TOPIC: RAY
Pondering storage options
1st June 2011The combination of curiosity and a little spare time had me browsing online computing technology stores recently. A spot of CD and DVD burning brought on by a flurry of Linux distribution testing reminded me of the possibility. Because I have built up a sizeable library of digital photos, ensuring that I have backups of them is something that needs doing. While a 2 GB Samsung external hard drive is brought to life every now and again for that purpose, the prospect of using Blu-ray discs has appealed to me. After all, capacities of 25 GB for single-layer discs and 50 GB for dual-layer ones sound not inappropriate for my purposes. However, they aren't a cheap option at the time of writing, with each disc costing in the region of £3-4 at one place where I was looking. The cost of BD writers themselves seems not to be so bad though, with a few in the £60-100 bracket; any lower than this and you could end up with a combo drive that reads Blu-ray discs and writes to DVD's and CD's, so a modicum of concentration is needed. As attractive as the idea might be, the cost of BD media means that I'll wait a little while before deciding to take the plunge. The price premium at the moment is a reminder of the way that things used to be when CD and DVD writers first came on the market. It is very telling when discs come packaged in jewel cases, something that you won't see too often with CD's or DVD's.
Another piece of storage excitement that hasn't escaped me is the advent of SSD hard drives. With no moving parts like in conventional hard drives, they bring a speed boost. Concerns about their lifetimes and the numbers of read/write events per drive would stall me when it comes to storing personal data on them but using them for the likes of operating system files sounds attractive, especially with my partiality to Linux perhaps not hammering drives so much. As with any new technology, there is a price premium, even though a drive big enough for hosting an operating system can be acquired for less than £100. As with many of my hardware purchase brainwaves, there's no rush, but this is an option that I'll keep at the back of my mind.
Another appealing notion is the idea of getting a NAS so that files can be shared between a few computers. While I have seen prices starting at just above £70 for single disk enclosures, these generally are a more expensive option than external drives, and that's before you consider the cost of any hard drives. Nevertheless, the advantages of a unit containing more than a single hard drive while operating as a print server for any compatible printer, too. When you get to 4 or 5 hard drive trays, then the cost has mounted, but that could be when they pay their way too. What reminded me of these was a bookazine on home networking that I recently found at a branch of WHSmith's and their attractions are subject to the networking side of things being made to work without a drama. Once that's out of the way, then their usefulness really does appeal.
Mulling over all these brainwaves is one thing, but it doesn't mean that the purse strings will become too loose in this age of economic constraint. In fact, pondering them may serve to staunch any impulse purchases. Sometimes, a spot of virtual shopping serves to control things rather than losing the run of oneself.