Your laptop’s storage space is running low and it’s time to backup your photos. External hard drives, both desktop and portable, are now more affordable than ever. Our in-depth reviews can help you find the perfect one for your needs.
The Best External Hard Drives for 2023
OVERVIEW
Western Digital My Book
Best Overall Desktop Hard Drive for General Storage.
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$139.64
at Amazon
Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch
Best Budget Portable Hard Drive.
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$84.99
at Amazon
WD My Passport (5TB)
Best High-Capacity Portable Hard Drive.
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$114.99
at Best Buy
Seagate FireCuda Gaming Hub
Best Desktop Hard Drive for Gamers.
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$219.99
at Seagate
WD Black P10 Game Drive
Best Portable Hard Drive for Gamers.
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$62.83
at Amazon
LaCie 2big RAID
Best Desktop Hard Drive (RAID) for Creative Pros.
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$489.99
at Amazon
LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle
Best Portable Hard Drive (RAID) for Creative Pros.
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$499.99
at Amazon
ADATA HD830 External Hard Drive
Best Rugged Portable Hard Drive for Windows Users.
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$167.53
at Amazon
SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD
Best Rugged Portable Hard Drive for Mac Users.
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$79.79
at Amazon
iStorage DiskAshur DT2
Best Security-Minded Desktop Hard Drive.
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$194.00
at Amazon
OVERVIEW
External hard drives, which use spinning disks to store data, are becoming faster, more stylish, and more durable compared to previous models. They are also becoming more cost-effective as they offer more storage space for less money. For around $50, you can easily add an extra terabyte of storage to your computer by connecting it to an external hard drive using a USB cable.
When choosing an external hard drive, you should consider more than just the cost. The capacity of the drive is the most important factor, and it can greatly affect the price. Other factors to consider include the size of the drive, its durability, the way it connects to your computer, and even its color options. This guide can help you understand these and other important questions to help you make the best decision when buying an external hard drive.
A Deeper Dive: Our Tested Top Picks
Western Digital My Book
Best Overall Desktop Hard Drive for General Storage
4.5 Outstanding
Bottom Line:
The 8TB Western Digital My Book is a cost-effective solution for storing large amounts of data, such as photos, music, and videos.
PROS
- Comes in a variety of large capacities.
- Three-year warranty.
CONS
- Requires external power adapter.
Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch
Best Budget Portable Hard Drive
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch is a great option for both daily backups and secure storage, thanks to its fast performance and strong encryption. Its fabric cover also adds a stylish touch.
PROS
- Fabric-covered enclosure.
- Small and light.
- Seagate Toolkit provides handy backup/recover functions, as well as mirroring.
- Data protected by password and AES-256 hardware encryption.
CONS
- Fabric cover a bit slippery to grip.
- Seagate Toolkit a separate download.
WD My Passport (5TB)
Best High-Capacity Portable Hard Drive
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The 5TB WD My Passport is a strong choice for everyday backup of important data or storing large collections of photos, videos, and documents. It has strong performance, hardware encryption, and useful tools to keep your data secure.
PROS
- 5TB is peak portable single-drive capacity.
- Small and light.
- AES-256 hardware encryption with password.
- Ships with apps for backup/restore, reformatting and checking drive health, and more.
CONS
- At list price, the 5TB version has a higher cost per gigabyte than the 4TB version.
Seagate FireCuda Gaming Hub
Best Desktop Hard Drive for Gamers
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The Seagate FireCuda Gaming Hub is great for backing up and storing all your games. It could have more ports, but it still performs well. The downside is that its spinning disk technology limits its speed potential.
PROS
- Immense capacity options, particularly the 16TB model tested
- Low cost per gigabyte
- Tasteful, showy RGB lighting
- Mature software suite
CONS
- Single-drive design can’t approach basic SSD speeds
- For a hub, could use another port or two
WD Black P10 Game Drive
Best Portable Hard Drive for Gamers
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The WD Black P10 Game Drive has a gaming design and is a reasonably priced solution for storing your game library. It’s a simple and stylish way to keep all your games in one place.
PROS
- Sturdy, compact design
- Good grippability
- Appealing gamer aesthetic
CONS
- USB Type-C cable not included
LaCie 2big RAID
Best Desktop Hard Drive (RAID) for Creative Pros
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The LaCie 2big RAID is designed for professionals like videographers who handle a lot of data. It has two high-capacity drives that can be easily swapped, and different settings for maximum flexibility and data protection.
PROS
- Can use RAID 0 for higher speed and capacity, RAID 1 for drive mirroring, or JBOD (RAID off).
- Five-year warranty with five years of Data Rescue recovery.
- Drives are hot-swappable.
CONS
- High price per gigabyte.
- Need to download utilities to manage the drive.
- Kensington lock slot secures only the case, leaving the drives easily removable.
LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle
Best Portable Hard Drive (RAID) for Creative Pros
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle is a two-drive solution for those who produce a lot of data while working in the field. It offers the choice of high capacity and fast performance or mirrored data on the second disk. This makes it a good option for anyone needing to store a large amount of data while on-the-go.
PROS
- Flat, easily mailable chassis.
- Can set to RAID 0 for higher speed and capacity, or to RAID 1 for drive mirroring.
- Bundled cables for USB Type-A and Type-C on PC side.
CONS
- No tab over Type-C connector to protect it from dust and water.
- High price per gigabyte, due largely to ruggedization and RAID design.
ADATA HD830 External Hard Drive
Best Rugged Portable Hard Drive for Windows Users
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The ADATA HD830 is a tough external hard drive with a spinning disk that provides good protection and value for the money.
PROS
- IP68 resistance to water and dust.
- Highly crush-resistant chassis.
- Aggressive price for capacity, build.
- Two colors to choose between.
CONS
- On the heavy, bulky side for some.
- Only waterproof and dustproof when the USB cover is closed.
- Could use a Type-C cable.
SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD
Best Rugged Portable Hard Drive for Mac Users
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD is a portable hard drive that is affordable and visually appealing. It has some protection from weather but does not come with any software programs or hardware-based security features. It is best for Mac users.
PROS
- Rugged enough to protect from the elements, with rubberized sheath and port cover
- Attractive design
- Ideal for use with macOS
- Both USB-C and USB-A cables bundled
- Competitive pricing
CONS
- Lacks software suite and hardware-based encryption
- Requires reformatting for use with Windows
iStorage DiskAshur DT2
Best Security-Minded Desktop Hard Drive
4.0 Excellent
Bottom Line:
The iStorage DiskAshur DT2 is a secure desktop hard drive for sensitive data. It has large storage capacity (up to 18TB), many security features that are certified by government agencies, and a cost-effective price per gigabyte.
PROS
- Immense capacity
- Low cost per gigabyte for a security-centric drive
- AES-XTS 256-bit full-disk hardware encryption
- FIPS 140-2 Level 2/3, NCSC CPA, NLNCSA BSPA, and NATO Restricted certifications
- Easy for authorized users to unlock
CONS
- No protective case or ruggedness features
- Low score in PCMark 10 benchmark for everyday storage tasks
Top Recommendations: Best External Hard Drives | 2023
Solid-state drives (SSDs) are faster than traditional hard drives because they have no moving parts. Instead of using spinning plates and a magnetic head to access data, SSDs use flash memory, similar to the memory found in a computer’s RAM.
SSDs are faster than traditional hard drives because they access data through flash memory instead of spinning plates. A traditional hard drive’s read and write speeds range from 100MBps to 200MBps, while an external SSD can offer speeds of over 400MBps, making it much quicker to transfer large files such as movies or photos.
Should I buy a desktop hard drive or a portable one?
A desktop hard drive usually has one spinning plate and is housed in a 3.5-inch drive, with a capacity up to 12TB or sometimes even 16TB in an external case. It is about 5 inches tall and 2 inches wide. It is used to store large files and also as a backup storage for a computer’s hard drive using included software or a separate backup tool.
Portable hard drives are smaller and use the same type of spinning plate mechanism found in laptops. They are called 2.5-inch drives, but are slightly wider. They can fit easily in a purse or pocket and get power through the interface cable from the connected computer, so no additional power source is needed.
To compare the value of similar portable drives, divide the cost of the drive by its capacity in gigabytes to get the cost per gigabyte. For example, a $60 1TB drive would be 6 cents per gigabyte, while an $80 2TB drive would be 4 cents per gigabyte.
Should I Use RAID for Backup?
Larger desktop drives with multiple spinning plate mechanisms can be set up as a RAID array using included software. The RAID level chosen can prioritize capacity, speed, or data redundancy based on your needs.
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) can increase speed or provide data redundancy. A RAID setup using a level for faster access can be similar to an SSD, while levels 1, 5, or 10 can provide protection for important data. The trade-off between raw capacity and data redundancy should be considered when choosing a RAID level.
Which Drive Interface is Better?
External hard drives connect to a computer using USB or Thunderbolt. The speed of data access on the drive depends on the type of connection used and the storage mechanism used by the drive.
Thunderbolt 3 is the fastest connection type for external hard drives currently. It uses a USB Type-C connector and offers fast data transfer speeds of up to 40GBps. Not all USB Type-C ports support Thunderbolt 3, but many high-end laptops and all recent MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs do. Some Thunderbolt 3 external drives also come with additional ports for peripherals, making them a handy hub for your setup.
Most desktop and portable hard drives use plain USB for their connection. USB is widely available on recent laptops and desktops, and external drives often come with cables that have both USB Type-A and USB Type-C connectors to make connections easier. Some drives may only include one cable, so you may need an adapter depending on the available USB ports on your computer.
USB ports on computers can support different versions of USB (3.0, 3.1, or 3.2) but this doesn’t affect the speed of an external hard drive. The speed of the drive platters is what limits the speed, not the version of USB. All versions of USB are compatible with each other and the hard drive will work with any of them.
Is Buying A Rugged External Hard Drive Worth It?
If you plan to frequently carry your external hard drive, it’s important to consider its durability. Some models have protective plastic bumpers and some meet military standards for shock and dust protection (such as IP67 or IP68). These features can help protect the drive from damage.
Which One is the Best External Hard Disk Available in the Market?
Some external hard drives have additional features such as SD card readers, Wi-Fi, and the ability to act as a media server. There are many different external hard drives available on the market with varying capacities and prices. It’s important to keep in mind that most drives come in different capacity options. If you are interested in external SSDs, you can also find information on those by clicking on related links.
