If you have enough space on your laptop or computer to fit all of your games and multimedia it would be pretty convenient. Unfortunately, for most of us, this is not possible. This is especially the case if you own a laptop. Nowadays information is increasing and with each year we begin to need more and more storage to accommodate our needs. Using cloud storage is also nice, but it requires you to have an internet connection and does not work for games. If you are a privacy freak like me, you probably also have some concerns about your data privacy with cloud storage services. Having the best external hard drive will give you all the additional space you might need for your games, photos, and videos.
Nowadays manufacturers choose to go for the thinner technologies, making everything light and portable. This doesn’t leave much free space for an additional storage drive. If you need more storage and you can’t add a drive internally — you might want to consider adding one externally. Nowadays you can find both external SSDs and external HDDs. Having just an external hard drive won’t cut it, especially if you are looking for reliability and transfer speeds. Having the best external hard drive will enable you to play your games smoothly and will protect your data from accidental data damage (such as dropping the drive).
If even the best external hard drive cannot satisfy your needs — you should consider buying the best external SSD. The SSD comes without any moving parts inside it, making it more efficient and less fragile. It is a fairly new technology and, obviously, it costs more. The best external SSD might come in handy if you don’t need a lot of storage, but rather a reliable and much faster storage. Going anywhere above 500 GB might out to cost you a fortune and unless you are a gamer at heart or need it for your work — it is not worth it. In this case, feel free to read my reviews of the top five portable SSDs or the top five internal SSDs with a capacity of 500GBs right here.
What does it take for a hard drive to be the best hard drive?
Depending on your needs, the best external hard drive could be any products. If you decide to go for a cheaper model, you will most likely be faced with the speed of 5200 RPM (rotations per minute). The data read and write speeds depend mostly on the number of rotations per minute done by the patter inside the hard drive. Higher-end models will come with 7200 RPM, which brings a significant difference in transfer speeds and productivity. Running some of the latest games on a 5200 RPM hard drive might turn out either impossible or not fast enough for a stutter-less experience.
Another thing you need to consider is security. The best external hard drive will support additional security features, such as encryption. The encryption will prevent hackers and thieves from accessing any data stored on the device without your permission. Keep in might though, even the toughest encryption won’t do anything if a good hacker goes after your information. Some HDDs come with a software suite which also improves the security of the device. And the last thing you need to consider before making your purchase…
Is the best external hard drive durable enough?
As mentioned above, hard drives are more fragile than their competitors — the SSDs. As such they need better protection from water, dust, and shocks. A single drop from a small height might create a shockwave powerful enough to shake the reading needle and scratch the spinning platter. This will in most cases create a scratch on the platter and corrupt some of the important information that is stored in there. The best external hard drive comes with at least water and dust resistance. If you are clumsy, like me, then you might want to look for both water and shock-resistant. This additional layer of protection makes sure that in a case of an accident you won’t lose important information.
If you think that you are still not confident enough about your choice, don’t worry. I’ve tested dozen external HDDs lately in my search for the best external hard drive. To help you find the right product for you, I’ve compiled the final results of my search for the best hard drive for gaming and multimedia storage.
| # | Image | Brand | Price |
| 1 |     |
Seagate | $65 |
| 2 |     |
Toshiba | $64 |
| 3 |      |
Western Digital | $64 |
| 4 |   |
Silicon Power | $82 |
| 5 |    |
LaCie | $160 |
1. Seagate Backup Plus Slim
- 2TB capacity
- 7200 RPM
- 120 MB/s maximum data transfer
- USB 3.0 and 2.0 connectivity
- 18″ (46cm) USB 3.0 Cable included
- Black, Blue, Red and Gray-colored models
- 2-months free Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan
Seagate is famous worldwide for their reliable hard disk and solid state drives. Their devices are trusted by countless gamers and creative professionals around the world. The Backup Plus Slim is extremely slim and very light — perfect for those who prefer portable tech. It comes in four different colors and features two months of free Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan usage.
2. Toshiba Canvio Basics
- 2TB capacity
- 5400 RPM
- USB 3.0 and 2.0 connectivity
- USB 3.0 Cable included
- Matte-black-colored model
- 1-Year standard warranty service
Another great alternative is the Toshiba Canvio Basics. Toshiba is trusted worldwide by many users and there is a reason for it. The Canvio Basics comes in a matte-black colored casing. It is very easy to use, just plug-and-play. A formatting is required in order to use the hard drive on Mac-powered devices.
3. WD Elements
- 2TB capacity
- 5400 RPM
- USB 3.0 and 2.0 connectivity
- USB 3.0 Cable included
- WD SmartWare Pro (local & cloud backup services)
- Matte-black-colored model
Just like Seagate, Western Digital (WD) is trusted around the world by millions. The Elements external hard drive comes with a capacity of up to 4TB and features USB 3.0 connectivity. It features a small and compact design that packs in all of the storage you might need for your games and videos.
4. Silicon Power Armor A80
- 2TB capacity5400 RPM
- USB-C, 3.0 and 2.0 connectivity
- IPX7 (Military Grade) Shock and Waterproof
- USB-C Cable included
- Black, Blue, Green and Red-colored models
- 3-Year standard warranty service
The Silicon Power Armor A80 is a more expensive choice but for a reason. It comes with a special IPX7 shockproof and waterproof rating. This nearly military-grade protection is enough to ensure that all of your data is save even under the most extreme everyday accidents. Its aluminum cover is strong enough to withstand up to 300KG of force.
5. LaCie Rugged External Hard Drive
- 2TB capacity
- 5400 RPM
- Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 connectivity
- Orange-colored model
- 1-month free Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan
The LaCie rugged external hard drive is another great alternative, but also a more expensive one. Unlike the other four products, this one comes with an additional Thunderbolt support. The device comes in an orange-white design and is shock, dust and water-resistant for full protection. With the LaCie external hard drive, you also get 1-month free access to Adobe CC All Apps Plan.
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