The Best External Hard Drive
Choosing one of the best external hard drives what’s best for our business is not an easy task: the market offer is enormous and the models seem to look like everyone else. So hard to grasp the differences!
For this reason, as always, our experts help you, which will show you the best external hard drives categorized below what may be of interest to you or serve you.
Whether you are looking for an external hard drive to carry with you anywhere or one that works as a home store, there is the perfect model for you at the right price.
So let your entire new external hard drive be advised and purchased in complete serenity!
Table of Contents
The best value for money
Toshiba Canvio Basics 500 GB
Good quality at an affordable price distinguishes the external hard drives of the Toshiba Canvio Basics series. What we present here is the 500 GB model, but also the ” older brothers ” from 1 TB and 2 TB are also available. Beyond the size of the memory, we are facing an excellent compact, portable HDD with a naturally backward compatible USB 3.0 interface that delivers high-performance data transfer rates up to 5 Gbps.
It’s silent and does not heat up much. It does not need to install any software and is plug-n-play, ready to use just unpacked. Ready to use on Microsoft systems up to Windows 10, it can be formatted for use with Mac.
Technical details of the Toshiba Canvio Basics 500 GB :
- Postcard format : the external hard drive measures 7.9 x 11.9 x 1.5 cm and weighs 230 g, has the corners and edges rounded and the matt black plastic finish.
- Modern interface : The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface supports data transfer rates up to 5 Gbps and is also compatible with previous USB ports (2.0).
- For all OS : The external hard drive is formatted in NTFS format, ready for use with Windows systems, but can also be easily formatted in HFS for complete compatibility even with Mac.
- Power : Toshiba Canvio Basics feeds itself simply through USB cable, no cables and additional power supplies.
- Capacity: 500GB; Speed: 5400 RPM; Average Seek Time: 12ms; Cache Buffer: 8MB
- USB 2.0-powered portable add-on storage.
- Plug and play operation. Easy to use with no software to install.
Product prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.
The Smallest and Lightest
Samsung T3 Portable SSD – 250GB
The sample of lightness and size is the Samsung T3 Portable SSD – 250GB, also available in 500 MB, 1TB and 2TB versions, as you can see by clicking on the offer. This jewel is weighing only 1.8 ounces and it is the size of a credit card with its 2.9 x 2.3 x 0.4 inches.
All this compactness is due to the fact that, it is not a traditional 2.5″ HDD, but a solid-state memory (SSD) of the latest generation, lighter but also more shock resistant than traditional disks. Also in this case the interface is USB 3.1, and the read and write speeds reach 450 MBps.
Other Features of the Samsung T3 Portable SSD – 250GB :
- Quick Access to Data : The peculiarity of SSDs is that they do not have the mechanical parts of a HDD (disk and mechanical arm), so the data access speed is incomparably superior.
- Protect Your Data : Samsung’s preinstalled software allows you to protect your data with 256-bit AES encryption if you wish.
- For all OS : SSD memory can be used with the latest Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
- Long warranty : The external memory is covered by a three-year Samsung warranty.
- Short cable : The supplied micro USB cable is deliberately cumbersome, not more than 10 cm, to reduce the size and make the SSD memory ideal for attaching to a portable PC.
- Portable Design with Internal SSD-level Performance
- Superfast Read-Write Speeds of up to 450 MB/s
- Shock Resistant & Secure Encryption
Product prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.
The most robust and durable
Transcend 1 TB StoreJet M3 Portable Hard Drive
If you are looking for the HDD that is affordable and resistant to everything, you cannot consider the Transcend 1 TB StoreJet M3 Portable Hard Drive. We say this because it is the HDD specifically designed to withstand heavier handling: it is equipped with a robust protective enclosure and is tested according to the American military standard to withstand shocks and falls, vibrations and pressure.
It is an external memory suitable for heavy jobs and extreme situations. Available in 500 GB, 1 TB (what we show here) and 2 TB, mounts the USB 3.0 standard for transfer rates up to 5 Gbps.
Other features of the Transcend StoreJet 25M3 Portable Hard Drive :
- Instant Backup : The HDD comes with the One-Touch button, which allows you to backup the data stored on the external memory with a single touch.
- Pre-installed Software : You will already find the manufacturer’s file management software on your HDD, which also allows you to protect 256-bit AES encryption if you wish.
- Quick Reconnection : Just press a button to reconnect the hardware after removing it safely, without having to physically disconnect and re-connect the USB cable.
- Shielded by shocks : The triple protection, with a HDD internal suspension system, shockproof rubber cover, and external hard shell.
- Compatibility : External memory is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux Systems.
- Military-grade shock resistance, SuperSpeed USB 3.0 compliant and backwards compatible with USB 2.0
- Advanced 3-stage shock protection system, Durable anti-shock rubber outer case
- Advanced internal hard drive suspension system, Quick Reconnect Button - re-enable safely removed USB hard drive without...
Product prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.
The best for stationary
WD 4TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive
If, finally, what you are looking for is a digital archive to keep your home, and you do not care much about weight and bulk issues, we recommend WD 4 TB My Book or 3 TB depending on your need.
The preinstalled software for file management allows you to set automatic backup of both local and cloud data (leaning on your DropBox account) as well as setting password protection and content encryption. The interface is USB 3.0 with transfer rates up to 5 Gbps. Ready to use on Windows systems, requires reformatting for use with Mac.
Further specifications of the WD 4TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive :
- Preinstalled Utilities : In addition to the management software, you find that the free app for Windows 8, the Acronis True Image WD Edition suite for data protection, and WD Drive Utilities for My Disk maintenance.
- Ready for Windows : The disk comes preformatted in NTFS format, for high-performance Windows XP systems up to 10; For use with OS X, a preliminary formatting is required.
- Remarkable size : Made to stay home, the HDD measures 1.9 x 5.5 x 6.7 in and weighs in at 2.27 lbs , with a minimalist and elegant design that is everywhere.
- Network powered : My Book requires home network power, so you’ll find the necessary transformer.
- Included WD Backup software makes backing up what's important to you easy and fast
- Easy to use WD Backup software makes protecting what's important to you easy
- Downloadable version of AcronisTrue Image WD Edition software offers system-level backup for complete protection
Product prices and availability are subject to change. Any price and availablility information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of any products.