nas or usb for data backup

[d00m1ord]

i need to backup 10tb of storage from my pc. im wondering if it would be better to get an external hard drive and backup my pc to that or get a nas and have backups onto that. im backing up 4 different drives onto whatever i get so i need something that will be able to hold all of the data preferably in seperate files 1 per drive. Are there transfer speed differences between nas and usb, which one will handle extended writing better and anything else i should consider.

 

thanks in advance.

[wseaton]

The advantage of the NAS is you can add drives for RAID protection and actually manage it as a data server. Also have other computers connect to it.

 

External drives (assuming we are talking about a 10+TB spinner in an enclosed caddy) are also handy because you just plug them into USB and away you go.  With a typical 1Gb network and  vanilla NAS with the usual onboard controllers the speed award will *usually* go to a connected USB drive...usually. A lot depends on the controller, speed of the drives (5600rpm vs 7200, etc). 

 

You can also get inexpensive external caddys where you can plug SATA drives, or even SSDs with a SATA connection directly into them and just rotate drives. I've used them for offsite storage requirements. Highly under rated option that I much prefer over tape.

[OhioYJ]

You should always have more than one type of backup for important data. Ideally at more than one location.

 

I use both USB drives and a NAS. I have pairs of USB drives that get updated every so often. These are connected to anything so no susceptible to power surges, ransomware, etc. Then I have another pair that are kept offsite that I swap with the first pair (kept at a family / friends house).

 

My NAS doesn't run 24/7 I only boot it up when I need files off it, which isn't  very often. However it is more convenient than the USB drives as all the PCs can access from the network. I've just set mine up so I can wake it up remotely, and shut it down remotely as needed (I figure no reason to increase wear and tear by letting it run 24/7 when I only need it a couple times a month typically). As wseaton mentioned another nice part about this is it has built in redundancy (this would require purchasing two drives though).

 

Depending on the NAS you can choose your hardware, and the quality level. Also I tend to lean towards the NAS being slightly more reliable just as it tends to be moved less often (usually isn't moved). Where as a spinning USB external drive, is more likely to be dropped, or bumped.

 

I prefer the NAS option. However it's the more expense route for sure. It's also a little more complex. The USB option is simpler, and cheaper.