The greatest external hard drives are here to stay. Certainly, external SSDs may be faster, more efficient, and more reliable. Yet, external hard disk drives offer the best price-to-value ratio (or price per TB). This is especially true if you require a large amount of storage space on the go or if you need to purchase multiple units for your business.
Due to the absence of moving parts, solid-state drives (SSDs) are more durable. However, they tend to be more expensive, especially for greater capacity and if you wish to transport more than 4TB. And that’s exactly what you need if you want the most economical answer.
Obviously, if extra security or incredibly fast read and write speeds are more critical, you may be better off investing in a secure drive(opens in new tab) or a portable SSD(opens in new tab) (opens in new tab).
If not, you (and your money account) might be better off purchasing one of the best external hard drives. Take a look at our recommendations, which include options that are great for Macs(opens in new tab), Chromebooks(opens in new tab), gaming, and even photographers and video editors on a budget.
1. Seagate Backup Plus
There are six distinct external hard drive families from Seagate, but Backup Plus is the one that caught my attention. It combines the merits of Seagate’s Basic line (affordability and a no-frills approach) with some of its own features, such as seven different color options and a one-year data recovery warranty.
Keep in mind that this is a portable hard drive, which means it is easily transportable. It is not as cumbersome as desktop hard drives and requires no external power supply. The reviewed disk is the largest in its class and comes with Seagate Dashboard software, which is compatible with Windows and Mac OS.
This drive has three unique selling points compared to its competitors: a free data recovery warranty (up to two years, subject to terms and conditions), a one-year subscription to the photo cloud storage service Myliocreate (worth $99.99), and a four-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud photography (worth a tidy $39.96).
2. Silicon Power Armor Type A66
The Silicon Power A66 is comparable to a specialist in the Olympic Heptathlon. It is a portable hard drive that combines three essential characteristics for external storage utopia: It is inexpensive in comparison to other competitors (such as the Sandisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD) and your data will be better secured if you do not intend to submerge it in water (it is only IPX4 rated).
The A66 does not include any software, and the included cable is a special one (Type-A both ways which makes replacing it problematic). In real-world tests, its performance is comparable to the rest of the HDD-based competitors; if you want something faster, more durable, smaller, and compatible with mobile devices, you will need to invest far more in a robust SSD.
3. ADATA HD710 Professional
Due to their tiny moving elements, hard disk drives (HDDs) are fragile. All of your data can become unavailable in a split second if an error occurs. The majority of failures can be linked to disk surfaces that have been damaged by physical shocks, such as being struck, tipped over, or dropped. Especially when in use, sudden shocks can cause the head to crash or damage the platter. Just exposing your data to the elements can destroy your day. Thus, using a standard external hard drive while outdoors is dangerous.
A gadget with an IP68 rating is resistant to dust, filth, and sand, and may be submerged up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Sounds fine? This is the type of certification rating that the ADATA HD 710 Pro carries. The company went over and above to protect HDD internals with silicone shell, triple-layered construction, and vibration detection technology, allowing it to endure 1.5-meter drops.
It is quick, with a 5Gbps USB 3.1 interface, and its 4TB storage will meet the needs of the ordinary mobile worker, and then some. This variant is available in four colors, making it easy to separate projects by color-coded drives; however, labels should not be used in an outdoor environment. Its “wrap-around” method ensures that the cable is always with the drive, preventing tangles and obstructions. Very helpful while carrying the drive in a bag (opens in new tab).
4. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme
The water-resistant and shock-proof Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is not invincible, but it is a welcome alternative to several dangerously weak external hard drives on the market.
The sturdy chassis has a 2.5-inch laptop hard drive protected by shock-absorbing bumpers designed to withstand falls of up to 1.2 meters (4 feet). It will not survive being thrown out of a window, but it will be unharmed if it falls off a table. The IP5X certification indicates that it is nearly dust-proof, and the IPX3 certification indicates that it can withstand a water spray at an angle of up to 60 degrees.
A notable feature is its 256-bit AES encryption with near-field communication (NFC) functionality, which enables it to be unlocked by touching a smartphone. Having NTFS already formatted, it is immediately compatible with a Windows computer. Obviously, Mac users can format it as HFS+ if they so choose. Plus, if you format it as exFAT, it will simultaneously support Mac, PC, and the Playstation 4 and 5 game consoles.
The drive comes included with Buffalo’s “ModeChanger” program for Windows and Mac that toggles the drive between Open and Secure and vice versa. After switching modes in less than a minute, the drive must be formatted.
The drive’s front LED lights illuminate green for USB 2.0 connections and blue for USB 3.0 connections. If you require a longer cable, you must utilize a male-to-female cable.
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While purchasing the best external hard drive for your needs, you must ensure that the device can store your crucial and most important files safely and securely. You do not want to get an external hard drive that fails and causes you to lose all of your crucial backups.
The best external hard drives will also be fast since they employ the most recent connecting technologies, such as USB-C.
When it comes to data transfer rates, the connection the drive utilizes and whether it is a normal hard drive or solid-state drive are the determining variables (SSD). A large number of external hard drives use USB 3.0 connectors. For greater speeds, however, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3 or 4 connections are required. You must also confirm that your PC or laptop has a compatible port.
If you frequently work with huge files, such as high-resolution images and videos, you might consider purchasing a device with more storage space. Fortunately, many external hard drives provide terabytes (TB) of storage space for only a modest price increase.
