About external ODDs

sonamsopmist · 08 Mar 2018

Hi, I've searched for the topic but I didn't find anything. Sorry if this turns to be a repost.
I am looking into buying an external ODD, capable of bluray reading and writing/burning. I was told by a computer store manager that bluray disks are the safest way to store data, since they are durable and not electronic.
So I look around on the online market, and there are some rather shady and bulkier unbranded ones, costing about 45€. None if them mentions Win10 compatibility (but they do go up to win7). And of course there are known brands like LG, ASUS, ect., that are slimmer, and also very clear on what they can do. They are rather expensive though, from 85€ to 140€.
My question is, are optical media indeed the safest way to store anything?
And is it best to go for an expensive brand, in terms of performance, computer compatibility and reliability?
I work on an ASUS X556UV laptop, if it matters. The data I want to save are of various format: games data, images, music collections, videos, documents, and of course Windows restore stuff.

slicendice · 08 Mar 2018

For short term backups you should really just use an external HDD.

For long term archiving of photos, videos and important documents, the Asus external Blu-Ray writer with M-Disk support is a really good choice. Yeah, I know they are quite expensive, and so are the disks you write your backups on too.

M-Disk = A specific type of DVD or Blu-Ray disk that is designed for long term archiving. Claims the data stays intact for thousands of years.

What comes to Blu-Ray burners, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy any cheap unbranded devices. You will regret it, since the burning quality is terrible. For archiving, DO NOT buy any unbranded disks either. Many unbranded disks are so unreliable that you might end up tossing 9 of 10 disks in the bin. If unsure, Verbatim is a quite safe bet (there are many other brands too).

If your data is very important to you, then one can not put any price tag on it. A $100-200 investment for security is then a cheap investment. If you don't have backups and your main HDD dies, it can cost you several thousands of dollars to have a professional restore the data for you. The more damaged the disk, the more it will cost and the price grows exponentially. (Latest quote I got for a 500GB drive I wanted to restore 100% was ~8000€ -> ~$9600. I never made the deal, since the data was not that important to me)

Hope this information helped you with making a good decision. :)

sonamsopmist · 08 Mar 2018

Thank you, I think I'll go with an LG or asus. Guess I'll wait for my next payday. BTW are sd cards reliable with a proper format? I notice that 256Gb unbranded ones can be quite cheap, but thay can have issues.

slicendice · 08 Mar 2018

You are very welcome!

SD-cards are not that reliable if doing a lot of writes, but for mostly reading they last a long time. Some brands are better than others. There are also a lot of sizes and speeds, which all directly are reflected in price.

For SD-card brands I'd stick with Verbatim, Lexar, Samsung, Sandisk and Kingston. Sony is also a good choice but usually are more expensive. Personally I prefer Samsung cards. I currently have a fast Samsung 256GB microSD in my mobile.

sonamsopmist · 08 Mar 2018

Thanks once more. I am performing a hard format on mine, started yesterday noon but think it will be over in 1 hour. Reason is one of my phones doesn't recognize it, asks to format but doesn't perform. I think a chkdsk after a hard format will fix it.

slicendice · 08 Mar 2018

What size is the card and what phone brand and model are you trying to use it on?

sonamsopmist · 08 Mar 2018

256Gb generic card on alcatel one touch pixi first. Same card seems to work on my nubia z9 mini though. Tried to copy a music collection on it but I'd say only 70%of the tracks were fluent. I hope the format will fix it. If not then I guess the sd is faulty.

slicendice · 08 Mar 2018

Alcatel One Touch Pixi First does NOT support 256GB cards.

I don't think there are any issues with the card itself, since it worked on another device.

sonamsopmist · 08 Mar 2018

I see. So many thanks for all your time.

slicendice · 08 Mar 2018

sonamsopmist said:

I see. So many thanks for all your time.

You are welcome! Glad I could help.

P.S. Pixi First supports only up to 32GB cards (possibly 64GB, but def. NOT 256GB) :)