Best And Most Reliable External Hard Drive

Best And Most Reliable External Hard Drive

Best And Most Reliable External Hard Drive For A
Most Reliable External Drives 2020
Best And Most Reliable External Hard Drives
Best And Most Reliable External Hard Drive Systems
 Feb 23, 2021 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions
As more and more gadgets make their presence felt in the digital arena, the competition about these electronic utility devices is only increasing. With multiple domains being ushered by a single venture into its manufacturing and production units, users now, have a wide range of products to choose from. The ones that were limited by choices in the past today find themselves amid countless options to choose from. However, this competition hasn't only been about increasing the product quantity and frequency in the retail stores, but about what stays and what doesn't. The World Wide Web has found a common voice in Social Media that has gadgets that are reviewed as they are in their beta testing modes. Today, we pick up the five best external hard drives by top media websites across the globe and see what makes them so special for the potential buyers.
5 Best External Hard Drives Picked by Top Media Websites:Here, we take a look at the 5 best External Hard Drives that have been making news for their features and specifications:
Most such multi-bay devices are sold without the actual hard drives included, so you can install any drive you want (usually, 3.5-inch drives, but some support laptop-style 2.5-inchers).
Buying guide for best external solid-state drives. An external solid-state drive (SSD) provides a reliable and easy-to-use way to store your data and access it quickly. The lack of mechanical moving parts in a solid-state drive allows it to quickly transfer data and reduces the chance of data loss.
Most Reliable External HD: G-Technology G-Drive Mobile SSD Fast, reliable and rugged, the G-Technology G-Drive Mobile SSD ticks all of the boxes when it comes to a powerhouse hard drive.
1 WD 'My Passport Ultra'；Company: Western Digital
Specifications:
Drive Type: Bus-powered portable hard drive;
Connector Options: USB 3.0, USB, 2.0;
Internal Drive Speed: 5400 rpm;
The capacity of the Review Unit: 2 TB;
OS Supported: Windows XP or later, Mac OS 10.4 or later;
Warranty: 3 years;
Review: As quoted from CNET, we see what makes WD 'My Passport Ultra' the best external hard drive; 'WD manages to make portable drives interesting again with the new My Passport Ultra. The drive inherits the fast (though not quite as fast) performance and ease of use from previous generations and now add the top 3TB capacity plus the multitude of color options. On top of that, its backup software is less complex than the one bundled with previous drives, making it suit home users even better. And the security feature means that you can have the peace of mind about your privacy in case you misplace the drive.'?
Media Site which recommends it: CNET
Price: $79.99
2 Seagate Backup Plus Desktop:Company: Seagate
Specifications:
Device: 3.5-inch external hard drive;
Connector Options: USB 3.0, USB 2.0;
Available Capacities: 2TB, 3TB, 4TB
OS Supported: Windows XP or later, Mac OS 10.4.6 or later;
Warranty: Two Year;
Review: For a single-volume storage device, this is as fast as it gets. The drive, for now, is the fastest among traditional USB 3.0 external hard drives. There are a few faster ones on the market, but they all use special caching techniques, SSD storage, or a RAID 0 setup. Therefore, this makes it our list of the best external hard drive.
Media Site which recommends it: PCMag, CNET
Price: $259.99
What If Your Hard Drive Data Disappeared or Corrupted?Absolutely, many people in the world has encountered with data loss problem of their external hard drive, if you have the same problem, it is recommend that you use Wondershare Recoverit data recovery software to regain your lost data.
3 LaCie 5big Thunderbolt 2:Company: LaCie
Specifications:
Capacity: 10TB, 20TB, 30TB;
Cable Lock
Kensington lock compatible
Power Supply: 100-240V; 50/60Hz; 150W
Warranty: 3 years
Review: With upwards of 30TB in capacity, speedy performance, and a premium build, the LaCie 5big offers an impressive (and highly recommended) storage solution for media professionals and those with bandwidth-heavy workflows and comes across as one of the best external hard drive available in the market currently.
Media Site which recommends it: CNET
Price: $1299.99
4 WD 'My Book Duo':Company: Western Digital
Specifications:
Drive Type: Desktop External USB RAID Storage System;
Connector Options: USB 3.0, USB 2.0;
Available Capacities: 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 12TB;
OS Supported: Windows XP or later, Mac OS 10.4 or later;
Weight: 2.2 Kg;
Review: Quoting from the media site that recommends it, The WD My Book Duo is a convenient and affordable way to add a huge amount of storage space to your desktop computer. Its fast performance means you can use it either as a backup drive or one that hosts hot data for heavy media-editing tasks. While it's not as fast as solid-state-based or Thunderbolt external storage devices, it's much cheaper and has so much more capacity. And the current street pricing makes it a much easier choice. Therefore, one can count this variant as the best external hard drive for the year 2018.
Media site which recommends it: CNET
Price: $399.99
5 Transcend SSD370S:Company: Transcend
Specifications:
Drive Type: 2.5 inches, 7mm standard;
Capacities: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB;
Controller: Transcend TS6500;
Warranty: 3 years;
Review: Quoting from the media site that recommends it, The Transcend SSD370S wons over with its pricing alone. Its excellent performance and extremely high endurance are just gratifying icing on an already tasty cake. In all, this new SSD has a lot going for it. Other than the comparatively short three-year warranty, there's nothing I can complain about it'?. This makes this one of the most sought and best external hard drives in the market.
Media site that recommends it: CNET

Best and most reliable external hard drive 2020

Price: $66.30
Top 5 Best Free Hard Drive Data Recovery Software in 2020Sources:Hfs plus download. Here is a list of articles that have extensively covered the best portal hard drives for the year 2018. Researching upon the best external hard drives, we came across these articles and the following can be cited as a source for the information given above:
What's Wrong with DriveRecover Your DriveFix Your DriveFormat/Wipe DriveKnow Your DriveExternal hard drives are required for a galore of purposes. These range from creating system backups and storing data to transferring saved game files. The most important aspect of any external hard drive is its reliability, which is simply the measure of the device failure rate.
Best External Hard DrivesHere is our pick of the 15 best hard drives that offer high reliability while offering humongous amounts of storage at the same time:
#1. Adata SD700 External SSDA great reliable hard drive option that is also not that pricey is the Adata SD700 External SSD. The hard drive offers powerful performance and is one of the few SSDs to receive an IP68 rating. Adata SD700 External SSD comes with rugged packaging, shielding it from external damage. Unlike the traditional spinning hard drives, the Adata SD700 relies on solid-state drive mechanism and hence, offers superfast data transfer speeds.
Capacity – 1 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#2. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFCCompatible with both Mac and Windows systems, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is a reliable external hard drive that is a budget buy. It comes with a USB 3.0 cable and a rugged case that is resistant to both dust and water. In addition to protecting the data against external factors, Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC comes with 256-bit AES security. The NFC allows you to unlock the drive on the fly and access files simply by tapping the NFC card onto the drive's body.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#3. Buffalo MiniStation ThunderboltThe Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt offers support for devices with Thunderbolt port. A Thunderbolt port offers data speeds about twice as fast as the standard USB 3.0 drives. The reliable external hard drive comes with a USB 3.0 port, nonetheless, for using with non-Thunderbolt devices.
Compared to other Thunderbolt external hard drives, the Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt has affordable pricing. This is due to the external hard drive's reliance on a traditional hard drive in place of an SSD.
Capacity – 1 TB/2 TB
Interface – Thunderbolt/USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#4. G-Technology G-DriveRelying on the spinning disk technology, G-Technology G-Drive external hard drive comes in a number of storage capacities. Thanks to its support for Thunderbolt 3 specification, the external hard drive is an ideal companion for the MacBook Pro.
G-Technology G-Drive comes in 4 TB and 8 TB variants. The 10 TB hard drive version of the storage unit is excellent for serving multiple purposes, ranging from creating system backups to carrying game libraries and saved files around. All variants of the drive are highly reliable.

Best And Most Reliable External Hard Drive

Price: $66.30
Top 5 Best Free Hard Drive Data Recovery Software in 2020Sources:Hfs plus download. Here is a list of articles that have extensively covered the best portal hard drives for the year 2018. Researching upon the best external hard drives, we came across these articles and the following can be cited as a source for the information given above:
What's Wrong with DriveRecover Your DriveFix Your DriveFormat/Wipe DriveKnow Your DriveExternal hard drives are required for a galore of purposes. These range from creating system backups and storing data to transferring saved game files. The most important aspect of any external hard drive is its reliability, which is simply the measure of the device failure rate.
Best External Hard DrivesHere is our pick of the 15 best hard drives that offer high reliability while offering humongous amounts of storage at the same time:
#1. Adata SD700 External SSDA great reliable hard drive option that is also not that pricey is the Adata SD700 External SSD. The hard drive offers powerful performance and is one of the few SSDs to receive an IP68 rating. Adata SD700 External SSD comes with rugged packaging, shielding it from external damage. Unlike the traditional spinning hard drives, the Adata SD700 relies on solid-state drive mechanism and hence, offers superfast data transfer speeds.
Capacity – 1 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#2. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFCCompatible with both Mac and Windows systems, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is a reliable external hard drive that is a budget buy. It comes with a USB 3.0 cable and a rugged case that is resistant to both dust and water. In addition to protecting the data against external factors, Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC comes with 256-bit AES security. The NFC allows you to unlock the drive on the fly and access files simply by tapping the NFC card onto the drive's body.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#3. Buffalo MiniStation ThunderboltThe Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt offers support for devices with Thunderbolt port. A Thunderbolt port offers data speeds about twice as fast as the standard USB 3.0 drives. The reliable external hard drive comes with a USB 3.0 port, nonetheless, for using with non-Thunderbolt devices.
Compared to other Thunderbolt external hard drives, the Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt has affordable pricing. This is due to the external hard drive's reliance on a traditional hard drive in place of an SSD.
Capacity – 1 TB/2 TB
Interface – Thunderbolt/USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#4. G-Technology G-DriveRelying on the spinning disk technology, G-Technology G-Drive external hard drive comes in a number of storage capacities. Thanks to its support for Thunderbolt 3 specification, the external hard drive is an ideal companion for the MacBook Pro.
G-Technology G-Drive comes in 4 TB and 8 TB variants. The 10 TB hard drive version of the storage unit is excellent for serving multiple purposes, ranging from creating system backups to carrying game libraries and saved files around. All variants of the drive are highly reliable.
Capacity – 4 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB
Interface – USB 3.1/Thunderbolt 3
You can buy form here
#5. iStorage diskAshurThe iStorage provides external hard drives to government and full-fledged organizations. Reason being, they offer security measures unmatchable by other external hard drive makers. Nonetheless, the iStorage diskAshur is one of the best reliable options to go for personal use. iStorage diskAshur comes with the 256-bit AES encryption as well as multiple forms of protection for ensuring no one with malicious intent can access the data. Astonishingly, iStorage provides provision for configuring the hard drive to self-destruct in case of tampering. Though iStorage diskAshur is almost 4 times as costly as its contemporaries, it has security standards that no other brand is able to offer.
Capacity– 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB/ 12 TB/ 14 TB
Interface – USB 3.1
You can buy from here
#6. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile DriveAlthough expensive, the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive is one of the most reliable and fastest external hard drives available in the market. Theoretically, it can give out as much as 5Gbps of data transfer speeds via its USB Type-C port. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive flaunts an aluminum finish and is one of the best USB Type-C external hard drives available in the market. The external hard drive consists of five, 800 GB platters in a 15mm form factor.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 4 TB/ 5 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB
Interface – USB Type-C
You can buy from here
#7. Samsung T5 SSDFor those buyers aiming for a reliable, rugged, and fast external hard drive, one great option is the Samsung T5 SSD. The T5 lineup builds over the previous T3 series of hard drives that are also considered to be one of the best hard drive series available in the market. The T5 series introduces the reversible USB Type-C connectivity. Even if you don't have a machine that supports USB Type-C, the solid state drive provides backward compatibility for USB 3.0 and even the dated USB 2.0. Samsung T5 SSD is undoubtedly expensive, but well worth it.
Capacity – 1 TB/2 TB
Interface – USB Type-C
You can buy from here
#8. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop DriveThe Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive combines extended storage capacity with speed and high reliability. The external hard drive easily outshines the competition in terms of writing as well as reading speeds. The Seagate external hard drive also offers lower than average failure rates. In addition to the Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive, you get a backup software and compatibility with both Windows and Mac running machines. Though the external hard drive comes formatted for Windows users, a little more expensive Mac-ready version is also available.
Capacity – 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 5 TB/ 6 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#9. Seagate FireCuda MobileThe Seagate FireCuda Mobile performs better than a standard HDD. The reliable external hard drive has 64 MB cache and a maximum rpm of 5400. The external hard drive can offer data transfer speeds up to 6 Gbps thanks to its eSATA interface. The 2.5-inch FireCuda Hybrid external drive gives a significant storage boost of 8 GB of flash storage along with an option between 1 TB and 2 TB of storage. The external hard drive is backed by a 5-year warranty.
Capacity – 1 TB + 8 GB/2 TB + 8 GB
Interface – eSATA
You can buy from here
#10. Seagate IronWolf NASRAID-ready, Seagate IronWolf NAS external hard drive is available in a range of capacities, varying from 2 TB to 14 TB. The NAS optimization along with a maximum spinning capacity of 7200 rpm makes the IronWolf NAS one of the most affordable and reliable drives to opt for.
Capacity – 2 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB/ 12 TB/ 14 TB
Interface – eSATA
You can buy from here
#11. WD Blue DesktopWestern Digital offers an affordable external hard drive option in the form of the Blue Desktop series. Available in 2 TB, 4 TB, and 6 TB versions, WD Blue Desktop is compatible with most desktops and laptops. These external hard drives offer high reliability. For those requiring speedier drives, the WD Blue Desktop external hard drives are also available in 7200 RPM variants. These are much costlier than their 5400 RPM counterparts.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB
Interface – eSATA
You can buy from here
#12. WD My BookThe WD My Book external hard drive offers a perfect balance of storage capacity and price-effectiveness. It is an excellent option for storing and transferring all your games. The external hard drive is available in a multitude of storage capacities, including a 10 TB hard drive. Supporting USB 3.0 doesn't offer as much speed as offered by some internal drives. Nonetheless, it offers humongous storage and high reliability at an inexpensive price.
Capacity – 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#13. WD My Book DuoA combination of two hard drives, WD My Book Duo offers a humongous storage capacity of 4 TB. The external hard drive is backed by a 2-year warranty. In order to protect against data loss, you can set up a backup of the drive using the pre-packaged WD SmartWare Pro software.
WD My Book Duo comes with a multitude of features, including being a complete NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. In order to use the reliable external hard drive as a NAS device, all you require is a router with USB 3.0 support.
Capacity – 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 12 TB/ 16 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
The high-reliability external drive comes pre-formatted for Windows (NTFS). In addition to supporting 256-AES hardware encryption, WD My Book Duo comes with an enclosure that is fully serviceable.
You can buy from here
#14. Western Digital My PassportAvailable in a range of storage capacities, the latest range of the Western Digital My Passport is here. The reliable hard drive comes with 256-AES encryption, cloud storage support, and WD's backup software.
Western Digital My Passport hard drives offer excellent data transfer speeds, easily beating out several names on the hard drive market.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy this from here
#15. Western Digital My Passport Wireless ProThe My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive from Western Digital comes with a complete design overhaul. The premium external hard drive resembles an external DVD drive but flaunts an onboard SD card slot, which makes it a lucrative buy for ardent photographers.
The most outstanding feature of the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive is its ability to transfer data wirelessly. It comes with a big 6400 mAh battery that allows the hard drive to be used without any wires over 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels.
Capacity – 2 TB
Interface – USB 3.0/Wi-Fi
You can buy this from here
When wired, My Passport Wireless Pro relies on USB 3.0 for transferring data. The reliable hard drive, obviously, is expensive. However, it is an essential gadget for any tech-savvy professional requiring an external hard drive that is capable to transfer data without dealing with wires.
Some FAQs Regarding Hard DrivesFollowing are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding external hard drives:
Q: How reliable are the hard drives?
A: Different manufacturers offer different reliability rates for external hard drives. Nonetheless, most of them are highly reliable devices that can provide uninterrupted operation for several years to come.
Q: What are SATA, USB, and Thunderbolt interfaces? What are the maximum data transfer speeds?
A: SATA, USB, and Thunderbolt are the various forms by which an external hard drive is able to exchange data with compatible devices. Hence, they are called interfaces.
Each of them offers different speeds. There are several factors that restrict the external hard drives for achieving maximum rated speed. Maximum data transfer speeds for some of the most popular interface are:
Best And Most Reliable External Hard Drive For AeSATA – up to 6 Gbps
USB 2.0 – up to 480 Mbps
USB 3.0 – up to 5 Gbps
USB 3.1 – up to 10 Gbps
USB Type-C – 5 Gbps
Thunderbolt – up to 20 Gbps
Thunderbolt – up to 40 Gbps
Most Reliable External Drives 2020Q: How many years an external hard drive can last?
A: An external hard drive can last for several years. Manufacturers offer warranties for these gadgets, ranging from 1-year to 5-year, and even more in some scenarios. Typically, a hard drive can last for about 5 to 10 years. Though it can survive even further, it's a desirable idea to replace a decade-old hard drive with a newer one.
Q: Are external hard drives portable?
A: Yes, this is one of the main reasons why people prefer to use them. Any external hard drive weighs a few hundreds of grams and is about a few inches long. Hence, it can be taken along from one place to another.
Best And Most Reliable External Hard DrivesHave any queries regarding external hard drives? Please ask them via comments. We'll be more than happy to answer back.
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