External hard drives are available in a number of shapes and sizes, and they are designed for a variety of uses. They all provide additional backup storage and may be easily moved from one device to another. But, aside from that, the list of reasons why an external hard drive should be in everyone’s tech arsenal is infinite. If you’re a little clueless on where to start or find certain unfamiliar terms a little confusing or overwhelming, we’re here to help you out. With that in mind, here’s our external hard drive buying guide in 2021 for you.
There’s practically nothing more aggravating than discovering that you don’t have enough storage space on your computer to keep your most recent files. External hard drives can be a great solution to this problem, as well as a secure backup source for your most crucial and important pieces of information and data.
External hard drives may appear less important now that we live in an era where 50GB of iCloud storage costs only 99 cents per month and compact external SSDs are becoming more affordable. However, external hard drives are still pretty useful and don’t seem to show any signs of becoming obsolete in the market. In fact, external hard drives have been evolving and advancing in terms of quality recently.
Moreover, more manufacturers are creating external drives that are far faster, modern, and durable than their outdated counterparts from a few years ago. There will be no more slow, cumbersome external drives like what we used to have in previous years. Almost every external hard drive currently uses the USB 3.0 standard, which allows for far faster reading and writing speeds than older USB 2.0 devices.
Not to mention, some versions additionally support the faster USB 3.1 and 3.2 standards, while there are also those that support the lightning-fast Thunderbolt 3. For the same price, external hard drives are also getting bigger and offering larger storage space. What’s even better, for about $50, you can easily add a terabyte of additional storage to your laptop or desktop by simply plugging in a USB cable.
Things You Need To Know
Now that we have discussed the importance of an external hard drive in your personal tech arsenal, here are some important things you should keep in mind once you’re shopping for your external drive.
HDDs vs. SSDs
When shopping for external drives, you’ll most likely come across these two types of drives: SDDs and HDDs. It’s crucial to know which is which as both devices have different specifications. But what’s the difference between the two? And which one should you get? Well, honestly that depends on what you need and your requirements. So to help things make it easier for you, I’ll be explaining the two below.
HDD
A hard disk drive consists of one or more magnetically sensitive platters, an actuator arm with a read/write head for each platter, and a motor to spin the platters and move the arms. There’s also a firmware and I/O controller that connects with the rest of the system and tells the hardware what to do.
Each disk is broken down into tracks that resemble concentric rings. These tracks are also divided into sectors, which are logical units. Each track and sector number is assigned a unique address that can be used to organize and locate data. The identical information is written to the nearest storage location. An algorithm processes the data before it is written, allowing the firmware to discover and correct problems.
HDDs are referred to be legacy technology because they have been around longer than SSDs. They are less expensive in general and are ideal for data that isn’t accessed regularly, such as backups of images, videos, or business files.
Meanwhile, SSDs (solid-state drives) have fewer moving components than traditional hard drives and offer the fastest data access. An SSD saves data using a collection of flash cells similar to those found in a computer’s RAM, as opposed to a typical disk-based hard drive, which stores data on a spinning platter or platters accessible by a moving magnetic head.
Because SSDs include so many small moving parts, such as magnetic heads, spindles, and spinning platters, something can go wrong and cause you to lose important data.
Despite that, SSDs are becoming increasingly popular due to their speed. SSDs outperform HDDs across the board because they rely on electrical circuitry rather than physical mechanical parts. This results in faster startup times and fewer delays while opening apps or performing intensive computing operations.
To put it simply, HDDs outperform SSDs in terms of cost per capacity, although as SSD prices fall, this will become less of a distinction for HDDs. However, SSDs allow you to accomplish far more work per server due to their speed, requiring fewer machines to provide the same output as an HDD.
Overall, comparing capacity and pricing isn’t the only factor to consider when selecting the type of storage to go for. The sort of storage your computer utilizes has an impact on its performance, as well as its power consumption and dependability. But it’s up to you to decide which is better suited for your lifestyle or line of work.
Storage Capacity
When buying an external hard drive, storage space is likely the most crucial factor to consider. If your device can’t store all of your data, it’s worthless to invest in a high-speed gadget with all of the modern and advanced capabilities like encryption and remote access.
At the same time, you don’t want to pay too much for a drive that you won’t even use half of. So, how much storage space should an external hard disk have? That is entirely up to what you intend to put on your external hard drive.
If you mostly need to move papers, photographs, or other documents from one device to another, a mid-range external hard drive may be ideal for you.
While the best of these mid-range external hard drives may contain up to 2TB of data, they can be very pricey and unnecessary for simple transfers like the ones mentioned above. Instead, I would strongly advise you to save your money and purchase a $50 external hard drive with 500 GB to 1 TB of storage. For a little more, you can get disks with twice the storage capacity, as well as fantastic bundle discounts.
If you want to store a lot more data or keep files and folders for a longer amount of time, you’ll need something more substantial. If that’s the case, a 1TB external drive should be plenty for the vast majority of people, unless you plan to save your complete movie collection as well as your favorite TV episodes. Then perhaps, you could avail yourself of a few more terabytes.
The speed with which data is transported is crucial when choosing an external disk. If you transfer data frequently, you don’t want to have to wait an eternity for a single file transfer to complete.
Keeping this in mind, the underlying storage technology as well as the connector your drive uses have an impact on how quickly it can transmit files. SSDs can process data faster than HDDs in general, despite the fact that some drives are faster than others.
Portable SSDs, on the other hand, are frequently more expensive and have less storage space than external HDDs. Because SSDs with larger storage capacities are available for a higher price, you don’t need one or the other. Which concessions you’re willing to make is entirely up to you.
When it comes to connecting your external drive to your PC, laptop, or mobile device, there are a variety of common options to select from. Despite the fact that most drives now have a USB interface, the most recent models have a few noteworthy differences, especially in terms of transfer speed.
Interface
Although most external hard drives currently use USB or, in rare cases, Thunderbolt, these connection formats are continually changing. Some instances of these connection types can be found below.
Avoid USB 2.0 at all costs, as it has a maximum transfer speed of only 480Mbps and is already rather obsolete.
Instead, try to look for external drives that use USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen1, and USB 3.2 Gen1. All three, though, are nearly identical, with up to 5Gbps speeds and blue color-coding. In the meanwhile, USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB 3.2 Gen2 have the same red color coding and 10Gbps transfer speeds.
The USB 3.2 or 3.2 2×2 standards are the fastest of the lot, with speeds of up to 20 Gbps. USB-C is a newer, smaller, and more rounded reversible connector. This port is also linked to the DisplayPort visual output protocol. Some connectors have USB-C ports, but they use the Thunderbolt 3 protocol, which has a data transfer rate of up to 40 Gbps.
With that said, you should aim for a Thunderbolt 3 connection. If it’s too expensive, you can always continue down the line, but never anything below USB 3.1.
Security
Encryption is a good idea if the data on your external drive is sensitive in any manner. Many drives are compatible with software encryption options, which are sufficient for the vast majority of users.
If you’re someone who is more concerned about data security, I suggest looking for a disk with hardware encryption. But if you’re particularly concerned about security, you may even go with a physical security system that includes pin code inputs or drives with strong casings to prevent any kind of physical tamperings.
Conclusion
Now that we have reached the final part of our external hard drive buying guide, I hope I was able to help you in figuring out what to look for in your next external drive purchase. As long as you keep these tips in mind, you should have no problems finding exactly what you need.
Have you already bought your own external hard drive? Did our external hard drive buying guide help you out? Let me know in the comments section below if you have any suggestions to share, insights, or questions to ask. I would love to hear all your thoughts!
Depending on the storage interfaces and devices utilized, uploading and transferring huge amounts of data between devices might take anywhere from minutes to hours on any given day. For some, this might not be a problem at all and you might not even mind the wait. But if you’re someone who runs a tight schedule and needs things to be done quickly, you’ll want the fastest option available in the market. With that in mind, check out our review of the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD here and see if this is the best solid-state drive for you.
The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD is a lightweight external drive with reading rates up to 2000MBps (the old gen model had reading rates up to 1050 MBps only) that you can take with you wherever you go. This portable SSD’s tough exterior has a rating of IP55 and is resistant to water and dust, and the silicon rubber coating and notch let you store it however you like.
Apart from that, we like that the SanDisk Extreme Pro works with both USB-A and USB-C connectors, so you won’t have to worry about device compatibility or upgrading your devices to a USB-C connection in the future.
While the 500GB storage option is the most cost-effective for on-the-go users, 1TB and 2TB variants are also available if you need a larger storage capacity. The SanDisk Secure Access application also employs general encryption.
However, most people will find this drive to be a little costly, and the built-in carrying loop may be too large to fit on a standard keychain. Apart from that, this is an excellent external hard disk for general use and one that is difficult to surpass in terms of portability.
Features & Specifications
Dimensions: 0.41 x 2.28 x 4.36 inches
Item Weight: 2.72 ounces
Brand: Sandisk
Storage Capacity: 500 GB up to 2 TB
Interface: USB Type C, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2
Compatibility: PC & Mac computers (no driver needed), Cameras (also compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows® 7 and Mac OS 10.9+)
Check Out SanDisk’s Official Product Preview Of The Extreme Pro Portable SSD Below.
What We Love About The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD
Design
The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD’s design didn’t go through a lot of changes. In fact, it seems to have retained the same rugged aesthetic aside from the obvious size upgrade and that the corners are now more rounded compared to its predecessor. It has a rubberized body that is simple to grasp, as well as an aluminum body with a loop at the top that can be secured with a carrying clip.
Personally, I have no qualms or complaints about the overall design. I think it’s unique enough to stand out among its competitors without looking too tacky or cheap. Plus, it has excellent portability that makes it ideal for you if you’re someone who is always traveling.
In addition to that, two USB cables are included with the drive, one with USB type C on both ends and the other with USB type A for more universal compatibility.
Durability
This portable SSD is water and dust resistant with an IP rating of IP55, making it ideal for individuals who need to transfer data fast during photo shoots or filming. It should survive most conditions but there are definitely a few reminders you might want to keep in mind before you put this drive to the test.
For example, this particular external drive is not built for complete submersion underwater. Additionally, while the SanDisk should be able to withstand a six-foot drop or a light spray of water, it cannot also be exposed to beach sand or dust storms. It’s probably gone if you drop it in the ocean, the bathtub, or in the rare case you’re shooting in the middle of a desert.
With that said, the USB-C port at the bottom is the only thing you’ll have to watch out for. Because this port isn’t covered or protected in any way, if your drive comes into contact with water or gets dusty, you’ll want to make sure it’s completely dry and clean before connecting it to anything.
It would have been absolutely nice if SanDisk could have included a detachable cover attached to the drive to protect this connector from any accidental spills but here’s to hoping they include one in future models.
Performance
When it comes to performance and speed, there’s no doubt that this is where the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD truly shines. You won’t be disappointed if you’re hoping for incredibly fast data transfer speeds with this drive. Moreover, this portable SSD can deliver excellent performance if you connect it to a Thunderbolt 3 connector.
On the old gen model, this item promised transfer speeds of up to 1,050 MBps, while the newer model offers transfer speeds of up to 2,000 MBps. And it’s safe to say, no promises were broken here.
Not to mention, SanDisk’s SecureAccess software is included with the drive, and it allows you to establish a safe zone on your drive to lock data and folders behind a password. So if you want your data protected, SanDisk has your back.
But if you just want to use your drive casually and you have no problems with security then you can just use it without the software. It’s still a nice option though in case the need for it ever arises.
Our Least Favorite Things
Form Factor
The Extreme Pro Portable SSD’s form factor is by no means that bad. However, the integrated loop that is supposed to add portability features with this device seems to have very limited utility.
One might think that this is to provide a place for a corner loop to which a carabiner or other clips could be attached. However, I feel like this just serves to make the overall size of the SanDisk larger than necessary.
Some of you might find this loop useful, but adding your keys would be a mistake. Not only would it add bulk to your pocket, but the keys would almost surely scratch or scrape the silicone rubber that covers the casing. The loop is may seem appealing, but it provides very little value. If you wish to clip the drive to your belt or pack for convenient access, this is the best and most practical option.
In A Nutshell
Now that we have finished discussing the things we liked and disliked about the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD, here’s a narrowed-down list of the good and the bad with this external drive.
Pros
Excellent balance between speed, functionality, and design.
Encryption and backup features are included.
Rugged, durable design.
Portable.
Cons
Expensive.
Loop is too big for your average keychain use.
Our Final Verdict
There are several excellent portable SSDs to choose from in the market. As a rule of thumb, your criteria in finding the most suitable external SSD might be more or less a balance between price, speed, convenience, portability, as well as other value-added features.
In several of these categories, SanDisk’s Extreme Pro Portable SSD excels quite well. It’s fast, it’s portable, has a rugged design, and has an excellent choice for USB cables. Overall, it has plenty to offer and aside from its slightly steep pricing, it’s an SSD that’s quite hard to beat.
So if you’re always on the go or your job description requires you to be in the outdoors a lot and need to transfer large amounts of data in a short amount of time, this is definitely the external drive for you.
Have you already bought your own external hard drive? Was our review of the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD helpful? Let me know in the comments section below if you have any suggestions to share, insights, or questions to ask. I would love to hear all your thoughts!
The majority of people nowadays are amassing ever-increasing volumes of personal data. For obvious reasons, storing it on a single computer drive doesn’t seem a pretty good idea. Therefore, we usually often choose to archive it to the cloud or other backup drives. Western Digital is eager to support these trends and offers a wide choice of personal storage solutions for you. That’s why today, we’ll be taking a closer look at one of their products, the WD My Book Duo.
If you’d like to find out more, just keep scrolling to read the rest of our review.
While Western Digital was not the first company to create dual-drive storage devices for the market, their My Book line definitely popularized the concept. The My Book Duo’s predecessors used to have slow USB 2.0 connections and disks that couldn’t be upgraded by the user.
However, that is no longer the case. Western Digital’s most recent designs, such as this one, have come a long way from their humble beginnings. They now offer USB 3.0 connectivity, interchangeable drives, and massive storage capacity that would have appeared unthinkable only a few years ago.
What’s more, it’s the first desktop external drive I’ve encountered in the market with a built-in USB hub and two USB 3.0 connectors. Apart from that, it also supports hardware RAID, it’s easy to repair internal hard drives, and has a large amount of expandable storage for your data. Finally, it provides quick performance, particularly when working in RAID 0, and it does so at a fairly reasonable cost.
In terms of storage, the My Book Duo boasts a staggering 3TB of storage space divided between two hard drives at a minimum, and identical models with up to 38TB of storage are also available if you need that much more storage.
It’s also important to remember that the My Book Duo isn’t the most portable drive available. If you’re searching for a smaller external drive to take with you on the move, this isn’t the best option. As a result, this is an external hard drive that should be utilized on top of a desk.
Features & Specifications
Dimensions: 6.3 x 3.94 x 7.09 inches (9.9 x 9.9 x 16.5 cm)
Item Weight: 6.9 pounds
Brand: Western Digital
Storage Capacity: 3 TB up to 38 TB.
Read Speed: 360 mbps.
Compatible Devices: Windows 10, Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, Requires reformatting for other OS.
The latest My Book Duo from Western Digital has definitely seen an upgrade from its predecessors in terms of design. The new My Book Duo now looks like a thick, monolithic black book that is standing upright with a wavy pattern on the bottom half and a mirror finish gloss on the top half after the plastic cover has been removed.
This may not be something of importance to some of you but keep in mind that once the cover is removed, the material of the My Book Duo is rather a dust magnet. So if dust is something you don’t want to deal with on your work desk, this is something to consider. Personally, I find this aesthetic really premium-looking and sleek. As long as I have a duster nearby, I should have no problems.
Moving on, when the unit is turned on, a line of white light appears on the front of the unit and gradually pulses away to show signs of activity. USB Type-C is used to connect to your computer, and cables are available for both this standard and for converting a normal USB 3.0 port to the Type-C kind if you haven’t yet adopted the newer connector.
WD specifies that this is a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, but fails to mention that this is the current name for USB 3.0. Even if the output of two conventional hard drives is arranged in striped RAID 1, that connection has plenty of bandwidth, and any excess bandwidth can be used by other devices connected via a USB 3.0 hub.
Additionally, one micro-USB 3.0 on the rear of the My Book Duo connects to the host computer via the provided foot-long USB cable. It also contains two USB 3.0 A-female connections, which can be used to connect up to two more USB devices to the host computer.
RAID & Software
The My Book Duo’s two internal hard drives are configured in RAID 0 for optimal performance and storage space. Though it’s best to always keep in mind that RAID 0 has one flaw: if one of the devices fails, the data on both drives is lost. So I highly suggest switching to RAID 1, which protects data from a single drive failure. This will ensure that your most important information is stored safely and not lost forever.
The accompanying WD Drive Utilities program allows you to adjust the RAID configuration as well as perform drive diagnostics, wiping, and formatting. It’s important to note that changing the RAID configuration wipes out all existing data on the device.
Apart from that, the My Book Duo supports RAID natively. This means it doesn’t rely on the operating system of the host computer to set up RAID and will allow the RAID configuration of the drive to work across platforms without needing to be reconfigured.
On top of that, a few useful programs are also included with the My Book Duo. There’s WD SmartWare, WD Security, and Acronis True Image WD Edition, in addition to the WD Drive Utilities. You may always get these from WD’s website in case you accidentally delete them from your My Book Duo.
Smart Features
Another great thing about the My Book Duo is that the power status of the external drive is shared with the host PC. Meaning, it switches to the same state as the computer, whether that is shutdown, sleep, or currently active.
This particular feature is available on most Thunderbolt devices, which is preferable to the drive going to sleep on its own. Also, thanks to this clever design, the My Book Duo is always readily available to the host and saves a lot of energy depending on how you set up your computer’s energy-saving features.
Performance
When it comes to performance, the My Book Duo doesn’t disappoint either. After all, it’s no good having a lot of storage space tied to your system if it’s hard to access and has a sluggish performance. This hardware, however, displays brilliantly what the WD Red WD100EFAX drives can achieve with 256MB of cache along with seven platters of spinning disks.
The basic mechanisms’ advertised transfer speed is 210 MB/s, and in JBOD mode, that’s virtually exactly what you get. RAID 0 striping boosts read and write speeds to 335MB/s and 317MB/s, whereas a RAID 1 mirror reduces read and write speeds down to 205MB/s and 208MB/s, mimicking its average JBOD speeds.
Even if much of the shine comes from Western Digital’s drive engineering department’s helium-filled wonders, this is impressively rapid for an external drive that isn’t an SSD.
Our Least Favorite Things
Form Factor
With such an impressive product like the WD My Book Duo, admittedly, it was pretty hard to find flaws and at this point, I’m just nitpicking. But if you’re looking for a more portable external hard drive to add to your arsenal, then the My Book Duo might not work for you.
While the design is definitely appealing, it’s not the most lightweight device in the market. Not to mention, you certainly won’t be able to easily shove this in your bag without putting in any real effort. Besides, would you really want to carry this monolith around as you travel? If the answer is no, then it’s best to find more portable and compact external drives to take with you on the go.
In A Nutshell
Now that we have discussed the things we liked and disliked about the WD My Book Duo, here’s a narrowed-down list of the good and the bad with this particular external hard drive.
Pros
USB-C compatibility.
Reliable 3-year warranty.
Inclusion of a 2-port USB 3 hub.
RAID 0 along with dual-drives for substantially faster performance than ordinary external drives.
Cons
Not the most portable external drive.
RAID 0 has no redundancy, so if one disk fails, you’re out of luck.
Our Final Verdict
All in all, I believe that the WD My Book Duo is simply one of the best external hard drives due to its advantage over other competing external drives. Not to mention, taking into account Western Digital’s careful selections to balance performance, versatility, price, and overall dependability.
Have you already bought your own external hard drive? Did our review help you out in deciding to get the WD My Book Duo? Let me know in the comments section below if you have any suggestions to share, insights, or questions to ask. I would love to hear all your thoughts!
I can’t begin to explain how keeping an external hard drive close by will greatly improve the quality of your digital life. If you have multiple computers at home, an external hard drive will allow you to transfer huge files quickly and easily between them. Not to mention, it can come in handy and all your important documents will be safely tucked in a backup drive just in case any one of your computers suddenly decides to act out. So if you’re looking to invest in an external hard drive, here are our top picks for the best external hard drives for 2021.
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Importance Of An External Hard Drive
External hard drives come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are intended for a variety of applications. They all offer extra storage for backups and can be simply moved from one device to another. But apart from that, the list goes on endlessly when it comes to arguing why an external hard drive should be in everyone’s tech arsenal.
There’s almost nothing more frustrating than learning you don’t have enough space on your computer to save your most recent files. External hard drives can be a terrific answer to this problem, as well as a reliable backup source for your most important data.
While external hard drives may appear less necessary than they previously were now that we are in an era where 50GB of iCloud storage only costs 99 cents per month and slim external SSDs are becoming more affordable. However, the most recent external hard drives released are a lot quicker now, more stylish, modern, and more durable than their predecessors from a few years ago.
No more of those slow, bulky external drives of the past years. Almost every external hard drive today employs the USB 3.0 standard, which provides read and write speeds that are many times quicker than older USB 2.0 drives. Some also use the speedier USB 3.1 and 3.2 standards, while other certain models use the lightning-fast Thunderbolt 3.
External hard drives are also becoming bigger for the money. By just simply plugging in a USB cable to your machine, you can add a terabyte of extra storage to your laptop or desktop for just under $50.
Hard Drives Or SSDs?
Hard drives will give you significantly more capacity for your money, but there is a significant difference in external storage in the market these days. You’ll have to decide whether you want a hard drive or the fastest option possible, the SSD.
One or more magnetically sensitive platters, an actuator arm with a read/write head for each platter, and a motor to spin the platters and move the arms make up a hard disk drive. There’s also an I/O controller and firmware that communicates with the rest of the system and informs the hardware what to do.
Each platter is divided into tracks, which look like formed concentric circles. These tracks are also separated into logical units called sectors. A unique address is generated for each track and sector number, which can be used to organize and locate data. The same data is written to the closest available storage location. Before the data is written, an algorithm processes it, allowing the firmware to detect and repair errors.
Meanwhile, SSDs, or solid-state drives, contain lesser moving parts than traditional hard drives and provide the fastest access to your data. In contrast to a traditional disk-based hard drive, which stores data on a spinning platter or platters accessed by a moving magnetic head, an SSD saves data using a group of flash cells similar to those found in a computer’s RAM.
However, because SSDs have so many microscopic, moving parts such as magnetic heads, spindles, and spinning platters, it’s also possible for something to go wrong and lead you to lose vital data.
How Fast Are These External Storages?
Consumer drives with spinning platters typically have read and write speeds of 100MBps to 200MBps, depending on platter density and whether they spin at 5,400rpm or 7,200rpm. External SSDs provide at least twice that performance, and in some cases significantly more depending on the model. In practice, this means you can transport terabytes of data from an external spinning disk to an external SSD in seconds rather than minutes.
Our Top Recommendations
1. Western Digital My Book Duo Desktop External Hard Drive
Overview
If you want to get your hands on the external hard drive with the largest storage capacity, the Western Digital My Book Duo is the one to choose. It has a whopping 3TB of storage space at minimum that’s spread between two hard drives, plus you can also opt to get similar variants that go up to 38TB of storage if you need that much extra space.
However, it’s also best to keep in mind that the My Book Duo is not the most portable drive out there. It would be a poor choice if you were looking for more compact external drives that you can take with you on the go. So this is definitely an external hard drive that is best used on top of a desk.
Nevertheless, its inherent performance boost over rival mechanical external drives, as well as Western Digital’s deliberate selections to balance performance, affordability, and reliability, make it the best external HDD in our opinion.
Not to mention, you can also set up RAID on the two drives inside this enclosure for file redundancy or speed, or use every bit of storage space. In any case, you’ll get a lot of storage capacity and a two-year warranty from a reputable manufacturer.
The Western Digital My Book Duo’s case is user-serviceable, which means you can replace defective drives yourself and use the enclosure long after the drives fail. On top of that, it also supports USB 3.1 for high-speed data transfer. With full support for 256-bit AES hardware encryption, you can be assured that no one but you will be able to read your data.
The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD is a highly portable NVMe drive with reading speeds up to 1050MBps and is light enough to store and carry wherever you go. The Extreme Pro’s durable construction repels water and dust, and the silicon rubber covering and notch allows you to store it as you like.
Its rounded corners, black-and-red coloring, delicately pockmarked front, and soft-touch back give it a fully modern yet refreshingly vintage appearance and feel. Apart from that, we also like that the SanDisk Extreme Pro works with both USB-A and USB-C connections, so any concerns with device compatibility and about upgrading your devices to a USB-C connection in the future are thrown out the window.
While the 500GB storage option is the most cost-effective for people on the go, the disk may be upgraded to 2TB if desired.
The USB 3.1 version of the Extreme Pro Portable SSD is also one of the fastest drives in the market, delivering reading speeds of up to 1,050MBps. General encryption is also used by the SanDisk Secure Access application.
However, this particular drive is a little pricey for most people, and you might find the built-in carrying loop too large to fit on a typical keychain. But aside from that, this is a pretty amazing external hard drive for everyday use and one that is hard to beat in terms of portability.
The Samsung T5 is a compact yet affordable high-speed storage drive that looks and feels like a top-tier portable storage solution. It uses Samsung’s latest 3D V-NAND technology to cram up to 2TB of storage space into a small form factor, though it comes in a variety of storage sizes and costs.
In various read and write tests, the solid-state drive outperformed its competition as well as its predecessor, the T3, while preserving the same physical footprint. Samsung also claims that this external drive, which is housed in a solid aluminum casing, can resist a drop from a height of up to 6 feet without any problems.
Although those are very big claims and I wouldn’t recommend putting such claims to the test, it’s critical that external drives, which aren’t shielded by the shell of a desktop or laptop, are durable enough to survive some abuse.
There is no other drive we can suggest as strongly as the Samsung T5 SSD because of its speed, compact size, portability, and additional features like suitable encryption software. When you go to the upper end of the storage space range, it can get a little expensive. A 2TB configuration will set you back several hundred dollars, but it’s a lot less expensive than it was a few years ago.
But if money is no object to you, this is definitely an external drive worth considering.
If you want to have the best of both worlds, the Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive is one of the best options you can find in the market. It’s available in storage capacities up to 8TB and easily outperforms the competition in terms of reading and writing speeds.
If that’s not convincing enough, aside from the terrific storage and speed, Seagate’s lower-than-average failure rates, particularly in larger capacity hard drives, might urge you towards this excellent external hard drive a little bit more.
This particular drive comes with backup software and is compatible with both Windows and Macs, albeit it’s formatted for Windows out of the box unless you upgrade to a Mac-specific hard drive, which you might find a tad more expensive.
Not to mention, the device also includes Seagate’s own optional Dashboard application, which allows you to back up your smartphone’s material through a free app, as well as your social media from Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Tumblr, and even cloud-based stuff such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive, to the drive.
It also offers two backup options: one that is planned and one that is continuous. Value-added apps are typically fairly basic, and Seagate’s Dashboard is no exception. It only provides the bare minimum, allowing the customer to opt for more elaborate solutions if they so desire.
Features & Specifications
Dimensions: 4.54 x 3.15 x 0.82 inches
Item Weight: 7 ounces
Brand: Seagate
Storage Capacity: 4 TB up to 5 TB
Compatible Devices: Desktops, Laptops
Interface: USB 2.0 and 3.0
Pros
Affordable.
Lots of color options to choose from.
Fast and reliable write and read speeds.
Cons
Additional costs if you want a Mac-formatted version.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
Where Can I Buy The Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive?
If you’re a photographer, a videographer, a filmmaker, or anyone who constantly works outdoors, you might want a rugged yet fast external drive to keep up with your workload. The LaCie Boss drive was designed specifically for these uses, featuring shock resistance, water splash resistance, and dust resistance capabilities.
But that’s only the start of what the LaCie Rugged Boss SSD has to offer. Apart from its terrific durability, it also has an SD card port, which is ideal for photographers who want to move their images to a larger storage device to free up space, as well as a useful status screen that shows transfer progress, current capacity, and current battery life.
On top of that, this battery may also be used to charge cameras, drones, and other devices that are running low on power. So if your power bank acts out, you can also opt to use this one to power up your devices.
While the capacity of the Boss drive may be adjusted between 500GB and 5TB, we found that 1TB was a fair compromise between the model’s already exorbitantly high price and its more than enough storage space to be practical. Simply ensure that all of your devices are USB-C compatible, and keep in mind that Thunderbolt 3 LaCie drives can also serve a similar role.
Features & Specifications
Dimensions: 1.42 x 4.33 x 5.35 inches
Item Weight: 6.4 ounces
Brand: LaCie
Storage Capacity: 500 GB up to 5 TB.
Compatible Devices: Cameras, Laptops, Desktops
Interface: USB, USB 3.0, USB Type C
Pros
Portable.
Rugged design makes it durable enough to survive the outdoors.
Ideal for photographers, filmmakers, drone pilots, or anyone regularly working in the outdoors.
6. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC External Hard Drive
Overview
Buffalo‘s MiniStation Extreme NFC might just be perfect for you if you’re looking for the greatest external hard drive that will save you a ton of money. The Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is a versatile device that works with both Mac and Windows devices and comes with a dust- and water-resistant shell as well as a built-in USB 3.0 connection.
The tough casing not only protects your data from bumps and drops but also includes 256-bit AES security and NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities. Simply tap the included NFC card into the drive’s body to unlock the drive and gain access to your files quickly and easily.
Features & Specifications
Dimensions: 2.99 x 4.53 x 0.76 inches
Item Weight: 10.6 ounces
Brand: Buffalo
Storage Capacity: 1 TB up to 2 TB
Compatible Devices: Laptops, PC, Mac
Interface: USB 3.0, USB 3.0
Pros
Affordable.
Rugged, durable design.
Has NFC Security.
Cons
A little sluggish.
Rating: 8 out of 10.
Where Can I Buy The Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC External Hard Drive?
Now that we have discussed our top picks for the best external drives for 2021, it’s best to keep in mind that selecting an external drive is more complicated than simply purchasing the most expensive model available. There are a lot of important factors that go into it deciding which external hard drive is best for you.
The most crucial element to consider is the drive capacity, which can substantially increase or decrease the cost based on your needs. Other considerations include the drive’s physical size, its durability, design, the interface it utilizes to connect to your PC, and even the colors it comes in. The guide below seeks to help you out on these aspects.
Storage Capacity
Storage space is arguably the most important feature to consider when purchasing an external hard drive. It’s pointless to invest in a high-speed device with all the modern and advanced features such as encryption and remote access if it can’t save all your data. At the same time, you also don’t want to overpay for a drive that you won’t even come close to filling. The last thing we want is to waste money, right?
So what exactly is the ideal storage space for an external hard drive? Well, that is completely all up to you and whatever you’re planning to store in your external hard drive.
A mid-range external hard drive may be perfect for you if you just need to move papers, images, or other pieces of documents from one device to another for the most part, or just wish to enhance the storage space of your low-end laptop or any other device like your tablets or smartphones.
While the greatest of these mid-range external hard drives may hold up to 2TB of data, they can be quite expensive and unnecessary for basic transfers like the ones stated previously.
Instead, I would highly suggest saving your money and purchasing an external hard drive with 500 GB to 1 TB of storage for no more than $50. For not much more, you can also acquire drives with twice the storage too along with good bundled deals.
On the other hand, you’ll need something more substantial if you wish to store a lot more data or keep files and folders for a longer period of time. If this is the case, starting with a 1TB external drive should be enough for most of you unless you’re planning to save your entire movie collection as well as your favorite TV shows.
Size
External hard drives are usually meant to be extremely portable or primarily stationary but it also comes in different shapes and sizes. As a general rule, desktop drives are better for offices or staying on your desk where the majority of the work is done in the same space. This type of external hard drive is mostly used as extra storage that is rarely removed from the workstation.
Additionally, desktop drives are ideal for you if you have a massive media file collection. If you’re a photographer, an editor, or just a huge movie buff like me, you’ll certainly require many terabytes of storage space so you don’t run out of it easily.
You might also see bigger-sized desktop drives every now and then in the market too. These larger models are more expensive, but they can hold a lot more data, up to 16TB or even more. Some are so large that they’ll need to be stored under your desk or in a separate server closet. They’re primarily designed for professional use such as editing studios, surveillance control rooms, and similar environments.
Portable drives, on the other hand, are more self-explanatory. They’re smaller, often designed ruggedly, and meant to fit into pockets or cases for people on the go. This is quite perfect for you if you’re someone who moves around a lot.
If you’re a business traveler, photographer, or even a filmmaker, and basically anyone else who manages large files using computers, cameras, smartphones, and other mobile devices as you travel, you will certainly appreciate this type of external hard drive. The rugged design also helps in keeping the external drive durable and safe from accidental drops or water splashes.
Speed
When it comes to picking an external drive, the speed with which data is transferred is critical. You don’t want to wait for an eternity for a single file transfer to be completed if you move data back and forth on a frequent basis.
With that in mind, the underlying storage technology and the connector your drive utilizes both play an impact on how fast it can perform as you transfer files. Although certain drives are quicker than others, SSDs can process data more quickly than HDDs in general.
However, external SSDs are often more expensive than external HDDs and have less storage capacity. You don’t need one or the other because SSDs with larger storage capacities are available for a higher price. It’s all up to you which compromises you’re willing to take.
When it comes to connectors, there are various typical alternatives to choose when it comes to connecting your external drive to your PC, laptop, or mobile device. Although most drives now feature a USB interface, the most recent generations have several notable distinctions, particularly in terms of transfer speed.
Interface
The sort of storage mechanism used by an external drive is second only to how it connects to your PC or Mac in determining how quickly you can retrieve data. These connection types are always changing, although most external hard drives now use USB or, in rare circumstances, Thunderbolt. Below are some examples of these connection types.
Avoid USB 2.0 at all costs, as its maximum transfer speed is only 480Mbps and this type of interface is quite outdated already. On most PCs, the port is not color-coded. Beyond USB 2.0, things can become a little tricky or confusing.
USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen1, and USB 3.2 Gen1 are examples of these specifications. However, all three are virtually identical, with speeds of up to 5Gbps and a blue color-coding. Meanwhile, USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB 3.2 Gen2 are identical, with red color coding and 10Gbps transfer speeds.
The fastest of the bunch would be USB 3.2, or 3.2 2×2, which offers up to 20Gbps. USB-C is a reversible connector that is newer, smaller, and more rounded. The DisplayPort protocol for video output is tethered to this port as well. Some connectors include USB-C ports but employ the Thunderbolt 3 protocol, which can carry data at up to 40 Gbps.
With that being said, a Thunderbolt 3 connection is what you should aim for. If it’s too pricey, you can just go down the line but never farther than USB 3.1.
Conclusion
Now that we have reached the last part of our article, I hope you were able to find an external hard drive suitable for you in our top picks. Overall, the best hard drive depends on the person using it. What might be good for you, might not be the same for other people. However, it’s best to choose a drive that has a great balance between speed, form factor, and other functionalities such as security and future-ready interfaces.
Have you already bought your own external hard drive? Did your pick make it into our list? Let me know in the comments section below if you have any suggestions to share, insights, or questions to ask. I would love to hear all your thoughts!
