Which medium do experienced computer users prefer for creating local backups and why?

Answer 1

This is a debated topic, and there is no single clear answer I am aware of. In general, it seems that cloud backups are not used, but some local storage is used, as you implied in your question. The two basic mass storage mediums which are used seem to be Hard Disk Drives and Solid State drives.

Solid State Drives (SSDs) are more reliable for long-term unused storage, since there is not magnetism to degrade. They also have read/write rates much greater than HDDs. The disadvantage of these is that each physical binary switch can only be toggled so many times before it fails. For this reason, SSDs are better for long-term backups than frequently updated ones.

Hard Drisk Drives (HDDs) tend to be more reliable for frequently accessed and updated backups. They can be writen to and read with very little wear, and the magnetic bits can be "toggled" as many times as you wish. The read/write rate is slower than SSDs, but can be done many more times than with Flash memory, which is used in SSDs. Other than the slower transfer rate, the other disadvantage of these is that they have moving parts. The modern hard disk spins around 7200 times each minute, and the read/write head must also move. In general, these drives are better for frequently updated storage.

Something else to consider is that when HHDs fail, they usually do so catastrophically. You will have little warning, and some or all data may be lost. SSDs tend to fail progressively. If disk integrity is checked from time to time (although this itself will cause some wear) you have a better chance of removing your data from the drive before too much of it has failed. Your data could be corrupt, however, if too many switches failed.

Basically, they pick based on their needs. SSDs are slowly becoming more popular, but they still have their problems. The "good old" HDD can still be more effectivly protected using a RAID system, and tend to fail less, but they are slower, and wear based on time, more than usage.