Summary
Highlights
The speaker strongly advises against using SD cards or USB sticks for daily backups. He highlights that while 'lifetime warranties' offer a replacement card, they don't cover lost data, which is irrecoverable once the card fails. This type of cheap flash memory is not designed for frequent writing and wears out quickly, making it unreliable for consistent backups.
The video differentiates between cheap flash memory used in SD cards and USB sticks, and the higher-quality flash memory found in SSDs. While SSDs have a longer lifespan due to better quality components, they are primarily valued for their speed, especially reading speed, which is not a priority for backup purposes. SSDs are generally more expensive for the same storage capacity compared to traditional hard drives.
SSDs are excellent for improving system speed when used as a primary drive, but their speed advantage is largely wasted in a backup scenario. For the same cost, traditional hard disk drives offer much more storage, making them a more cost-effective and suitable choice for backups where speed is less critical than capacity and reliability.
While any backup is better than none, especially for quick temporary copies (like when traveling), the speaker recommends more robust storage. For large image backups, he suggests using external traditional hard drives, connecting them periodically, or external SSDs (though more expensive). Network backups to another machine are also a viable option. The key takeaway is to ensure critical data is backed up regularly to reliable storage.
The video concludes by reiterating the importance of backing up data, preferably using an external drive for regular system image backups. It challenges viewers to consider what they would lose if their laptop's hard drive suddenly failed, emphasizing the need to back up that essential information.