différence entre un disque dur externe 2.5 et 3.5 Solved/Closed

Question

Hello everyone!

I know that there are several types of hard drives, such as 2.5 and 3.5 inches.

1 - Are there any others?

2 - Why choose a 2.5 over a 3.5?

3 - I've heard about external enclosures in which you can insert an internal hard drive, is that good?

Thank you!

santiago69 · Accepted Answer

Hi Shikamaru

I only know about 2.5" and 3.5" drives.
There may be others, but I wouldn’t recommend jumping into buying extravagantly sized disks as they might be hard to find if you want to purchase additional ones later.

2.5" and 3.5" simply refer to the diameter of the drives. 3.5" is the good old classic drives we find in our desktop units. 2.5" is the tiny drives for laptops.

The 2.5 are smaller in size but also in capacity. While 3.5" can reach up to 500 GB, 2.5" drives are capped at 120 GB (which is still huge). On the other hand, 2.5" drives have the advantage of consuming less power, making them better suited for external enclosures.

An external enclosure has the advantage over an external drive of being just a box into which you place the drive you want. It offers great flexibility of use. A 3.5" enclosure will have a USB cable to connect to the computer plus a power block almost as big as itself, while a 2.5" enclosure will only have a USB cable to connect to the computer, drawing its power from the single USB port.

So, in summary, if you're looking to increase your storage capacity while staying mobile, I recommend a 2.5" external enclosure (~15 euros) and a 2.5" hard drive (~150 euros). This is just my opinion and is given free of charge to help you in your decision.

Santiago

There are 10 types of people in the world
Those who understand binary and the others.

Choosing your internal (laptop/desktop) and external hard drive.

Hamster Jovial · Answer

Hello,

An external hard drive is actually an external enclosure that houses an internal hard drive from a PC or laptop.

A laptop drive is 2.5" (that's the diameter of the drive, I believe), while a desktop drive is 3.5"

A 2.5" drive will be smaller and lighter, but generally slower and with less capacity than a 3.5" drive.

2.5" drives come in sizes up to 100 GB (and soon 160 GB), while 3.5" drives are available in sizes exceeding 500 GB.

To address this, manufacturers of external hard drives install multiple drives in a single enclosure, which is why you can find external hard drives of 1 TB (which is 1000 GB).

You can also find external hard drives of 1.8" and 1", not to mention USB flash drives. But the smaller it is, the less space there is.

--
HAMSTER BUT FASTER

shikamaru59 · Answer

Thank you very much, clear, concise, and precise...  explanations just the way I like them!

yannique · Answer

Je voudrais savoir si les disques durs externes 2,5" sont mieux que les 3,5" ?

yannique · Answer

I received your response, but can you explain it to me? I didn’t understand everything! Thank you
Here is the description
External Hard Drive 80 GB - USB Flash Drive - 2.5" Samsung

ULTRA THIN & USB SELF-POWERED

12.2 x 7.2 x 1.1
*
USB 2.0 interface with a transfer speed of 480 Mbps
*
Very compact, sleek and high-tech design
*
- Self-powered (the cable includes a second USB connection to double the power supply in case of insufficient power)

*
- Best protection for your hard drive with additional side reinforcement in addition to the lightweight and durable aluminum casing.
- Plug And Play
*
Prerequisites:
- Compatible OS: Win98/ME/2000/XP, Mac 8.6 and above
- Minimum 1 available USB port (2 ports if dual power supply is needed)
*

*
Drivers for Windows 98 provided on mini CD
*

o
Hard drive reference: Samsung 80 GB 2.5' 5400 RPM 8 MB cache
o
Backup or transfer your files
o
Store your MP3s, videos, and photos
o

o
Faster than writing to CD/DVD and completely reusable
o

o
No power cable is needed as the power comes from the host PC via the USB port.
o

o
. Very easy to use: connect it to your PC, Mac or laptop and it's immediately recognized, like a USB flash drive.
o

o
No drivers required for Windows XP/ME/2000 and Mac OSX. A mini CD is provided containing drivers for Windows 98se.
o
Also included: USB cable, case, and small screwdriver.

nefertiti · Answer

Hello,

I understand well, but my case is particular, I need clarification...

2.5" = small storage capacity: lightweight, self-powered, and USB is sufficient
3.5" = large storage capacity: heavy + power supply box + need for formatting

I do not want to buy an external hard drive, I would just like to buy a 2.5" enclosure to put the hard drive from my old PC that doesn't turn on anymore... (it's not due to the hard drive).

I recovered an old computer...

I choose the 2.5" because USB will be enough for my external hard drive to be recognized (either my hard drive from my broken old PC where I have a lot of data that I do not want to lose by being forced to format it if I take a 3.5" box)...

The question is: when buying, indeed, 2.5" offers a lower capacity than 3.5"
but can a hard drive from a PC physically fit into a 2.5" enclosure and work properly???

Thank you and thank you so much if you can answer me...

nefertiti · Answer

No need to reply... But thank you for reading me.

It’s impossible to fit a PC drive into a 2.5" and especially the voltage wouldn’t allow it to work...

Anyway, thank you anyway...

Have a good evening.

laura · Answer

I came here to ask a question too, but given the aggressive responses from some, I'm not going to do it!
Don't forget this site is called "how it works", it's meant for helping each other, to find answers..
Some may not know everything, might be unfamiliar with computers, and come here looking for help, answers from those who know, and instead of kindly helping them, you criticize them as idiots, as fools who know nothing..
I believe you are worth nothing if you do not want to help them, just shut up but do not criticize them, has it never happened to you to not know??? Is it because of ignorance that one should be insulted????

I can't believe the impoliteness and lack of respect from some towards those who are here to ask for help..
You are the "fools" here!!!!!

Nothing more to say, I will not ask for help from fools who think they are superior because they know more about computers and insult others; I'll leave that to the kids...

Andamylis · Answer

Good evening

@Laura,

indeed, there are people who do not wish to help, especially in cases where the answer seems too "obvious" to them. They can also be aggressive. Now there are also those who still respond and try to help others regardless of the "aggressives" ;o)

You just have to take a step back (not always easy, it’s true)

do not hesitate to ask your question, as it can often be solved^^ and help others

@Bobo

2 options.
- the simplest: the motherboard documentation always provides a description of it
- the other is to open the PC and count directly

otherwise, the topic of the post was about 2.5" (laptop) and 3.5" (PC) hard drives. By browsing a bit in the forum, there should be a section more suited to "bus" questions ;o)

kev262 · Answer

There are 3 different hard drives: 1/ IDE 3.5 (found in desktop PCs) 2/ IDE 2.5 (found in laptops) 3/ SATA 3.5 (also found in desktop PCs)

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