For those who’re operating out of space for storing in your laptop computer, or if you’ll want to again up your information and retailer that backlog of movies you are going to edit sooner or later (I’m, I swear), an exterior laborious drive can remedy your drawback. The difficulty is, there are lots of of drive choices starting from filth low cost to loopy costly—which one is correct in your wants? I’ve examined dozens, throughout working techniques and with totally different use circumstances in thoughts, to seek out one of the best exterior laborious drives for storage, backups, gaming, video enhancing, network-attached storage (NAS) gadgets, and extra.
Take a look at our different guides, together with How to Back Up and Move Your Photos Between Services, How to Back Up Your Digital Life, and How to Back Up Your iPhone.
Up to date February 2025: We have added the Western Digital My Passport Extremely, LaCie’s Rugged Pro5, and the Samsung EVO 990 naked drive. We have additionally up to date costs and hyperlinks all through.
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Desk of Contents
Selecting the correct laborious drive comes right down to balancing three issues: pace, measurement, and value. For those who’re making nightly backups, then pace in all probability does not matter. Go for the most affordable drive you will discover—up to some extent. Drives do not final eternally, however some last more than others. I counsel sticking with identified manufacturers with a very good popularity, like Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, and the others featured right here. That is based mostly partly on expertise and partly on the drive failure information that Backblaze has been publishing for years now. Backblaze goes by means of huge quantities of laborious drives backing up prospects’ information, and its report is price studying. The takeaway is easy: Persist with names .
Which Are the Most Dependable Manufacturers of Exterior Laborious Drives?
That is tough to reply, because it depends upon too many elements. However in case you go by Backblaze’s stats report for 2023, one of the best drive makes are Toshiba, Seagate, Western Digital, and Hitachi (HGST in Backblaze’s charts). The present best-performing drives seem like Seagate’s 6- and 8-TB SSDs. With that in thoughts, if I have been constructing a network-attached storage (NAS) system, the Seagate Exos 8 TB HDD is what I might use. After that although, failures—particularly amongst SSDs—seem fairly random.
Which Is Higher, SSD or HDD?
It depends upon what you are doing. For those who want quick information switch speeds, then you definately need a solid-state drive (SSD). When you have huge quantities of knowledge to retailer or again up, then a spinning drive (hybrid laborious drive, or HDD) is the cheaper choice. For those who’re a videographer, you want each—open your pockets extensive. Usually, SSDs are the way in which to go when you may afford it.
If pace trumps value, then you definately wish to have a look at the solid-state drives we have listed right here. SSDs do not simply have a pace benefit. In addition they lack shifting elements, which suggests they will stand up to the bumps and falls of life in a bag on the street higher than spinning drives. The drawback is that they’ll put on out quicker. Each write operation to an SSD—that’s, if you save one thing to it—barely degrades the person NAND cells that make up the drive, which wears it out considerably quicker than a spinning drive. Simply how a lot quicker depends upon how you utilize it. That stated, I’ve a number of SSDs which are greater than 5 years previous, and I’ve used them for each day backups all through that point. None of them have had any issues.
Do you want an SSD over a spinning drive? The reply is nearly at all times sure—in case you can afford it. However they’re particularly helpful for any drive you are working with usually: your important boot drive, an exterior drive you utilize to edit paperwork from, and for backups, in case you want them to occur quick.
The one caveat is that in case your Mac or PC does not help the identical USB commonplace because the exterior SSD you are contemplating, then you definately is likely to be losing your cash. A drive claiming USB 3.0 speeds within the neighborhood of two,000 Mbps will do you no good if all of your laptop computer has is USB 2.0 ports. Remember to examine the specs in your laptop computer, and do not waste your cash paying for switch speeds you may by no means see.
Which Backup Software program Ought to You Use?
The reply depends upon whether or not we’re speaking about macOS, Home windows, Linux, Android, or no matter Apple working system you is likely to be utilizing now or in the future. Sadly, there isn’t a one resolution for every thing. We advise utilizing one (or two) of the storage gadgets right here and a few sort of cloud storage backup as properly. That approach, even when your drives fail, your information remains to be backed up within the cloud. See our complete guide to backing up your digital life for our top-pick backup options for each platform.
How We Examined Exterior Laborious Drives
I examined these drives by first operating them by means of a collection of benchmarking instruments. On Home windows, I exploit CrystalDiskMark to measure each sequential learn/write speeds and random learn/write speeds. On macOS, I do the identical with the Blackmagic Disk Pace Check and typically AmorphousDiskMark, and on Linux, I exploit KDiskMark (and I normally reformat the disk from exFAT to ext4). I run exams six occasions after which take the typical. Along with benchmarks, I’ve two folders for testing real-world speeds. I switch a 25-gigabyte folder of MP3 recordsdata, after which a folder with three recordsdata that collectively are 25 gigabytes in measurement. For high finish drives I additionally take a look at learn and write speeds for ProRes RAW video recordsdata.
As soon as I’ve run the exams, I exploit the drive in day-to-day duties—enhancing recordsdata immediately off it (booting from it within the case of naked drives), making nightly backups, tossing it in my digital camera bag, and so forth. All these information factors, together with value, type issue, portability, and different performance (does it provide encryption, and so on.), go into informing the choices about which disk is finest.
Greatest for Backups
For incremental backups, which we recommend, pace is not an enormous issue. That is why the primary drive I like to recommend is that this Western Digital Components laborious drive. I’ve been utilizing a variation of the Components desktop laborious drive to make incremental backups of my information for greater than a decade now. These drives are huge and require exterior energy, however they’re a few of the most cost-effective, most dependable drives I’ve used.
Switch speeds usually are not off the charts—the Components drive I examined scored 120 megabits per second (Mbps) for sequential writes on Home windows—however once more, it is best to ideally be operating backups in a single day anyway, and even at these speeds the typical PC backup might be carried out by morning. These drives use USB-C with help for USB 3, and I’ve had no drawback utilizing them with Home windows, macOS, and Linux.
Storage choices go all the way in which as much as 20 terabytes. Simply examine the costs; typically you may get a 10- and even 12-TB drive for not far more than the 8-terabyte model. And I’ve not seen an enormous distinction between the Components line, the WD My Book drives, or the WD My Passport drives. The My Passport drives command a premium value as a result of they’re smaller, and the My E book drives have some encryption options that drive up the worth, however I discover the essential Components drive is adequate for most individuals.
Different Nice Backup Drives
- Seagate Expansion 8-TB External Hard Drive for $159: Seagate is one other dependable drive maker. It by no means hurts to have extra backups, and in case you do need a number of backups, use drives from totally different manufacturers, since it can cut back the prospect that each fail concurrently.
Greatest for Transportable Backups
For those who journey so much, you may need one thing that is simpler to hold than the Components drives, which are not one of the best in a suitcase. For backups when touring, I like Western Digital’s My Passport sequence, particularly the brand new “Extremely” model, which makes use of an ordinary USB-C twine, eliminating the necessity to carry a separate cable. It isn’t the thinnest drive in the marketplace, but it surely’s lower than an inch thick and strong sufficient that I by no means anxious about tossing it in my bag. (Though it needs to be stated that it is a spinning drive, so do not actually toss it.) I additionally like that the corners are properly rounded and there are not any screws or anything that may catch on material in your bag.
There are a number of colours out there and you may get from 1 TB to six TB. I examined the 5-TB mannequin, however Western Digital claims the identical speeds no matter drive measurement. I examined it utilizing CrystalDiskMark on Home windows, AmorphousDiskMark on macOS, and KDiskMark on Linux and averaged the outcomes to provide you with 121 MB/s for learn pace and 115 MB/s write pace. It isn’t what you’d wish to copy images shortly for a consumer within the discipline, however quick sufficient to run a each day backup in your resort room.
Different Transportable Backup Drives
The Greatest Drive for When Pace Is Every little thing
LaCie has up to date its rugged SSD line with the Rugged Pro5. This one ditches the long-lasting orange padding for blue, however it’s in any other case identical to the peculiar LaCie padded drives on the skin. On the within, that is an amazingly quick drive. The 5 within the title is for, you guessed it, Thunderbolt 5, which regardless of being introduced seemingly forever ago, has been painfully sluggish to trickle onto the market. This made testing a bit tough, however luckily a pal let me borrow his brand-new MacBook Professional 14 for testing. And the outcomes have been spectacular.
LaCie claims learn/write speeds of as much as 6,700 MB/s and 5,300 MB/s, which it says are sufficient for real-time enhancing of 8K and 6K RAW footage. In testing the very best speeds, file transfers have been 5,787 MB/s learn and 5,188 MB/s write—which, whereas not fairly matching the declare, remains to be far and away the quickest drive on the web page. However uncooked speeds are simply numbers for spreadsheets; I used to be extra inquisitive about real-world efficiency. Since I occurred to even be testing the Nikon Z6III (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which may shoot 6K ProRes RAW, I loaded a very good little bit of footage on the Pro5 and was certainly in a position to edit utilizing DaVinci Resolve Studio.
The draw back right here is the worth. At $600 for the 4-TB model (which is the minimal you’d need for working with ProRes RAW video recordsdata), it is a very expensive drive. It’s nevertheless, properly well worth the cash if it is pace you are after.
Greatest Price range Transportable SSD
These Essential drives are my favourite general-purpose exterior storage drives. They’re fairly priced (for a conveyable SSD) and speedy sufficient for many makes use of. The X6 is light-weight and tiny, making it a sensible choice for working on the espresso store.
This is not a blinding-fast laborious disk. In truth, beneath the hood, the X6 makes use of an older drive interface (Serial AT Attachment, or SATA), which was extra widespread with spinning laborious drives. So whereas it is small and light-weight, its pace is proscribed by that older interface know-how. In my testing on Home windows and macOS, that works out to about 550 Mbps learn pace and 208 Mbps write pace. That is ok for backup and use as an exterior drive, however I do not advocate it for Xbox or PlayStation use. It does work advantageous with the iPad Pro although.
The most important draw back is the plastic building—it’s a conveyable laborious drive, not an indestructible laborious drive. For those who’re anxious about it breaking in your bag, seize a padded case. There are a lot on the market, like this one. The Essential X9 (beneath) is a step up from the X6, each by way of construct high quality (it is steel to the X6’s plastic) and pace, however the X9 is significantly costlier.
Different Nice Price range Drives
- Kingston XS1000 2-TB for $120: This tiny little drive is the smallest on this information. Just like the Essential X6, it has a largely plastic enclosure, but it surely has withstood life in my bag fairly properly. Whereas it isn’t as strong because the padded choices beneath, it is robust sufficient for many issues. It is also speedy. Kingston claims as much as 1,050 Mbps. I by no means managed that, however I routinely hit round 800 Mbps, with some older laptops nearer to 600 Mbps, which remains to be fairly good. The drive bogs down a bit with massive recordsdata (MP4s, for instance), so it isn’t one of the best for professional videographers, however for everybody else, it is a strong, barely cheaper choice.
Greatest for Photographers
Essential’s X9 Professional hits the candy spot of pace, portability, and value to be among the best drives on the market for photographers seeking to make backups within the discipline. These drives are tiny, about half the dimensions of a deck of playing cards, and weigh a mere 1.3 ounces (38 grams). They will connect with absolutely anything. I examined the X9 Professional on Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS and by no means hit any points with any of them. In terms of pace, the X9 Professional claims symmetrical learn and write speeds, at 1,050 Mbps. I truly constantly bought increased speeds, as much as 1,110 Mbps for learn and 1,100 Mbps for write. That places the X9 Professional on the high of the pack by way of transportable drive pace.
I have been testing the X9 Professional for a number of months now, and whereas I can not but converse to the long-term survival fee, I’ve been testing X6 and X8 drives from Essential for over two years now with out difficulty. There may be additionally the X10 Pro drive ($180), which gives even quicker speeds when you have a PC that helps USB 2X2. (The most recent Intel chips help this spec, however Apple doesn’t, so there isn’t any level in shopping for the X10 Professional when you have a Mac.) I don’t personal a PC that helps USB 2X2 for intensive testing, however I did get an opportunity to at the least attempt it, and the X10 Professional does certainly ship on its promise of two,100 Mbps (I bought it as much as 2,050 Mbps). In case your {hardware} helps it, the X10 Professional is price the additional cash.
Greatest Go-Wherever Drive
For those who want a drive that may stand as much as life in a backpack or camera bag, get moist, or deal with a drop onto laborious surfaces, OWC drives are your most suitable option. It is robust to choose a winner right here as a result of there are lots of strong choices, however OWC’s Elektron drive narrowly beat others in benchmark exams. I additionally like that you may swap out the drive contained in the aluminum casing (it is simple to unscrew), which suggests two years from now, you may decide up a quicker naked SSD and drop it within the hardy Elektron enclosure.
Different Nice Rugged SSDs
- Sabrent Rocket Nano 1-TB SSD for $120: I actually like this one. It is smaller and barely quicker than the OWC, but it surely has two drawbacks. The primary is that it may possibly get scorching. For those who’re attempting to work with it in your lap, it may be downright uncomfortable. The opposite difficulty is that typically it is sluggish to be acknowledged by my PC. I may discover no sample to this; typically it appeared instantly, and different occasions it took a few minutes. If these issues do not hassle you, this drive is tiny, cheaper, and features a padded rubber case.
Greatest Padded Drive
The go-anywhere drives above are a strong resolution for individuals who have to make backups within the discipline, like photographers and videographers. However if you’d like an additional degree of consolation, this padded drive from LaCie has lengthy been a favourite of vacationers. LaCie makes each an SSD model and a standard spinning drive model. If pace is not a problem, as with making nightly backups, then the cheaper spinning drive makes extra sense. For those who’re backing up in the course of a photograph shoot or comparable scenario the place backing up must occur quick, the SSD model is what you need.
Different Nice Padded Choices
- Samsung T7 Shield 2-TB SSD for $149: It is not as padded as LaCie’s rugged drives, but it surely’s cheaper and delivers almost the identical pace. It has an IP65 rating, which suggests it is advantageous within the rain and is protected against mud and sand. The T7 line is notable for its built-in security measures like hardware-based encryption, however in contrast to the Touch model, the Protect doesn’t have a fingerprint reader. Nonetheless, in case you do not want the complete padded safety of the LaCie and wish to save a little bit cash, the T7 Protect is an effective choice.
Greatest Gaming Drive
Take this class with a grain of salt. Many of the drives right here will work simply advantageous for gaming (simply follow the quickest you may afford). That stated, Western Digital’s new P40 does have some cool RGB lights on the underside if that is your jam. In my testing, that did not appear to influence energy consumption.
As for pace, my exams have been inconsistent. This drive is able to speeds that handily beat each the Envoy Professional and Samsung T7, however at different occasions it appeared to lavatory down (at the least in benchmarks). In real-world use, the bottleneck I constantly hit was some lag in transferring enormous quantities of knowledge. That is likely to be a deal-breaker for some, however for the worth, it stays a strong selection.
Greatest Naked Drive
If you wish to put a much bigger SSD in your laptop computer, all you want is a naked drive, which is mostly cheaper than the drives with enclosures listed above. The very first thing to determine is which drive your PC makes use of. Seek the advice of your producer’s documentation to seek out out. In my expertise, the commonest type issue is M.2 2280, which is the lengthy, skinny drive within the picture above. Extra compact laptops could use the same, however shorter, M.2 2242 design. Once more, examine your PC to substantiate the drive it wants before you purchase. There are a ton of those in the marketplace, and I have not had time to check many but, however to this point, out of the half dozen I’ve tried, Western Digital’s WD Black sequence has stood out for pace, and it does not run very popular.
The SN 770 M.2 2280 achieved speeds of 5,100 Mbps in my testing, which is blazing quick. For those who’re doing loads of drive-intensive duties, like enhancing video or gaming, this drive is properly well worth the cash. The biggest model you may get is 2 TB, however the value is cheap contemplating the pace enhance. I have been utilizing it as my important drive for a number of months and located it quick sufficient for every thing I do, together with enhancing 5.2K video footage and compiling software program. My favourite half? It generates little or no warmth. My older Dell XPS 13 used to get too scorching to make use of with out one thing between it and my lap. Now it does not get scorching till I begin attempting to export video, however shortly cools off as quickly because it’s carried out.
A Luxurious Improve
- Western Digital SN850X 2-TB SSD for $85: This drive is so screaming quick I needed to run my exams twice as a result of I did not consider the primary outcome. Western Digital claims as much as 7,300 Mbps learn speeds, and in benchmark exams, this drive’s outcomes got here shut. To take full benefit of the pace right here, you may want a system that helps the PCIe 4.0 SSD commonplace, however it is a nice drive if you wish to improve a gaming system, whether or not it is a desktop PC or your PlayStation. This drive can also be one of many few I’ve seen that is out there as much as 8-TB capacity.
- Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2-TB for $143: The 990 EVO Plus is an improve to the very fashionable 990 EVO. The unique didn’t provide something compelling and by no means made this information, however the brand new model manages to be impressively speedy and never overly scorching, as many Gen 5 PCIe disks I’ve examined have been. The 990 EVO Plus additionally launched with a 4-TB mannequin, one thing lacking the primary time round. By way of pace it does not fairly match the SN850X above, topping out at 5,677 MB/s learn, but it surely’s a lot quick for many makes use of and stays fairly cool even when pushed. For those who’re in search of a very good all-around drive that stays cool, this one makes a sensible choice, although it’s on the expensive aspect for what you get.
