Question about replacing/expanding a disk

I have a small mini pc as server similar to [1], which has a super nice small form and has an internal slot for a 2.5" ssd disk. Currently I have a 2TB SSD, but it is filling up rapidly.

My options are:

  1. Buy a way more expensive 8TB SSD and replace the existing one
  2. Buy a much cheaper 8TB HDD + enclosure and connect it via USB.

I wonder what are the pros and cons of each option. I like 1 more because the form factor of the homelab is maintained and I don’t need to plug yet another thing. OTOH I’m allergic to spending money 😆 so a cheaper solution (about 4 times cheaper) is always welcome.

Maybe I’m missing a third alternative? Opinions?

[1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BVLS7ZHP/

cc @[email protected] @[email protected]

  • schizoEnglish
    4·
    16 days ago

    If this is for 24/7 use, don’t do USB drives. The problem, typically, is that the SATA->USB chipsets will, at some point, shit themselves and you’ll have random things crashing or even data loss.

    They’re really just not designed for constant load, and a server-esque workload is just asking for shit to break at random and data to be lost.

    And yes, I know lots of people use them like this, but this is very much a case of it’s perfectly fine until it’s not.