03:24
Last edited 23/04/2022 - 03:58

I was just wondering whether a 128GB USB3.1 flash drive or a 120GB M.2 WD Green SSD would be more reliable for storing unimportant files, using it to transfer stuff from PC to laptop, etc. (I already have an m.2 enclosure gathering dust)

Right now I'm leaning more towards the SSD since I also want to offload ~10GB games and esports titles onto the external device to free up a bit of space on the PC. 120 GB might seem a little low for some but its more than enough for what I need to store.

Thanks!

Computing Computer Component SSD USB Flash Drive

Comments

  • Hybroid on 23/04/2022 - 03:42
    +4

    M.2. Should be consistently much quicker too.

    • GordonD on 23/04/2022 - 09:40

      Its definitely true an m.2 drive either in a spare slot on the motherboard or in a USB3 enclosure would be a lot faster.

      I've never seen numbers on whether it would be more reliable. Certainly cheap USB flash drives are built down to a price with potentially less durable components. And they are built down to a size that causes overheating that reduces reliability and durability. But that said, there are also quality USB flash drives which are probably just as reliable as a good quality m.2 drive like a WD green.

      I myself am betting on an m.2 SATA drive in an external USB3 enclosure, both for flexibility and better reliability for the files I want to be sure I don't lose.

    • HairyChickens on 23/04/2022 - 20:11

      ssd it is then

      thanks for the input lads

  • garetz on 23/04/2022 - 07:38

    They are both flash, checkout the endurance of each drive, the higher the endurance the more reliable i would consider it.

    I have old mlc ssds that have lasted a decade and still going strong.

  • AndyC1 on 23/04/2022 - 08:34

    If the files are unimportant than who cares? Get the cheapest, but be aware that allot of USB drives are slow due to the flash inside them and NOT the interface. Just because something has a certain interface does not mean it will run at full interface speed.

    I have some USB 3.0 sticks that run slower than some USB 1.1 drives as the flash is cheap crap in them. I also have some expensive USB 2.0 Sandisk Pro USB sticks that run rings around everything else I have, but I have not purchased any USB 3.0 Sandisk pro sticks as they do use all of the USB 2.0 bandwidth.

  • JownehFixIT on 23/04/2022 - 10:59

    I've compared a Samsung t5 usb c external ssd with an m.2 Samsung ssd with faster speeds on paper put in an external caddy and the t5 turned out a few hundred MBps faster than the caddy m.2. Not that you were asking about a usb c ssd but just my 2 cents' worth.

    • garetz on 23/04/2022 - 13:25
      +1

      it comes down to the container, even if you have the fastest speed samsung m2, if you are using a cheap orico external then of course it will be slower.

      • JownehFixIT on 23/04/2022 - 18:47

        😂 😂 😂 Pretty sure it's an Orico, yup. 😂

        It's not prohibitively slow. Just slower than the nice t5.

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