Best External Hard Drive (2025): SSD to Store Data, Video & More Leave a comment
If you happen to’re operating out of cupboard space in your laptop computer, or if you must 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 resolve your drawback. The difficulty is, there are lots of of drive choices starting from dust low cost to loopy costly—which one is correct in your wants? I’ve examined dozens, throughout working methods and with totally different use instances in thoughts, to search out the perfect exterior laborious drives for storage, backups, gaming, video modifying, network-attached storage (NAS) units, and extra.
Try our different guides, together with The right way to Again Up and Transfer Your Images Between Providers, The right way to Again Up Your Digital Life, and The right way to Again 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
Choosing the right laborious drive comes all the way down to balancing three issues: velocity, dimension, and worth. If you happen to’re making nightly backups, then velocity most likely does not matter. Go for the most affordable drive you’ll find—up to some extent. Drives do not final endlessly, however some last more than others. I counsel sticking with recognized manufacturers with fame, like Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung, and the others featured right here. That is primarily based 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 straightforward: Persist with names you already know.
Which Are the Most Dependable Manufacturers of Exterior Laborious Drives?
That is troublesome to reply, because it is dependent upon too many elements. However should you go by Backblaze’s stats report for 2023, the perfect 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 had been constructing a network-attached storage (NAS) system, the Seagate Exos 8 TB HDD is what I’d use. After that although, failures—particularly amongst SSDs—seem fairly random.
Which Is Higher, SSD or HDD?
It is dependent upon what you are doing. If you happen to want quick information switch speeds, you then desire a solid-state drive (SSD). In case you have huge quantities of information to retailer or again up, then a spinning drive (hybrid laborious drive, or HDD) is the cheaper choice. If you happen to’re a videographer, you want each—open your pockets broad. Usually, SSDs are the best way to go when you’ll be able to afford it.
If velocity trumps worth, you then wish to have a look at the solid-state drives we have listed right here. SSDs do not simply have a velocity benefit. Additionally they lack shifting components, which implies they’re going to face up to the bumps and falls of life in a bag on the street higher than spinning drives. The drawback is that they will put on out sooner. 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 sooner than a spinning drive. Simply how a lot sooner is dependent upon how you employ it. That stated, I’ve a number of SSDs which are greater than 5 years outdated, and I’ve used them for every 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 sort of all the time sure—should you can afford it. However they’re particularly helpful for any drive you are working with usually: your fundamental boot drive, an exterior drive you employ to edit paperwork from, and for backups, should you want them to occur quick.
The one caveat is that in case your Mac or PC does not help the identical USB normal because the exterior SSD you are contemplating, you then is perhaps 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. Make sure to test 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 is dependent upon whether or not we’re speaking about macOS, Home windows, Linux, Android, or no matter Apple working system you is perhaps utilizing now or sooner or later. Sadly, there is no such thing as a one answer for all the things. We recommend utilizing one (or two) of the storage units right here and a few sort of cloud storage backup as properly. That manner, even when your drives fail, your information continues to be backed up within the cloud. See our full information 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 Take a look at and typically AmorphousDiskMark, and on Linux, I exploit KDiskMark (and I normally reformat the disk from exFAT to ext4). I run assessments six instances after which take the common. Along with benchmarks, I’ve two folders for testing real-world speeds. I switch a 25-gigabyte folder of MP3 information, after which a folder with three information that collectively are 25 gigabytes in dimension. For high finish drives I additionally check learn and write speeds for ProRes RAW video information.
As soon as I’ve run the assessments, I exploit the drive in day-to-day duties—modifying information straight off it (booting from it within the case of naked drives), making nightly backups, tossing it in my digicam bag, and so forth. All these information factors, together with worth, kind issue, portability, and different performance (does it supply encryption, and many others.), go into informing the selections about which disk is greatest.
Greatest for Backups
For incremental backups, which we suggest, velocity 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 least expensive, most dependable drives I’ve used.
Switch speeds should not off the charts—the Components drive I examined scored 120 megabits per second (Mbps) for sequential writes on Home windows—however once more, you must ideally be operating backups in a single day anyway, and even at these speeds the common PC backup will likely be executed 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 best way as much as 20 terabytes. Simply test the costs; typically you may get a 10- and even 12-TB drive for not way more than the 8-terabyte model. And I’ve not seen an enormous distinction between the Components line, the WD My E book drives, or the WD My Passport drives. The My Passport drives command a premium worth as a result of they’re smaller, and the My E book drives have some encryption options that drive up the value, however I discover the fundamental Components drive is adequate for most individuals.
Different Nice Backup Drives
- Seagate Enlargement 8-TB Exterior Laborious Drive for $159: Seagate is one other dependable drive maker. It by no means hurts to have extra backups, and should you do need a number of backups, use drives from totally different manufacturers, since it’ll scale back the prospect that each fail concurrently.
Greatest for Moveable Backups
If you happen to journey quite a bit, you may need one thing that is simpler to hold than the Components drives, which are not the perfect in a suitcase. For backups when touring, I really like Western Digital’s My Passport collection, particularly the brand new “Extremely” model, which makes use of a normal USB-C wire, 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 stable sufficient that I by no means nervous about tossing it in my bag. (Though it must be stated that this can be 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 can catch on material in your bag.
There are a selection of colours accessible 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 dimension. 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 velocity and 115 MB/s write velocity. It isn’t what you’d wish to copy images shortly for a shopper within the discipline, however quick sufficient to run a every day backup in your lodge room.
Different Moveable 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 enduring orange padding for blue, however it’s in any other case identical to the extraordinary LaCie padded drives on the surface. On the within, that is an amazingly quick drive. The 5 within the identify is for, you guessed it, Thunderbolt 5, which regardless of being introduced seemingly endlessly in the past, has been painfully sluggish to trickle onto the market. This made testing a bit difficult, however fortuitously a pal let me borrow his brand-new MacBook Professional 14 for testing. And the outcomes had 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 modifying of 8K and 6K RAW footage. In testing the very best speeds, file transfers had been 5,787 MB/s learn and 5,188 MB/s write—which, whereas not fairly matching the declare, continues 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 excited by 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 little bit of footage on the Pro5 and was certainly capable of edit utilizing DaVinci Resolve Studio.
The draw back right here is the value. At $600 for the 4-TB model (which is the minimal you’d need for working with ProRes RAW video information), this can be a very dear drive. It’s nonetheless, properly well worth the cash if it is velocity you are after.
Greatest Funds Moveable SSD
These Essential drives are my favourite general-purpose exterior storage drives. They’re moderately 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 actual fact, underneath 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 lightweight, its velocity is restricted by that older interface know-how. In my testing on Home windows and macOS, that works out to about 550 Mbps learn velocity and 208 Mbps write velocity. That is adequate for backup and use as an exterior drive, however I do not suggest it for Xbox or PlayStation use. It does work fantastic with the iPad Professional although.
The main draw back is the plastic building—it’s a conveyable laborious drive, not an indestructible laborious drive. If you happen to’re nervous about it breaking in your bag, seize a padded case. There are a lot on the market, like this one. The Essential X9 (under) is a step up from the X6, each by way of construct high quality (it is steel to the X6’s plastic) and velocity, however the X9 is significantly costlier.
Different Nice Funds 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 is not as sturdy because the padded choices under, 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 continues to be fairly good. The drive bogs down a bit with massive information (MP4s, for instance), so it is not the perfect for professional videographers, however for everybody else, this can be a stable, barely cheaper choice.
Greatest for Photographers
Essential’s X9 Professional hits the candy spot of velocity, portability, and worth to be among the best drives on the market for photographers trying 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’re going to 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. With regards to velocity, the X9 Professional claims symmetrical learn and write speeds, at 1,050 Mbps. I really persistently obtained greater 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 moveable drive velocity.
I have been testing the X9 Professional for a number of months now, and whereas I am unable to but communicate 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’s additionally the X10 Professional drive ($180), which provides even sooner speeds in case you have a PC that helps USB 2X2. (The newest Intel chips help this spec, however Apple doesn’t, so there is not any level in shopping for the X10 Professional in case you have a Mac.) I don’t personal a PC that helps USB 2X2 for in depth testing, however I did get an opportunity to a minimum of strive it, and the X10 Professional does certainly ship on its promise of two,100 Mbps (I obtained 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
If you happen to want a drive that may stand as much as life in a backpack or digicam bag, get moist, or deal with a drop onto laborious surfaces, OWC drives are your best option. It is robust to choose a winner right here as a result of there are a lot of stable choices, however OWC’s Elektron drive narrowly beat others in benchmark assessments. I additionally like which you can swap out the drive contained in the aluminum casing (it is simple to unscrew), which implies two years from now, you’ll be able to choose up a sooner 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 sooner than the OWC, but it surely has two drawbacks. The primary is that it could possibly get scorching. If you happen to’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 straight away, and different instances 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 stable answer for individuals who have to make backups within the discipline, like photographers and videographers. However if you’d like an additional stage 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 velocity is not a problem, as with making nightly backups, then the cheaper spinning drive makes extra sense. If you happen to’re backing up in the course of a photograph shoot or related state of affairs the place backing up must occur quick, the SSD model is what you need.
Different Nice Padded Choices
- Samsung T7 Defend 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 velocity. It has an IP65 score, which implies it is fantastic 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 not like the Contact mannequin, the Defend doesn’t have a fingerprint reader. Nonetheless, should you do not want the complete padded safety of the LaCie and wish to save a little bit cash, the T7 Defend is an effective choice.
Greatest Gaming Drive
Take this class with a grain of salt. A lot of the drives right here will work simply fantastic for gaming (simply follow the quickest you’ll be able to 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 impression energy consumption.
As for velocity, my assessments had been inconsistent. This drive is able to speeds that handily beat each the Envoy Professional and Samsung T7, however at different instances it appeared to bathroom down (a minimum of in benchmarks). In real-world use, the bottleneck I persistently hit was some lag in transferring large quantities of information. That is perhaps a deal-breaker for some, however for the value, it stays a stable alternative.
Greatest Naked Drive
If you wish to put an even bigger SSD in your laptop computer, all you want is a naked drive, which is usually 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 search out out. In my expertise, the most typical kind issue is M.2 2280, which is the lengthy, skinny drive within the picture above. Extra compact laptops might use the same, however shorter, M.2 2242 design. Once more, test your PC to verify 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 thus far, out of the half dozen I’ve tried, Western Digital’s WD Black collection has stood out for velocity, and it does not run highly regarded.
The SN 770 M.2 2280 achieved speeds of 5,100 Mbps in my testing, which is blazing quick. If you happen to’re doing a number of drive-intensive duties, like modifying video or gaming, this drive is properly well worth the cash. The biggest model you may get is 2 TB, however the worth is affordable contemplating the velocity improve. I have been utilizing it as my fundamental drive for a number of months and located it quick sufficient for all the things I do, together with modifying 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 executed.
A Luxurious Improve
- Western Digital SN850X 2-TB SSD for $85: This drive is so screaming quick I needed to run my assessments 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 assessments, this drive’s outcomes got here shut. To take full benefit of the velocity right here, you may want a system that helps the PCIe 4.0 SSD normal, however this can be 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 accessible as much as 8-TB capability.
- Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2-TB for $143: The 990 EVO Plus is an improve to the extremely popular 990 EVO. The unique didn’t supply 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. When it comes to velocity 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. If you happen to’re searching for all-around drive that stays cool, this one makes a sensible choice, although it’s on the dear facet for what you get.
