The Best External Hard Drives for 2024

Overview

The computer plays such an important role in our daily life. We use computers to store images and videos, as well as to complete tasks. Without the hard drive, none of this would be possible. The hard drive is the component on your computer that holds all of your data, from files to software; yet, it does not have an unlimited amount of space.

Moisture, drops, and computer viruses can all harm your computer and wipe out its hard drive. If your computer is taken, you could lose all of your data as well. That's why having a backup on an external hard drive is critical.

But, with dozens of external drives to choose from, how can you know which one is perfect for you? 

To assist you in selecting the best portable external drive for your needs, we test and assess dozens of drives as they become available, and then publish our list of precise recommendations for the best hard drives on this page. After we get to the picks, there are a few things to consider, such as whether you require a drive for work, etc.

Top Picks

1. Best Overall: Seagate Portable 2TB

2. Best Budget: Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB

3. Best Premium: 20TB WD Elements

4. Best 10T: WD 10TB Elements 

5. Best 6T: WD 6TB Elements

6. Best 5T: WD 5TB

7. Best 4T: Seagate Portable 4TB 

8. Best 2T: WD 2TB Elements

9. Best 1T: Seagate Portable 1TB 

Buying Guide

When learning how to choose an external hard drive, think about what you want to do with it, how quickly you need to access the data on it, and how much data you need to keep on it. 

If you're not sure what kind of external hard drive you need or if you need something that can do a little bit of everything, here are some more detailed guidelines on how to choose an external hard drive. Continue reading for the most critical considerations. You will undoubtedly succeed if you only focus on the factors that are most essential to you.

1. Capacity

When it comes to external storage, capacity is the most essential concern for most individuals. While you might think that the cheapest drive offers the best value, this is not necessarily the case. Low-capacity drives have typically been the worst deal in the past. It's pointless to invest in a high-speed device with encryption and remote access if it can't hold all of your data. You also don't want to overpay for a drive that you won't even come close to filling.

2. Performance

Since USB 2.0 has been phased out of all self-respecting storage, USB 3 has emerged as the industry standard, allowing tiny portable drives to perform as quickly as their small disks allow.

When transferring your music or video collection from your PC to an HDD, you should expect a read speed of around 100MB/s.

3. Durability

A robust casing will come in handy if you want to throw the unplugged drive around without worrying about harming it or, more importantly, losing your data.

While tough casings are common on current external drives to protect them from harm, the two technologies have fundamentally distinct physical makeups. An SSD is more resistant to drop damage than a regular hard drive since it has no moving parts, making it far more durable.

4. Security

The larger the hard disk, the more data you can store – and the more data you risk losing if it is lost or stolen. This is where having that drive locked down comes in handy.

There are two methods for ensuring that the data is inaccessible to other users. Hardware encryption can be used to scramble the contents. You can also use a software tool to encrypt portions of the entire drive.

FAQs

1. Do external HDDs last longer than internal?

It outlasts any internal storage device, to be honest. It is mostly due to the fact that such devices are of good quality and readily available for your use. They are also more resistant to the elements. The internal drives of your laptop may become warm as you use it. This will not be the case with an external storage device. Warming up takes a long time.

2. Which is better: WD or Seagate?

In every way, the Seagate Internal Hard Drive outperforms the Western Digital Internal Hard Drive. So, whether it's price, performance, or storage capacity, the Seagate Internal Hard Drive will outperform the Western Digital Internal Hard Drive because it's less expensive.

3. Which lasts longer: SSD or HDD?

An SSD has a far longer lifespan than a hard disk drive. SSDs can survive up to ten years or more, compared to 3-5 years for HDDs. Because SSDs have no moving parts, but HDDs have spinning disks that might wear down over time, this is the case.

Final Thoughts

This guide goes over the top external hard drives on the market right now. The most difficult process will always be selecting the best one among them. There are many factors to consider, and thoroughly analyzing each device and its reviews will take some time. Hopefully, the knowledge you've received will assist you in visualizing how you want your final configuration to work. Please feel free to add your helpful comments if you believe I missed one that is relevant.