Best External Hard Drives To Expand Your Storage
With the ever-growing demand for device storage, having an external hard drive is an attractive option to expand your file or media management. Today, an array of external hard drives exist in the market and it is often confusing to distinguish and select the best external hard drive for your computing needs. To make the selection easier for you and to help you manage your data storage more efficiently, this article puts together a list of the top five external hard drives across a variety of specs, sizes and capabilities.
Types of External Hard Drives
The external hard drives come in two different types— HDD, and SSD.
HDD (Hard Disk Drives)
HDD is the most commonly used type of external hard drive. These hard drives contain spinning disks, or platters, and are generally cheaper in price than the SSDs (Solid State Drives). Even though they are somewhat less efficient and may suffer from some mechanical issues, HDDs usually hold more data in comparison to SSDs, and they remain a popular option to this day.
Consider these factors when choosing HDD:
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Capacity: Most common HDD have between 500GB and 4TB storage space. To fit more data, you can also opt for multiple HDDs of a lesser capacity.
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RPM: HDD’s measure performance and speed with Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). The operating speed of a drive increases in relation to higher RPMs, however, there’s an accompanying increase in price too.
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Interface: The interface between HDD and your host device is important. Common usually utilise USB, but there are other various interfaces available.
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Size: HDDs differs in their form-factor and size and their design can often determine the usefulness. The choice of size will depend on your needs and space available.
SSD (Solid State Drives)
Unlike HDDs, SSDs don’t contain any mechanical parts or spinning disks. Writing and reading data is much faster with SSDs and they endure less stress in comparison to HDDs due to the lack of any moving parts. This makes them durable and better for frequent travelling and carrying around.
Consider these factors when choosing SSD:
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Capacity: The storage space on SSDs go up to 8TB, 4TB more than the offered HDDs.
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Interface: Most common including USB 3 and Thunderbolt 3.
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Durability: SSDs are more resistant to damage due to their compact construction.
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Heat Dissipation: SSDs produce lesser heat as compared to HDDs, and also require less power.
The Best External Hard Drives to Expand Your Storage
Now that you’re aware of the types of External Hard Drives and the basics that you should consider while making the decision, here are the best external hard drives to expand your storage.
- Seagate Backup Plus Hub:
The Seagate Backup Plus Hub is equipped with two front-mounted USB 3.0 ports, allowing you to charge devices, or even download files directly onto the hard drive. It comes in one of five sizes, ranging from 4TB to 8TB in capacity. It also has a spinning disk HDD with 7,200RPM speed and up to 160MBps of transfer speeds. The form factor of the backup plus hub is 4.6×1.6×6.7-inches, so a bit larger than most other drives.
- WD Elements Desktop:
The WD Elements Desktop is a fast and easy to use external Hard Drive that is available from 1TB to 10TB. It is also equipped with USB 3.0and comes with WD backup software, as well as a two-year limited warranty. The drive is compact and comes in dimensions of 5.3×1.9×6 inches. Like most drives, it also includes an LED power indicator, but unlike other drives, it has an extra function that can help that can be used to quickly detect whether the drive has failed or not.
- Toshiba Canvio Advance:
The Toshiba Canvio Advance is an external HDD that is ideal for high-end gaming and creative professionals. It comes with a metal aluminum design to withstand external wear and tear, and offers local and cloud backup. It is one of the few devices that come with a refreshing white colour and is available in 1TB to 5TB capacity. It also boasts of up to 130MBps speed, an impressive 7,200rpm spindle, a USB 3.0 port, and a two-year limited warranty.
- G-Technology G-Drive Mobile SSD:
The G-Technology G-Drive Mobile SSD is the peak of external storage, featuring a Type-C connector, universal compatibility, and connection speeds up to 540MB/s. The drive features an incredibly slim design and comes in a variety of colours. The range includes 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB internal capacities and offers a five-year limited warranty.
- Samsung T3 Portable SSD:
The Samsung T3 Portable SSD is an affordable stylish external drive with a modern metallic finish that is designed to last with a shock-resistant case. It also sports a fingerprint reader and password protection, as well as data encryption. Samsung offers the Portable SSD in four colours and 250GB to 2TB capacities.
With the right knowledge and specifications, picking out an external hard drive doesn’t have to be tricky. This article provides you with all the information you need to select the right external hard drive to expand your storage. From compact devices to high-end drives, the list of best external hard drives here should have something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly pick, or a more luxurious model, picking the best external hard drive should be a breeze now.
