▷ Best external hard drives: cheap, recommended and usb 2020?
Table of contents:
- Storage capacity
- Transfer speed
- Portability and durability
- Security
- Additional characteristics
- The best external USB hard drives
- Western Digital My Passport
- Seagate Backup Plus Hub 6TB STEL6000100
- Seagate Backup Plus 4TB
- Maxtor M3 Portable
- LaCie Rugged 2TB Thunderbolt USB-C
- Samsung T5 Portable SSD
- Toshiba Canvio Advance 3TB
- Silicon Power 1TB Rugged Armor A60
- Final words and conclusion about the best external hard drives
Backing up your most important files is becoming more and more recommended. That's where external hard drives come in, which even offer a great way to expand storage for low-end laptops and desktop devices.
However, with so many models available, how do you know which ones to buy? Should you buy an external hard drive or SSD? What version of USB do you need? What about encryption? In this article we will try to clear all your doubts.
Index of contents
Storage capacity
Arguably the most important specification to consider when purchasing an external drive is storage space. With that said, you also don't want to pay for a unit you will never be able to fill, so what size should you aim for? It depends on what you want to do with it.
If you want a device that is good at transferring documents, photos, or other media from one device to another, or you just want to expand the storage space of your low-end laptop or tablet, then it's better to go for an intermediate zone. A drive of up to 2TB of storage space will be ideal, beyond that they become very expensive and are unnecessarily large for this type of use. If you are interested in storing a lot more or preserving files and folders over the long term, you will want something bigger. A 4TB drive should meet most needs for the foreseeable future.
Transfer speed
Transfer speed is also incredibly important, since if you transfer files from one huge disk to another on a regular basis, you don't have to wait forever for them to complete. There are two main factors that influence how quickly your unit can operate: the storage technology and the connector it uses. Solid state drives (SSDs) can process data faster than hard drives (HDDs). External SSDs tend to be more expensive than their HDD counterparts and often have less storage capacity.
As for the connector used, most drives today use a USB interface, but there are several generations that have a few different differences, especially with the transfer speed. USB 2.0 is an old standard and should be avoided if you are doing something other than infrequent small file transfers. USB 3.0 offers a substantial increase in speed (up to 5 Gbps), while USB 3.1 (sometimes called USB 3.1 Gen 2) is becoming more common and offers transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. Thunderbolt 3 compatible devices offer the fastest connection medium, capable of transferring up to 40Gbps.
Portability and durability
If you just want to use its external drive to back up in your own home, you don't need to consider portability and you might even be looking for network-attached storage solutions for more permanent backup options. However, if you want to keep your hard drive with you on the go, portability is of the utmost importance . You want it to be lightweight and small enough to fit in a bag or pocket. Ideally, you want one that doesn't require an external power cord. In the reverse of storage space, SSDs tend to be slightly smaller than their hard drive counterparts. Another reason to consider an SSD over an HDD is durability. While modern external disk drives often come equipped with sturdy enclosures to protect them from damage, an SSD has no moving parts, making them more durable than a traditional hard drive.
Security
If the data you store on your external drive is confidential in any way, encrypting the data is a good idea. There are many drives that are compatible with software encryption solutions and they are fine, but for those who take their data security more seriously, you will want to find a drive with 256 bit AES hardware encryption. While Kingston's Ironkey flash memory drives don't offer the same storage capacity as full-scale drives, they do have a secondary layer of security where the PCBs in your drives are dipped in a resin that makes it difficult for anyone to access internal memory chips.
Additional characteristics
There are a multitude of different external units, and that means stiff competition. While all of the features and specs above are worth considering before anything else, there are a few other cool features you can keep in mind if you're still not sure which unit to choose.
Some external hard drives offer Wi-Fi connectivity for easy file access, and some offer better guarantees than others. You can also consider the cables that the unit is supplied with, if your laptop or phone has USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 connections and the unit only comes with a USB-A cable, it is an important factor in buying another cable or adapter.
This ends our article on external hard drives: features to consider, remember to share it with your friends so that it can help more users who need it.
The best external USB hard drives
We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to back up your most valuable data. If you are among the 30% of people who have never backed up their data, you will be relieved to know that there is a very simple way to do it, an external hard drive. We have compiled a list of our favorite models to help you choose. Best external USB hard drives.
Next, we present the eight best external hard drives on the market, we offer you various models to meet the needs of all users.
Western Digital My Passport
- Ease of use Compatible Windows Plus capacity for your files
My Passport is an economical drive, but it offers exceptional performance thanks to a USB 3.0 port and an excellent disk controller. This unit allows a maximum transfer rate of 174 MBps read and 168 MBps write. It is available in sizes ranging from 1TB to 4TB.
My Passport is preloaded with WD SmartWare software. The visual interface is intuitive and the built-in software allows easy installation and configuration management. Backup and recovery options allow you to configure incremental backups to be performed every time you connect the drive to your computer or device. The unit offers password protection and 256-bit data encryption.
- Available in 1, 2, 3 and 4TB 2.5 inch size USB 3.0 You can choose from various colors
Seagate Backup Plus Hub 6TB STEL6000100
- Two high-speed USB 3.0 ports built in on the front let you connect other USB devices and charge Formatted for Windows computers out of the box Install the included NTFS driver for Mac and use the swappable drive between Windows and Mac computers without reformatting Install the copy application Free Seagate Mobile Security on an iOS Mobile Device
It houses SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) drives, which allowed more physical bits of memory in the same space without decreasing the size of the bits. This unit offers high capacity, is available in 3TB, 4TB, 6TB and 8TB versions, and is fast and flexible. It's compatible with Windows and Mac. Its two built-in high-speed USB 3.0 ports on the front let you recharge other USB devices, and with Seagate Dashboard, you can schedule automatic or on-demand backups.
- Not portable Available in 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 10 TBUSB 3.0 Weight of 1 kg
Seagate Backup Plus 4TB
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- Metal design for durability Seagate Mobile Backup app means you can back up your files directly from your mobile device Compatible with PC and Mac
This Seagate 4TB external hard drive is compatible with the Apple Time Machine, making it the perfect external storage option for those in the Apple ecosystem. Just download the Seagate Dashboard software, and you can drag and drop movies, photos, songs, or other files.
The device also has cloud connectivity and social media backup. A sleek silver laptop design matches your Macbook and connects with high-speed USB 3.0 connectivity. There's also no need for an external power supply, you just need to connect via USB.
- Available in 1, 2 and 4TB sizes 2.5-inch format USB 3.0 Different colors to choose from
Maxtor M3 Portable
- External HDD with USB 3.0 interface Has a capacity of 4 TB Data transfer speed 5 GB / s 2.5 "form factor System requirements: PC: Windows Vista / 7/8/10, Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later Upgrade the operating system to the latest version for increased performance and reliability
If we are looking for a good, nice and cheap external hard drive, the Maxtor M3 Portable offers us the best of the best at the best price. It has a portable size of 2.5 inches and an anti-fingerprint and scratch casing, so we have assured lightness and security while transporting it.
Currently we find it available in its most basic version from 500GB up to 4TB and with a USB 3.0 connection. In this way we will have quite good read / write rates. If you don't want to leave a kidney behind, this Maxtor is a great option.
- Design Anti-fingerprints and scratches Format 2.5 inch USB 3.0 is cheap
LaCie Rugged 2TB Thunderbolt USB-C
- Enjoy high-speed file transfers and durability in the field with the Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C External Hard Drive For those who need speed, transfer at speeds up to 130MB with the integrated Thunderbolt cable contained in the Compartment when not in use Travel the world in peace with an external hard drive and rain, dust and water resistant laptop Includes a free one month subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan which allows you to access applications for the editing photos and videos
If you're looking for a super fast, rugged external hard drive for Mac that can handle lots of bumps, dust, rain and bounces, check out the LaCie USB-C Rugged Thunderbolt Portable Hard Drive. The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt unit offers drop resistance of up to five feet, crush resistance that can withstand up to a one-ton cart, and IP54 water and dust resistance. Available in 2-5TB capacities, they have a USB cable connected in your favorite flavor (USB-C, USB-C Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt, or USB 3.0). LaCie's Rugged Thunderbolt drive is also fast, at up to 510MB / s with the SSD version.
- USB connection -C Compatible Thunderbolt Read and write rates It is an External SSD Anti-fall protection (IP54)
Samsung T5 Portable SSD
- Up to five times faster than external hard drives with data transfer speeds of up to 540 MB / s Shockproof aluminum case with internal reinforcement frame For PC, notebook, smart TV and many Android mobile devices
The Samsung T5 Portable DDS is a bit pricey, but the speed and security it boasts are worth it for those looking for long-lasting performance. Because it has no moving parts, it can also handle drops of up to two meters. With built- in 256-bit AES hardware encryption, your data is also kept safe if someone else controls it.
What really makes the Samsung T5 stand out, though, is its super-fast transfer speed, at up to 540MB / s thanks to the SSD design. The T5 also connects to almost anything, with its USB 3.1 Type C and Type A ports, and works with Windows, Mac, and Android devices.
- External hard drive with SSD included Read and write rates USB 3.1 Gen2 But the price is very high
Toshiba Canvio Advance 3TB
- 2.5 "external hard drive I just glossy pianoSuperSpeed USB 3.0 portUSB powerAutomatic backup software
It comes in four colors (white, red, black, and blue) and offers 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 3TB models to fill with as many media as can fit. It is not much larger than a deck of cards, and connects to your Mac or PC with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. Some people see a throughput of about 110 Mbps when they use a USB 3.0 port. Many users delight in the small size, fast transfer speeds, and cool operating temperature of this small portable unit.
- Available in 1, 2 and 3TB Size 2.5 inches USB 3.0 Different colors
Silicon Power 1TB Rugged Armor A60
- Passes the American Army test MIL-STD-810F 516.5 procedure IV (each traffic test) and IEC529 IPX7 waterproof Anti-pressure and anti-dust function USB 3.0 Super Speed (data transfer up to 5 Gbps) LED indicating power and data access
Silicon Power's Armor A60 external hard drive is no joke and offers a rugged exterior with a shockproof design and IPX4 waterproof boot protection. It is also resistant to falls up to 122 centimeters. The A60 carries its own USB 3.0 cable, which attaches to the unit itself so you never have to worry about being without the transfer cable while venturing out. The textured shell is also scratch and slip resistant with a silicone bumper around the sides. There's 256-bit AES encryption and cloud storage, as well as a three-year, full-service warranty and support options.
- Available from 1TB to 5TB Very compact 2.5 inch size USB 3.0 Water resistance
Final words and conclusion about the best external hard drives
As you have seen in our articles we find a wide variety of external hard drives. From the smallest and most portable, to others with higher performance but bigger for our desktop team. Depending on our needs, we will choose one of the present options.
We recommend reading our article on the best hard drives on the market . And it may also be interesting: the best SSDs of the moment SATA, M.2 NVMe and PCIe.
This ends our article on the best external hard drives on the market, remember to share it on social networks so that it can help more users. What external HDD have you recently bought?
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