Fast backup media

Haydon · Aug 15, 2021

My old backup media is getting slow. I am looking for fast(er) backup media. I don't have Thunderbolt, only USB C or 3 with an adapter cable, so I have been thinking of Samsung T7 portable SSDs.

Any other suggestions?

Some discussion: Years ago, when reliability of SSDs were in question for backup purposes, I tried Storage Spaces with 2 SSDs in mirror configuration, the idea being, if one of them dies, then the backup still works, and the dead one will be replaced soon. The problem was that I could not take the backup off-line (in case malware hits) or the system would continually nag to put the 'local storage' back on.

So, the single SSD as a backup should at least be somewhat reliable, although I maintain an independent second backup.

Storage Spaces with 2 USB HDDs in mirror configuration does work, but since I accidentally dropped and broke one, I don't want to use this configuration.

And no, USB flash drives can't be used in Storage Spaces, and a single USB flash drive is too unreliable for me.

Ghot · Aug 15, 2021

I use internal drives for most backups.
For the occasional external backup...

Fast little USB thumb drive. - Windows 10 Help Forums

The 8TB drive is just a copy of the 4TB drive.

Dru2 · Aug 15, 2021

Haydon said:
So, the single SSD as a backup should at least be somewhat reliable, although I maintain an independent second backup.

First and foremost anything man-made can break. Nothing is impervious. That said,

I think you're caught up in the internet war stories on SSD reliability. While nothing is 1000 percent reliable, what does distinguish "reliability" from "unreliability" is consistency - either an item consistently fails or it doesn't. SSD's don't have high failure rates thus their reliability is consistent.

Also, for the normal everyday user, they'll most likely end up replacing (ex: larger drive) the SSD before it fails.

I've been using SSD's since 2010, and neither the first OCZ I bought back then or the last 8 Samsung drives I've bought over an 8 year period has ever died on me. I currently have 5 Samsung drives in my main rig. No worries, no issues. No HDD drives in my system.

That said, for large backups I use my LAN connected NAS or external HDD drives. For small backups, SSD's.

Good luck.

Haydon · Aug 15, 2021

What was the last couple of external SSDs that you bought?

I like it external so I can easily airgap it

Dru2 · Aug 15, 2021

A portable Samsung 1TB T5 SSD drive.

That said, I typically don't buy "SSD" drives for backup as their sizes are too small. You can get 6 & 8TB SSD's but then makes them prohibitively expensive. This is partly why HDD's have survived - high volume storage capacity at a fraction of the cost.

Good luck.

pparks1 · Aug 16, 2021

While I am not using this drive for backups, I bought a Crucial P2 1TB NVMe drive and put it into this 10Gpbps NVMe USB C (3.2 Gen 2) enclosure and standard USB 3.2 Gen 2 port and it tested pretty much identical. I got the NVMe for $79 and the enclosure for $22. Here were my results

Dru2 · Aug 16, 2021

pparks1 said:
I got the NVMe for $79 and the enclosure for $22.

Can you get a 6 or 8TB SSD drive for $101 bucks? Besides something speedy I think they also want storage space.

pparks1 · Aug 16, 2021

Dru2 said:
Can you get a 6 or 8TB SSD drive for $101 bucks? Besides something speedy I think they also want storage space.

Well, of course not. But they were mentioning buying some Samsung external SSD's, so those aren't 6 or 8TB either.

I was just trying to present which could be possible speed wise using a 10Gbps USB 3 interface.

barman58 · Aug 16, 2021

It's always a balance based on quantity of data to be protected, and speed of access required For my main backups I use USB3.1 connected 8TB HDD's, as the backups are done overnight and the restores are done very occasionally, so the capacity is the important factor ... but I also have a couple of 1TB NVME drives in 10 gb/s cases, in my go bag, so I can quickly clone / backup, the majority of client OS drives. I also carry a 4TB 2.5" HDD for data storage / backup I'm semi retired so don't use them often but they're there if I need them. I also carry a number of USB3+ fast Pendrives (128GB and 256GB), these have both USB3.2 and USB-C connections built in and these can be used to clone / backup some White goods store laptops that still use tiny System drives

For those who have not heard the term "Go bag" it's simply a bag that's always kept ready with kit, tools, and even overnight clothing etc for emergency call outs - which thankfully I don't get very often these days

swarfega · Aug 16, 2021

Internal drives are not really a backup because if the machine goes you can't read them.

I have a NAS which is connected to my network with cat 6 ethernet cables at gigabit speeds. It chews through the backups at a good speed.

I use a backup program called Uranium-Backup which has a non limited free version which has scheduling and incremental backups.

Dru2 · Aug 16, 2021

swarfega said:
I have a NAS which is connected to my network with cat 6 ethernet cables at gigabit speeds. It chews through the backups at a good speed.

I use a backup program called Uranium-Backup which has a non limited free version which has scheduling and incremental backups.

I have a similar setup, but use Acronis for my scheduled backups to my NAS.

SIW2 · Aug 16, 2021

If a sata ssd is fast enough for your backup destination, a hotswap caddy is a good solution.

kkmoon do one for a reasonable price, but they are out of stock in many places.

Here are some others:

ICY BOX Mobile Rack for 2.5" & 3.5" SATA/SAS HDD

Buy from Scan - ICY BOX IB-173SSK, Mobile Rack for 2.5" + 3.5" SATA/SAS HDD, 5.25" Bay, SATA III, Lockable

www.scan.co.uk

ICY DOCK ExpressCage MB742SP-B Dual 2 x 2.5 HDD/SSD Drive Removable Mobile Rack Cage Sled Caddy for External 3.5” Bay - Comparable to Tray-Less Design : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Buy

www.amazon.co.uk

barman58 · Aug 16, 2021

I've just bought a cheap caddy for this and working with Client Drives - Amazon so it should be available in markets where they sell ...

Order Placed! - (Your latest online purchase.) [2] - Windows 10 Help Forums

Note Continued from - Order Placed! - (Your latest online purchase.) - Page 199 - Windows 10 Forums Will try out this WiFi switch..

www.tenforums.com

SIW2 · Aug 16, 2021

barman58 said:
I've just bought a cheap caddy for this and working with Client Drives - Amazon so it should be available in markets where they sell ...

Order Placed! - (Your latest online purchase.) [2] - Windows 10 Help Forums

Note Continued from - Order Placed! - (Your latest online purchase.) - Page 199 - Windows 10 Forums Will try out this WiFi switch..

www.tenforums.com

Yes they are very useful. I have one that can take a 3.5" and a 2.5" disk. It has a power switch on the front so can be turned on only when needed

KKmoon Doppia Baia 3.5 "/2.5" Pollici SATA III Hard Drive HDD e SSD Vassoio Caddy Interna Mobile Rack Recinzione Docking Station con USB 3.0 Porta Caldo Swap (d09cbd2289a2b54d6fb387b9af46fce3) User Reviews - PCPartPicker

KKmoon Doppia Baia 3.5 "/2.5" Pollici SATA III Hard Drive HDD e SSD Vassoio Caddy Interna Mobile Rack Recinzione Docking Station con USB 3.0 Porta Caldo Swap (d09cbd2289a2b54d6fb387b9af46fce3) User Reviews

pcpartpicker.com

2018 Dual Bay 3.5"+2.5" Inch SATA III Hard Drive HDD & SSD Tray Caddy Internal Mobile Rack Enclosure with USB 3.0 Port Hot Swap|dual bay|hard drive hddtray caddy - AliExpress

Cheap HDD Enclosure, Buy Quality Computer & Office Directly from China Suppliers:2018 Dual Bay 3.5"+2.5" Inch SATA III Hard Drive HDD & SSD Tray Caddy Internal Mobile Rack Enclosure with USB 3.0 Port Hot Swap Enjoy ✓Free Shipping Worldwide! ✓Limited Time Sale ✓Easy Return.

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barman58 · Aug 16, 2021

I already had a tool-less adaptor / converter to fit the 2.5 to 3.5 inch so saved a bit of cost

jh30uk · Aug 16, 2021

I have a Raid 10 Caddy (I use the ESATA 6Gbps not USB 3.0), basically same as internal HDD's, 4x 4TB WD RED's 5.4k (quieter) hits 290-300MB/s sustained and with newer larger drives WD RED Pro HDD's 7.2k it would be far faster but louder (I did test with 2x 4TB of them and it was 400MB/s.

Dru2 · Aug 16, 2021

jh30uk said:
I have a Raid 10 Caddy (I use the ESATA 6Gbps not USB 3.0), basically same as internal HDD's, 4x 4TB WD RED's 5.4k (quieter) hits 290-300MB/s sustained and with newer larger drives WD RED Pro HDD's 7.2k it would be far faster but louder (I did test with 2x 4TB of them and it was 400MB/s.

I'm also running RAID 10 on a Western Digital 4-bay NAS with 4 Western Digital RED Pro drives. Provides for impressive transfer speeds.

SIW2 · Aug 16, 2021

barman58 said:
I already had a tool-less adaptor / converter to fit the 2.5 to 3.5 inch so saved a bit of cost

Can you recommend one of those tool less adapters? I have a couple of Orico caddies ( similar to your CSL ) that take 3.5 hd. An adapter to 2.5 might be useful for those.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ORICO-5-25-Inch-Trayless-Drive/dp/B07T2J7P13/ref=pb_allspark_dp_sims_pao_desktop_session_based_5/262-3727308-6639936?pd_rd_w=h2Int&pf_rd_p=031e9adc-6c1e-4f98-ae5b-de7000de6ded&pf_rd_r=WQJ5E79XV85WVS1143XB&pd_rd_r=81e888e8-e9ce-4432-9dc9-7cfa3afeb6af&pd_rd_wg=oKvjY&pd_rd_i=B07T2J7P13&psc=1

@barman58

SmokeMe · Aug 16, 2021

Probably overkill but I use Windows Server 2016 Essentials to BU all my PC & a couple of laptops too.
I tested the full partition/OS Restore & it worked perfectly for me.

Stigg · Aug 16, 2021

The best and easiest backup media in my opinion is to have a secondary internal hard drive or SSD.
You can then back that up to other media if you feel the need.

For my desktops, I have a third internal hard drive that Bvckup 2 makes another copy of my images to.

Fast backup media

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