So I’m adding external storage to a Fire Stick and I’m wondering what will last longer, a USB stick or a micro sd card in a USB adapter?

The firestick will likely use the external storage for a few hours everyday so it will need to last as long as my grandmother does.

Second question, how long should I expect these to last assuming I buy quality?

  • brimston3-@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    All removable media is impermanent. Keep backups.

    But realistically, if it is never unplugged and only used read-only as a media source, it’s unlikely either will fail in a couple years at least (probably longer). If it fails, just buy another to replace it.

  • skreak@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Internally - there is basically zero difference between a usb thumbdrive and a microsd card.

    • NiteShdw@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      That’s not necessarily true. It all depends on the flash and controller used in the USB drive. There ARE USB drives that are specifically designed for high endurance.

      I have a USB stick that’s literally using an SSD controller internally and SSD quality flash. It’s much more expensive than a normal USB drive.

      I would also argue that (micro)SD cards have very poor write endurance due to a lack of an internal controller.

      • MartinsRedditAccount@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        I believe (micro)SD cards actually do have a controller. It’s also possible to “Trim” SD cards via MMC commands, though this requires them to be accessible directly (i.e. /dev/mmcblk on Linux).

        If you need USB-based storage that should be performant and reliable, there is a no-brainer solution: NVMe enclosure with a medium to high tier SSD. It’s really hard to match the speed, reliability, and price of this solution.

  • zedkyuu@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    This is just playing media back, right? Keep a copy of the media elsewhere (and, if it’s important to you, check that you can access it periodically) and buy the cheapest thing you can find for the TV.

  • natufian@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    so it will need to last as long as my grandmother does.

    We need the S.M.A.R.T data on the grandmother.

  • WikiBox@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    It depends on what USB stick and what SD card.

    A high quality “Extreme Endurance” SD card can be expected to last much longer than a random USB stick.

    A decent quality SSD, in a USB stick shape, might be even better.

    I like SanDisk Extreme Pro Solid State USB sticks. Somewhere in between. Perhaps.

  • Geezheeztall@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Neither. I had photos (long since transferred) taken onto an SD card. I recently looked at them after a couple of years to find many of them corrupt. Same for unused usb drives. You need to mount them periodically.