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cheapest storage per GB method

C

colore

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
419
hello!

I need the cheapest $$ per GB method to store data, regardless speed, performance, etc

it doesnt even have to be connected to the pc all the time

which method/item would you suggest?

maybe some kind of tape backup? (I know nothing about it)

thanks!
 
Tape drives are cheaper than disk after a certain point (where you pay for the cost of the drive) since the media is much cheaper per TB than disk. ~$40 per 1.5/3.0TB tape. Tape is also significantly more reliable with error rates of 1 bit in 10^17 versus disk of 1 bit in 10^14. With that said a $2000 LTO5 tape drive would buy quite a few 2TB drives.
 
colore said:
are they reliable? or I will lose easily data? (eg. by a magnetic item placed close)
Click to expand...

A magnet would probably not hurt the drive unless it was very strong. However hard drives can and will die at any time from the factory to their 5 year life expectancy to beyond. Make sure you have at least 2 copies of any data that you must not loose. Although at work I do that with tape as well even though the tapes are much more reliable than hard drives.
 
colore said:
hello!

I need the cheapest $$ per GB method to store data, regardless speed, performance, etc

it doesnt even have to be connected to the pc all the time

which method/item would you suggest?

maybe some kind of tape backup? (I know nothing about it)

thanks!
Click to expand...

That is kind of like asking what is the cheapest method of getting to work. There are a lot of variables involved in it such as time, convenience and distance/amount. How much data do you need to store? If we are talking just a few TB then disk will be the least expensive. If we are talking tens to hundreds of TB then tapes/changers will likely be the most convenient and cheapest in the long run.
 
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