By all accounts, an SSD will outpace an HDD, but a hard drive is still king when it comes to storing an absurd amount of data at an affordable price. An external HDD comes in all shapes and sizes, from portable to a compact but more stationary secondary storage device. Of course, the best external HDD is going to be one that fits your needs!
SanDisk Professional G-Drive
LaCie Mobile Drive
Western Digital My Book
Western Digital Elements
ADATA HD710 Pro
Best External HDD Overall:SanDisk Professional G-Drive
TheSanDisk Professional G-Drivewouldn’t be at the top of our list if it wasn’t pulling out all the stops. Outside of needing a power supply, it has so few weaknesses. For instance, you have a wide variety of storage options, from a mere 4TB to a whopping 22TB. With its USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and read/write speeds of up to 280Mbps, the SanDisk Professional G-Drive won’t have you checking your watch like the average HDD would.
An anodized aluminum casing protects all those delicate mechanical parts, giving the SanDisk Professional G-Drive the durability it needs when you’re on the go.
With a tough exterior shell, large capacities, and fast read/write speeds for an HDD, the SanDisk Professional G-Drive can accommodate every walk of life. Although it comes formatted for Mac right out of the box, it can also be formatted for Windows!
Best Budget External HDD:LaCie Mobile Drive
There’s always room for a no-nonsense kind of HDD, and theLaCie Mobile Drivefits the bill beautifully. You’re not only getting plenty of storage for daily use, you’re getting it at a pretty good price. On the outside, the LaCie Mobile Drive is surprisingly durable, given its aluminum casing. That’s more than enough to protect the mechanical parts whenever you toss the HDD into a carrying case.
When in use, the LaCie Mobile Drive’s USB-C port does the work, keeping read and write speeds at a consistent 130Mbps. This is particularly handy if and when you decide to back up data, which you may easily do using LaCie’s intuitive software, LaCie Toolkit.
Pound for pound, the LaCie Mobile Drive offers one of the best deals on storage. At the same time, the HDD features USB-C 3.2, ensuring its read and write speeds aren’t hampered by outdated ports.
Best High Capacity External HDD:Western Digital My Book
Expanding your storage doesn’t have to be complicated, not while theWestern Digital My Bookis an option. With nothing but a power supply and compatible cable, the My Book is ready to use as soon as it’s plugged in.
With just the Western Digital My Book alone, you have up to 22TB of storage to fill, making it a fantastic option for storing large video files and more. And even if that isn’t enough, you can opt for theWestern Digital My Book Duo, which features two drives for a total of 44TB.
With as much as 44TB of storage available, the Western Digital My Book is your go-to option for storing files. It’s ready to use right out of the box, includes backup software, and has 256-bit AES hardware encryption as an added layer of security.
Best External HDD for NAS:Western Digital Elements
If you’re setting up aNAS for your own media serverbut aren’t tech-savvy or just want a quick-and-easy installation, theWestern Digital Elementsis a no-brainer. All you do is plug in a power source, then connect the USB cable to your PC, and it’s ready to go. Up to 22TB of storage at your fingertips!
The best part of Western Digital Elements is that it’s compatible with both Windows and Mac. The HDD is formatted for Windows right out of the box, but with a few clicks, you can reformat it for Mac. You’ll also love how small and compact the Western Digital Elements Desktop HDD is. It’s comparable to a modem in both height and width, so you won’t have any issues finding a place for it.
The Western Digital Elements is, hands down, the easiest solution to getting your NAS up and running. It’s both incredibly easy to set up and has a wide variety of storage options.
Most Portable External HDD:ADATA HD710 Pro
Whether you frequently go outside or consider yourself a very clumsy person, theADATA HD710 Prois the king of protection. It has three layers protecting the HDD inside—an outer silicon layer, a shock-absorbing buffer, and a plastic shell around the fragile components.
What’s particularly impressive is the ADATA HD710 Pro’s shock-absorbing buffer. In addition to preventing damage, the HDD has vibration sensors. If and when you drop the HDD, the sensors put a brake on the mechanical parts, further preventing permanent damage.
You can also rest easy knowing your ADATA HD710 Pro will be just fine if it gets a little wet or comes in contact with dust. Assuming the waterproof port cover is secure, the HD710 Pro can withstand 2 meters underwater for up to 60 minutes.
With a dust and waterproof rating of IP68 and three layers of protection, the ADATA HD710 Pro is the kind of external HDD you need for longevity. It can withstand falls of 1.5 meters and even be submerged in water for an hour.
Q: What is the difference between a HDD and SSD?
It all comes down to how HDDs and SSDs store data. HDDs are mechanical in nature, using moving parts to read and write information. SSDs, on the other hand, don’t use mechanical parts at all.
Q: How long does an external HDD last?
Assuming it runs without issues (which is totally possible), an external HDD can last five years or more. What’s important is to keep your external HDD from experiencing drops, bumps and scrapes as this can cause the mechanical parts inside to break.
Q: Should I use a HDD or SSD for NAS?
Both. Even thebest NASthese days still use HDDs as primary storage, given how cost efficient they are, but also utilize the better performance of SSDs for cache acceleration, for example.
However, if you have to choose between an HDD or SSD for NAS, HDD is the overall better choice. It’s far more affordable and you can still find HDDs with comparable read/write speeds to your average SSD.
Q: How do I reformat my hard drive?
To reformat a hard drive on Windows:
To reformat a hard drive on Mac:
you’re able to also “erase” the hard drive multiple times. If you’re keeping the hard drive, once is fine; if you’re giving it away, you’ll want to erase several times.
