An external hard drive is extremely useful and necessary; anyone who uses a computer should have one. In most cases, a USB flash drive is insufficient, and since a hard drive is cheap in terms of storage capacity, there’s no reason not to get one. We have compiled a list of the best external hard drives on the market.
SanDisk Extreme SSD 500GB
| SanDisk Extreme SSD 500GB | |
|---|---|
 | $75.99 |
We start with the famous SanDisk Extreme which, despite being an SSD, is a cheap external hard drive, made by a big tech brand. Who has never owned a SanDisk USB flash drive? These products are of high quality.
This value-priced 500GB solid-state drive offers shock, dust, and water resistance. Thanks to its compact design and durable plastic, holding this reader in your hand gives you plenty of security with a weight of only 40g and dimensions of 10cm long x 5cm wide x 1cm thick.
This strength of the rock plus its speed make it number 1 on the list. Comes with a USB 3.1 Type-C cable that reaches speeds of up to 550Mb/s (crazy), also comes with a Type-A adapter for 3.0 and 2.0 ports. Compatible with Mac OS 10.6 or higher and Windows 7 or higher.
Western Digital My Passport
| Western Digital My Passport | |
|---|---|
| $58.95 |
With the launch of the latest version of their My Passport series of hard drives, you can find options ranging from 1TB to 4TB of storage, in addition to USB 3.0, AES encryption and other rather attractive features, like cloud storage.
But that’s not all, because My Passport drives also have truly remarkable transfer speeds, making them a great combination of speed and storage capacity, all without having an outrageously high price tag.
So, if you have the budget, this is definitely one of the best designer external hard drives on the market.
Seagate Backup Plus Hub
| Seagate Backup Plus Hub | |
|---|---|
| $104.99 |
Many designers consider transfer speed to be the most important aspect to consider when choosing one of the best external hard drives for designers.
This time we find a hard drive that includes the Seagate Dashboard backup function that you can find in other models, and also has a software driver that allows you to easily use it on Windows and Mac computers without major complications.
There are models available from 4TB to 10TB, with two USB 3.0 connectors, although they also work with 2.0. However, we can say that these drives really stand out with a sustained write speed of 150 MBps and a read speed of 180 MBps.
Samsung T5 SSD
Are you looking for an external hard drive that is extremely portable? In this case, the Samsung T5 SSD is definitely one of the options you should consider, since it is one of the smallest hard drives you will find on the market today.
Considering its small size, you can buy it with a storage capacity between 250 GB and 2 TB, which gives it a very good capacity.
It also has a 550MB/s write speed that takes full advantage of USB 3.1 connectivity and is compatible with USB-C and USB-A devices. It is a fast, portable and safe option that has met the needs of a large number of professionals.
Samsung T7 SSD
| Samsung T7SSD | |
|---|---|
| $149.99 |
The Samsung T7 is a fast external hard drive that can cost around $150 for 1TB of storage. It’s a big jump over the modest double-digit price of the Toshiba Canvio, but that extra expense translates to better performance and reliability, which is a must-have for video professionals.
The T5 is cheaper, with sequential speeds of up to 540MBps and storage tiers ranging from 250GB to 2TB. The T7 is the much flashier cousin of the T5, with almost double the sequential read speed, 1050 MBps, and storage tiers ranging from 500 GB to 2 TB. The T7 also uses faster USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity than the T5’s USB 3.1 Gen 2.
Both SSDs feature Samsung’s world-class flash storage and come with additional security features like AES encryption and password protection, though none of that applies to the T5.
LaCie Rugged USB-C
| LaCie Rugged USB-C | |
|---|---|
| $179.00 |
The LaCie Rugged USB-C’s orange protective cover certainly sets it apart from the rest of the models on this list of the best external hard drives.
This is a model designed to be portable, with a rubberized cover that protects the hard drive, even if you drop it. So if you are looking for portability and security, this is definitely one of your best options.
As for the different storage options available in the market, their capacity can range from 500 GB to 5 TB. You are free to choose the storage capacity that best suits your needs. In terms of speed, it can transfer at a speed of 100MB/s, and it’s fully compatible with USB 3.0, USB-C, and Thunderbolt 3 ports, so you can use it on any device you want. .
Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC
The Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is a perfect external hard drive for anyone who wants a good quality external drive at an affordable and competitive price. So you don’t need to empty your wallet to get something new.
This drive has an enclosure that protects it from dust and water, making it a solid option. It also has USB 3.0 connectors that will allow you to use it in almost any Windows and Mac drive.
The drive uses 256-bit AES security and also has NFC technology, which makes it very easy to unlock the drive using the NFC card inside. It actually has some very interesting features for the price at which it is available.
G-Technology G-RAID Thunderbolt 3
| Technology G-RAID Thunderbolt 3 | |
|---|---|
| $949.95 |
With this external hard drive, you can enjoy data transfer rates of 440 MB/s in RAID 0 (Redundant Array of Independent Disks Mode 0). This is a real highlight for a hard drive. We can also point out that the drive has the ability to route a video signal to an external display via an HDMI 2.2 cable on the back and via the Thunderbolt 3 cable included with the G-RAID.
But that’s not all, since we also find a USB-C port that allows you to easily connect to any Mac or PC that cannot accept a Thunderbolt cable. The capacity of these drives is usually between 8 and 20 GB.
All the advantages mentioned above come with a higher price tag, but there is no doubt that all the features of this device clearly show that the player is worth the price.
Western Digital Black P50
| Western Digital Black P50 | |
|---|---|
| $116.99 |
Western Digital offers a much better solution for storing your PS5 games with its P50 Game Drive.
But what you get for the low price is reliable, super-fast storage in a sleek black case that’s low-profile and won’t stand out in your living room.
If you want to cut corners and upgrade your PS5 storage to last a long time, the WD Black P50 gaming drive is worth a look. But the premium you will pay will not translate into better performance.
Crucial X6/X8
| Crucial X6 | |
|---|---|
| $239.99 |
Crucial offers two very attractive portable SSDs with its X6 and X8. The former is the cheapest option, but it still offers solid performance for this price.
The Crucial X6 comes in 4 different storage tiers: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. The 500GB SSD is the cheapest and offers 540MB/s sequential read speed. All other storage tiers offer up to 800MB/s sequential read.
The Crucial X8 sets the bar high with sequential read speeds of up to 1050MB/s thanks to its USB 3.1 Gen-2 connectivity.
The Crucial X6 and X8 are fast, durable portable SSDs that offer the best balance of price, speed, and size. The PS5 won’t take advantage of the extra speed offered by the X8, so it’s best to get the biggest X6 you can afford.
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