Wondering what is the best external hard drive to buy in 2016? In this article, we collected the top five best external disk drives in price / quality ratio
Today, external hard drives are very popular for storing important data. They are also very useful for creating a data backup. They are portable and easy to use. At the same time, today the market is more than ever filled with all sorts of options for external hard drives. On the one hand, this is good news: you have plenty to choose from. On the other hand, with a huge choice comes the headache of determining what to buy.
Yes, for this there are many free programs. It should, however, be noted that no program can fully store the relevant data. How to check hard disk speed? Now right-click on the search result, this is “Run as administrator”, confirm possible warnings with “Yes”. Thus, you can transfer games and data at your discretion and not create permanent space on the internal drive.
But which hard drives are better? If before you were limited to a maximum of 1 terabyte, you can connect external drives with a capacity of up to 8 terabytes with the new firmware. More than enough space for your favorite games. If you are dealing with the topic of external hard drives, you often hear about 2, 5 and 3, 5-inch drives.
5. Seagate Backup Plus Slim
This is the best external storage device available on the market: among its parameters, you can call a USB 3.0 interface, a capacity of 2 terabytes, 2 years of warranty, dimensions - 113 mm (4.4 ") in length, 76 mm (3.0") in width , and weight in 159 g. This is the thinnest of 2 TB drives available. In addition, it has a very elegant design. Since it supports USB 3.0, its data transfer speed is amazing. The metal construction makes the disc stronger and more beautiful. This is a really fast data storage device. But the best thing about it is that by purchasing it, you also get backup software, as well as a 200 GB online storage subscription for Microsoft One Drive for two years.
They also do not need their own power source and are economical to use. To do this, they are smaller in volume than the larger 3, 5-inch models. 3, 5-inch plates are heavier and more cumbersome than their small relatives and almost always need their own power source. To do this, they are far superior to the 2, 5-inch version and have a higher price / performance ratio.
- 2. 5-inch panels are lightweight and compact.
- You can easily insert it and take with you.
The disadvantage of this disk is the lack of security settings, as there is no firmware in it that would help prevent unauthorized access to data. In addition, two years of warranty on it - this is not enough. But overall, the drive is very good.
The Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB drive is available in four colors: silver, blue, red and black. Its design is very elegant, and the disc is very nice looking. When first used, it is formatted in the NTFS file system, and therefore fully compatible with Windows. In order for it to work in the MAC OS, you just need to load the NTFS driver, and then there will be no need to format the disk again.
Most fragile devices
These are commercially available hard drives in which a mechanical read head reads data from a magnetized disk. Such hard drives are favorable, but cause audible hissing in use and subject to shock and shock due to mechanics. Data is read directly from memory without a mechanical read head. Disadvantage: they are usually quite small in volume and expensive!
Thank you for your support! On a laptop, TV, or console: an external hard drive provides space to back up data, music, and movies. The test shows which models are the best in 2, 5 and 3, 5 inches. Fewer days are just minor natural disasters: they start with a bad mood — and end with despair. Dark clouds obscure the view, and at noon the food burns, and in the evening the angry children roar with a deafening noise in the living room.
4.
The Transcend StoreJet 25M3 drive is another cool external storage device available on the market. The best parameters in it are shock resistance and ultra-high data transfer speeds via USB 3.0. Among its outstanding characteristics are: shock resistance, compatibility with USB 3.0, as well as with USB 2.0, shockproof external casing made of rubber, enhanced suspension of the internal hard drive, one-time backup at the touch of a button, folder encryption tool, special software for data management Transcend Elite - and the last, but far from the most insignificant, parameter in the form of a button for quick reconnection on the rear panel.
And, as if this were not enough, they also stumble on a power cable - and carry it to the ground with a loud Karacho. The pressure on the start button causes no shorter ring. The smallest model comes with 120 gigabytes. But the indication is deceived: in some places it measures 9.6 mm - still a good value.
Start and price has not been fixed. Currently, the largest 3, 5-inch hard drives offer 8 terabytes. Recommended retail price: only 68 euros, 107 euros, 195 euros and 389 euros. This allows you to use part of the working memory as a quick buffer. He is expected to reach 1, 4 GB per second.
This button makes it easy for you to re-establish the connection after you safely removed the hard drive from the system: if you want to reconnect the drive, simply click this button. And there is no need to disconnect or reconnect the USB connector.
The operating voltage of the drive is 5 V direct current through the USB port, the drive type is a SATA 2.5 ’’ hard drive. After 10 minutes, the disc goes into power saving mode. Another good option here is to create a backup at the touch of a button. The disc comes with three years warranty.
Do not allow catastrophes!
But between intention and realization there are often worlds. To protect you from data failures and help you make the right choice, the editorial team tested 32 external disks — both comfortable models with moderate performance and large disks with an external power source and huge memory.
Pace - and please, a lot!
More specifically: 18 plates in a small 2, 5-inch format with 1 to 2 terabytes, as well as 14 large 3, 5-inch models with 3-6 terabytes. In principle, most of the memory does not guarantee a high transfer rate. In fact, the test revealed glaring temporary differences.
Those who want to have all their files - music, a complete collection of high-resolution videos and so on - in one place, cannot find a better and more suitable product than this one.
3.
WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive (2 TB) is 2 TB capacity, USB 3.0 interface, dimensions 3.2 inches (81.2 mm) in width and 4.4 inches (111.8 mm) in thickness, data interface with a speed of 5.0 Gbit / s via USB 3.0. In addition, it is compatible with Windows, includes 30 days of trial software, and is preformatted in NTFS.
Why 3, 5 inches faster?
3. 5-inch hard drives looked the same: the smallest model required more than the fastest four minutes. In addition to a few exceptions, 3, 5-inch plates more flotation than 2, 5 inches. This is simply because of physics: magnetic disks in 3, 5-inch models have a larger diameter with 8, 9 centimeters than smaller plates. Therefore, a large disk can store much more data on external tracks.
Best Western Digital External Hard Drives
No matter how fast this drive: to ensure data security reliability. Finally, the associated repository in the zeal of battle can sometimes wrinkle with it. And when both devices are denied service, good advice is expensive.
The disk gives you a large amount of memory for a very low price. Its design is very simple and pleasant to look at. The disadvantage of this product is a trial version of the software and a lack of security settings, since it does not have embedded software in order to protect data from unauthorized access. The company provides a one-year warranty, which is very small compared to other external hard drives available on the market. But this is the cheapest of the 2 TB drives available on the market.
In the test, the hard drives entered the falling drum: here each of the 32 models had to exceed 20 drops from a height of 60 centimeters. Result: two models recognized the service with a complete failure, five others released reading and writing errors after the drop tests.
The best network memory in the test
External hard drives are extremely versatile and also offer the following applications. Too bad: there is no current standby. But it worked quite loudly. For this you need to live with a somewhat low speed and a rather obscure menu. Is the purchase of such offers?
Those who want to have all their files - music, a complete collection of high-resolution videos and so on - in one place, cannot find a better and more suitable product than this one.
Its simple design is awesome. Although this external hard drive is far from being as fast as SeaGate, but at such a low price it is very much worth buying. A simple interface allows it to be used both as a backup device and as a game console. When first used, it is preformatted in the NFTS file system, so the disc is compatible with Windows.
What type of hard drive should you choose ?: It depends on what you need to save: if you want to back up data and you need space, you need to choose a larger 3, 5-inch model, but an external power supply with power is required. With models up to 1, 5 kilograms available models are quite heavy and short.
Should the disk be used for data transfer, for example, in combination with? Then a small, convenient 2.5-inch hard drive is the right thing for you. Although it runs on average 30 percent slower than larger models, it comes without an external power source.
2.
This is another best product available on the market. Its options include a USB 3.0 interface, 2TB of memory, a maximum data transfer rate of 5 Gb / s, password protection software, and this, along with Windows-compatible WD Smart Ware software. The height and width of the disc are 0.8 and 3.2 inches (20.3 and 81.3 mm), respectively, and it comes with a warranty of 3 years.
After failures often ends
What drives offer the best price for a gigabyte of memory? And: 0-plates also work on 0-connections. Big 3, 5 - Records worked consistently quickly. Of course, if you want to have plenty of time for your external hard drive, it should be nurtured and nurtured. But clumsy movements and falls are happening now - it's nice if the recording subsequently still works, and all the data is there. In the test, only seven out of 16 candidates survived ten drops without bubbles and functional problems.
Photos and movies can be easily transferred from external drives to the TV. Not all plates are suitable for every application. Recommendations of the editorial staff on the three types of storage. Music fan: well-groomed music collections collected over the years often include more than a thousand songs. It's nice if they are not only at home, but also on the road. It offers enough space for your favorite music. Therefore, films need not only a lot of memory: for a short download, there is also a neat pace. Regardless of the games, programs, music and videos - they want everything and, therefore, only one thing: a disk with a large memory.
Compared to its predecessor, this external hard drive is fast to use. Since any user always wants to have security settings to protect their data from unauthorized access, the creators of this device have solved the problem, so along with the disk you get firmware, the password of which protects the storage device from such access.
In the first part of this article, we’ll let you know if there is an external hard drive for testing large consumer magazines. In the second part, you will find a comparison of the various external hard drives that we created separately. The devices are called "external hard disk" in English.
An external hard drive is nothing more than an internal hard drive in an intelligent chassis connected to a controller that has different connectivity options to communicate with the drive. External hard drives are used for mass storage of information and are sufficiently deeply integrated into the system so that they can even boot from them.
The disc is available in four colors: titanium, black, blue and red. The disadvantage is its pricing policy: in order to get this external memory device, you have to pay a little more. Compared to other products available on the market, this disc is a bit more expensive.
Those who want to have all their files - music, a complete collection of high-resolution videos and so on - in one place, cannot find a better and more suitable product than this one.
This disc is very light in weight and pleasant in appearance. It is preformatted in the NTFS file system. The drive is compatible with both USB 3.0 port and USB 2.0 port, but for better operation it is recommended to use it with USB 3.0. Useful in its WD Smart Ware Pro software is that it also works with external hard drives from other vendors.
Major external hard drive manufacturers
In some versions there are external hard drives, sizes 3, 5 inches and 2, 5 inches. 2, 5-inch hard drives are smaller, but also offer less disk space and are usually a little slower. With the same power, they are again more expensive, but due to their small size they are very portable. 3. 5-inch plates are larger, but better in terms of price-performance, but at the same time less portable. In addition, they need an external power source.
External hard drive test: is there a test winner?
Table If no external hard drive test was detected on the website, we also noted this in the review. We were looking for an external hard drive in the aforementioned consumer magazines from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. If we did not find anything, this was also indicated in the table.
1.
Buying this external hard drive, you get the following characteristics: 2 TB of memory, 1 year warranty, USB 3.0 interface. The height, width and thickness of the disk are 14.8 mm (0.6 ’’), 80.0 mm (3.15 ’’) and 117.0 mm (4.6 ’’), respectively, and it weighs 0.17 kg.
The data transfer process in it is very simple, fast, concise and efficient. You can simply drag and drop your files through the USB 3.0 interface. The drive is compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, but for more efficient operation it is recommended to use it with USB 3.0. The amount of memory is enough to store 2000 hours of digital video. It is preformatted and you do not need any software to configure the disk or install its driver. All this makes the Seagate device itself. When a disk is connected, it automatically detects the operating system. It has built-in power management software to ensure energy efficient operation.
We regularly review websites and update the table when publishing a new review. There are also called testers. We now turn to our comparison of external hard drives, which we have created based on publicly available product information and existing customer reviews. External hard drives have not been tested by us in practice. The most important criteria for our evaluation are the right to image the product.
Go directly to those sizes that interest you more. We include the most important criteria in comparison. This is, for example, the available capacity. In addition to the format, weight and dimensions are also decisive. Let's look at the hard drives that we have in comparison.
The disadvantage of this disk is that it lacks security parameters: it does not have embedded software that would help prevent unauthorized access to data. One year warranty on him seems too insufficient. But overall, this is a good disk. Its design is very elegant, and the disc is nice looking. When first used, it is formatted in the NTFS file system, so the disk is compatible with Windows. In order for it to work on the MAC OS platform, you just need to load the NFTS driver, and there is no need to format the disk again.
Let's go with our favorites in the field of external 2. 5 hard drives. This is noticeable primarily in the area of reliability, but also from the point of view of energy saving. In addition, the hard disk is very light and also very flat. In addition, the price is very attractive. Rating: affordable and very reliable external hard drive in a portable 2. 5-inch format!
This is a bit harder and higher than our purchase recommendation. It is also useful for one or the other to determine the fact that you can buy a suitable bag for a dish. Assessment: High quality brand at a great price! For the price of the fight, you get a chic, large and reliable 2. 5-inch hard drive in a slim and simple design. Again, you can order a bag with it.
Each of us faced a shortage of hard disk space. There are several ways to solve this problem. Replacing the drive or adding a second one, we spend extra time installing it. In addition, when replacing a disk, you must first make a backup of your information. Of course, you can always resort to flash drives, but this method has one significant disadvantage - lack of space. The most acceptable solution to this issue is to purchase an external 1 TB hard drive.
Rating: Hard 2, 5-inch hard drive for little money. The plate looks stylish on the outside and is of high quality, but it costs much more than the previously presented models. We continue to work with our loved ones in the field of external 3, 5-inch hard drives.
Frequently asked questions about external hard drives
Rating: Very good 3, 5-inch hard drive for data backup and multimedia memory. Only design is something boring. Rating: Large capacity at a reasonable price. This should be for the appropriate size. This is counteracted by high weight. Rating: In this price class we recommend our purchase recommendation! The following video explains the differences well.
External hard drives for 1 TB, in most cases, completely solve the problem of lack of space for stored information. Ask yourself: “Do I need as many as 4 TB of disk space? Will I be able to fill at least 1 TB? ”I vouch for most of you to say no. In this article we will talk about the most reliable, conscientiously made and generally the best external hard drives for 1 TB in price / quality ratio. So, let's begin!
1. WD My Passport Ultra 1TB
Western Digital has long established itself as a reliable hard drive manufacturer, and the case with Wd my passport Ultra is no exception. This model of external storage is sold in five variants of the internal memory - 500 GB, 1 TB, 1.5 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB, as well as in four colors - black, blue, white and dark red. You can not worry about compatibility, as WD My Passport Ultra works great on both Windows machines and Mac computers. Note that the hard disk was originally formatted with the NTFS file system, so to use it on a Mac, you will need to reformat it with the HFS + file system.
In the configuration with this external hard drive, there are just three special utilities at once - WD Utility, WD Security and WD SmartWare Pro. In addition, all this necessary software you can download from the official website of Western Digital. It is worth noting that all the above programs will only work on Windows platforms, whereas for Mac machines you will have to use at least effective Time Machine software. Using WD Security, you can install password protection against unauthorized access by third parties. With WD SmartWare, you can back up all of your information to the Dropbox cloud service, but before you do this you should register on this site.
My Passport supports both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. When using a USB 2.0 connection, the read speed is 30 MB / s, and the write speed is 28 MB / s. The speed of the drive when using the USB 3.0 connection is impressive - 118 MB / s - read and 120 MB / s - write. The disc was quiet and showed almost no vibration during the tests. WD My Passport Ultra comes with a 3-year warranty from the manufacturer, which is much more than any other supplier can offer (as a standard, all give 2 years). This external hard drive will be an excellent choice, both for those who are looking for a reliable device for storing important information, and for those who are an active player in the Xbox One and Playstation 4.
2. Seagate Expansion 1 TB
In our ranking of the TOP 5 best external hard drives in 2017 Seagate expansion occupies the second line. It should be noted that this line of hard drives has been replenished with the new model STEA1000400 available in 5 variations of memory sizes: 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB and 4 TB. Anyone who needs to increase their disk space should definitely pay attention to Seagate Expansion. Currently priced at Seagate Expansion is comparable to our No. 1 ranking, WD My Passport Ultra. Note that Seagate Expansion is sold without any accompanying software, which, in fact, led him only to the 2nd line of our rating. Both the old and the new Seagate Expansion model support data transfer via USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 standards, and also use the same port, both for transmitting information and for receiving power. The disc is sold only in black.
Initially, the Seagate Expansion external hard drive is sold formatted using the NTFS file system for Windows Vista, but if you plan to use the drive with Mac computers, you will have to perform an initial reformatting of the device. It is worth noting that in terms of the internal spindle speed of 5400 RPM, this hard drive is superior to WD Passport Ultra and all other drives represented in our rating. In our tests, the disc showed the following figures: write - 121 MB / s, read 129 MB / s. Judging by these indicators, it is safe to say that Expansion is one of the fastest external hard drives on the market today.
3. Toshiba Canvio Connect II 1TB
Compact external hard drive Toshiba Canvio Connect II (model HDTC810XK3A1) has good reliability and high-quality software included (Pogoplug PC and NTI Backup Now EZ). Note that separately the same Pogoplug PC costs $ 30. This device is available in four variants of the built-in memory: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 3TB. And in five colors - black, blue, red, white and white and gold. In terms of the available colors, Toshiba Canvio Connect II, this is the most "multi-colored" external hard drive of all 5 presented in our rating. For the price, this exterior is a bit more expensive, both WD My Passport Ultra and Seagate Expansion.
NTI Backup Now EZ is a very simple, but at the same time very powerful backup program. If your Canvio is connected to a PC, and your computer is connected to the Internet, then you will be able to access your external client remotely using a mobile application. In other words, your external hard drive is transformed into a full-fledged personal cloud storage. Canvio Connect supports both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, but sometimes we had some difficulties transferring data via USB 2.0. But you should not get upset, because why use a slower USB 2.0 with a perfectly working USB 3.0? When transferring data via USB 3.0, the write speed is 100 MB / s and the read speed is 98 MB / s. This figure is quite good for an external drive, but still does not reach the above-mentioned Seagate Expansion and CV My Passport Ultra. Canvio Connect was originally formatted in the NTFS file system, in order to use it with Mac machines you will need to install the Tuxera NTFS for Mac program, after which you will be able to use this device with a special Time Machine software.
4. Seagate Backup Plus / Slim 1 TB
5. Toshiba Canvio Basics USB 3.0 1 TB
(HDTB220XK3CA) already in its name indicates its usual and basic. The 1TB model costs more than all its direct competitors. Canvio Basics is available in five memory sizes: 500GB, 750GB, 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB. What is puzzling is the guarantee: the manufacturer gives a different guarantee for each amount of internal memory, which varies from 1 to 3 years. Toshiba Canvio is sold without any bundled software, which is undoubtedly a huge disadvantage. This external device transmits information and is powered by the same USB port, and at the same time supports USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 data interfaces. Note that despite the lack of bundled software and a strange warranty service policy, Toshiba is famous for the reliability of its disk drives, which is why many server owners prefer Toshiba over Seagate, Western Digital or HGST.
The speed of the internal 2.5 inch hard disk is 5400RPM, which is generally standard for most external hard drives. The drive will work on both Windows and Mac machines. The buffer cache is 8MB, and the average search time is 12m / s. The performance of this disc is slightly lower than that of other external persons represented in our rating. The read speed is 95 MB / s, while the write speed is 89 MB / s.
