When choosing an external hard drive, think about what you want to do with it, how quickly you need to reach the data on it, and how much data you nee
When choosing an external hard drive, think about what you want to do with it, how quickly you need to reach the data on it, and how much data you need to store on it. There are external hard drives with a lot of physical protection against the elements, external SSDs that let you move data very quickly, and substantial external hard drives that are better for long-term backups. Most of those things are usually true of the best external Hard drives.
Here are some more detailed tips on choosing an external hard drive if it’s unclear what kind you need or if you need something that can do a little bit of everything.
Contents
Here are some tips on choosing an external hard drive
Storage capacity
Storage space is one of the most important things to consider when getting an external drive. Buying a fast device with encryption and remote access that isn’t big enough to store all your info is pointless. You also don’t want to pay a lot for a drive that won’t even come close to complete.
What is the best size for an external hard drive? That’s up to you.
A USB flash drive like the Corsair Survivor Stealth could be helpful if you want to move documents, pictures, or other media from one device to another or need tens of gigabytes of space to transfer files from one system to another. They only cost $25 and have 64GB of storage, enough to quickly move thousands of ph,otos, or a few hundred videos between devices.
If you need a few terabytes of room and aren’t too worried about speed, Western Digital’s My Passport Ultra is an excellent drive with decent performance and multiple terabyte capacities. It’s a great way to back up your pictures and videos for a long time or move thousands of them from one device to another.
Look for the Western Digital My Book Duo if you need the most space possible. It’s more of a NAS than an external hard drive, but with 10s of terabytes of room, you can store just about anything on it.
SSD vs. HDD
There are two types of external drives: HDDs and SSDs. SSDs and HDDs do different things, but at their core, SSDs are faster. They cost more money, too.
The information on a hard drive disk (HDD) is stored on spin magnetic disks. Read/write heads change this data when needed so you can hear the sound of the leaders moving. Solid-state drives (SSDs) use tiny gate transistors in cells that can turn on or off when an electric pulse is sent through them. The name comes from the fact that they don’t move.
In many cases, SSDs are much faster than HDDs, but they can get costly. HDDs are less expensive, but they are also bigger, slower, and easier to break. SSDs, like the great Samsung T5, are the fastest and most lasting drives for external drives.
Transfer speed
Not all of the best portable hard drives are the biggest ones. Speed of transfer is also critical. If you often move files to and from a big dream, you don’t want to wait long for the transfer to finish.
How fast your drive can work comes down to two main things: the storage technology it uses and its connection.
In general, SSDs can process data faster than HDDs, even though some drives are faster than others. Most of the time, external SSDs cost more than their HDD peers and have less storage space. You don’t have to choose between the two since you can pay more for bigger SSDs.
You have a few standard choices when it comes to how your external drive connects to your PC or mobile device. Most enterprises today use a USB interface, but the newest ones are very different, especially in how fast they send data.
USB 2.0 is an old standard, and you should avoid it if you want to do anything other than send small files. Its maximum transfer speed is only 480Mbps. On PCs, the port is not usually marked with a color.
When USB links go beyond 2.0, things can get a little complicated. You may see USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen1, or USB 3.2 Gen1 on a list of specs. All three are the same. They all offer speeds of up to 5Gbps and are usually blue. Also, USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB 3.2 Gen2 are the same. They are both red and can send data at 10Gbps.
USB 3.2, or 3.2 22, is the fastest. It can go up to 20Gbps.
USB-A is the most popular (read: oldest) type of connector. It looks like a square box and can only be connected this way up. USB-C is younger, smaller, rounder, and has a connector that can be used either way. The DisplayPort standard for video output is built on top of this port. Some connectors have USB-C ports but use the Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 protocol and can send data at speeds of up to 40Gbps.
Some older devices use different ports like eSATA and Firewire, but you should avoid them because they aren’t as helpful as they used to be.
You need a Thunderbolt NVMe SSD, like the Samsung X5, to move data from an external drive as quickly as possible.
Portability and durability
Not all of the best portable hard drives are the biggest ones. Speed of transfer is also critical. If you often move files to and from a big dream, you don’t want to wait long for the transfer to finish.
How fast your drive can work comes down to two main things: the storage technology it uses and its connection.
In general, SSDs can process data faster than HDDs, even though some drives are faster than others. Most of the time, external SSDs cost more than their HDD peers and have less storage space. You don’t have to choose between the two since you can pay more for bigger SSDs.
You have a few standard choices when it comes to how your external drive connects to your PC or mobile device. Most enterprises today use a USB interface, but the newest ones are very different, especially in how fast they send data.
USB 2.0 is an old standard, and you should avoid it if you want to do anything other than send small files. Its maximum transfer speed is only 480Mbps. On PCs, the port is not usually marked with a color.
When USB links go beyond 2.0, things can get a little complicated. You may see USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen1, or USB 3.2 Gen1 on a list of specs. All three are the same. They all offer speeds of up to 5Gbps and are usually blue. Also, USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB 3.2 Gen2 are the same. They are both red and can send data at 10Gbps.
USB 3.2, or 3.2 22, is the fastest. It can go up to 20Gbps.
USB-A is the most popular (read: oldest) type of connector. It looks like a square box and can only be connected this way up. USB-C is younger, smaller, rounder, and has a connector that can be used either way. The DisplayPort standard for video output is built on top of this port. Some connectors have USB-C ports but use the Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 protocol and can send data at speeds of up to 40Gbps.
Some older devices use different ports like eSATA and Firewire, but you should avoid them because they aren’t as helpful as they used to be.
You need a Thunderbolt NVMe SSD, like the Samsung X5, to move data from an external drive as quickly as possible.
Security
Encryption is a good idea if the data on your external drive is private. Most people are fine with software encryption options, which work with many dreams.
If you care more about the safety of your files, you should look for a drive with hardware encryption. If you were worried about safety, you could even choose a physical security system like the pin-code entry on the ApricoBuy at Dellrn Aegis Padlock drive.
Some drives have strong cases that make it hard to change them physically. Even though Kingston’s IronKey flash drives don’t have as much space as full-sized drives, they have an extra layer of security built into the printed circuit board (PCB) and dipped in plastic. Because of this design, it is hard for someone to get to the memory chips inside the drive.
Compatibility
External hard drives are usually set up to work with a particular operating system immediately. For example, a portable drive set up for Windows 10 may not work with MacOS, and the same is true for MacOS. Some hard drives are also designed to work with Linux.
This setup isn’t permanent, though. You can change what a hard drive can do by reformatting it or splitting it up. But if you don’t want the trouble, ensure the external drive works with the operating system you want to use.
Extra features
Even if you’ve done all the study you can on a product, you should still think about any extra features before making a purchase.
A more extended guarantee is something you should look for. This can help pay for a new drive if this one breaks, and some companies, like Seagate, offer deals to help you recover your data for a lower price.
You should also pay attention to the connections that come with your drive. Some newer phones and computers use USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 connections, but the industry you want might come with a USB-A cable. If that’s the case, you can still buy that drive, but you’ll also need to buy a different wire or an adapter, which will add to the cost.
It’s also a good idea to look at newer drives with modern features like being able to charge with a USB wire and connect to Wi-Fi.
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