External Hard Drive Reviews And Comparison

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB Review Seagate Expansion 500 GB STAX500102 Review Western Digital WD Elements 3 TB Review Toshiba Canvio 500 GB E05A050BAU2XK Review Seagate Expansion 2 TB STAY2000102 Review Western Digital My Book AV DVR Expander 1 TB Review Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1 TB STAA1000100 Review


External Hard Drive Reviews

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison of the latest external hard drives. Compare by list price, released date, capacity, interface, dimension, weight and warranty.

In-depth reviews of popular brands and models. Read our informative buyer's guide and checklist before buying your external hard drive.

 

Best External Hard Drive Reviews And Comparison

What Are The Different Types Of External Hard Drive?

Click To See External Hard Drive Comparison Chart Below

There are many external hard drives that are produced by different manufacturers and they come in various sizes and storage capacity to perform different types of task. Having one is great for backing up data, making a copy for security should anything go wrong with your internal hard drive, because you never know when viruses or physical damage may occur to your computer.

An external hard drive also allows you to easily store and transfer files and data from one computer to the other. This is great if you need to access your files and information at different computer points or laptops. A 3 TB hard drive, will create an immense amount of capacity as compared to your standard PC hard drive capacity.

External hard drive can be classfied into 4 types: Portable, Desktop, Personal Cloud Storage and NAS (Network Attached Storage). You can read more about them here - types of external hard drives.

Popular Types Of External Hard Drive

Backup Important Documents OnlineWestern Digital, Seagate and Toshiba are among the renowned manufacturers on the market today.

Western Digital desktop versions are great and easy to use. You can use their simple drag and drop to transfer data easily and quickly, and it requires no set up software. It can easily be used alongside your current PC to give you that extra space. Even though it requires an electrical output, it saves energy by going into sleep mode when your computer does.

Among the popular models from Seagate is the 500 GB drive which features USB 3.0 capability with backwards compatibility with USB 2.0. Here you also use the drag and drop feature to save your files quickly. It is easily portable and you may consider going for the higher storage option of up to 1.5 TB.

Toshiba also has some sleek and small portable hard drives that you'll love. Roughly the same shape and size as an iPhone, their high gloss hard drive is portable and quick to transfer data. It also works on any device including the Apple Mac.

Why Choose An External Hard Drive?

The external hard drive is a resourceful and reliable device that allows you to transport large amount of data at any one time. Some are so compact and small they can be easily slotted in beside your laptop cover or case and you can bring them around easily.

They are great for long term storage of large information; some people consider it to be indispensable when it comes to storing the important work you've created or completed. You can store picture, videos, documents and all other data easily and separately in different easy to reach sections. Long length videos and presentations can take up a lot of space on a drive, so storing these on an external drive helps to free up some space on your computer when these don't need to be in use.

There are of course other cheaper storage methods like USB flash drives or jump drives. This is great for a quick fix or to copy individual files to transfer or send to others. However when it comes to storing mass information these aren't so great, as you may end up with a number of flash drives which will only use up time when you need to quickly find the exact file in future. With an external hard drive even the huge files can be easily accessed right away without any delay or hassle.

What To Consider When Buying?

Having an external hard drive is a great way to backup and store your important data, files, videos, pictures and music. When buying one, you'll want to make sure you're investing in the right one that will be able to cater to your storage needs easily and efficiently.

The Basics

There are some questions that you'll need to ask yourself when you're looking to buy one. This will help you nail down your own needs and make a shortlist of the type of external hard drive which will be suitable for you. Here are some of the things you'll want to think about.

What are you going to be using yours for? For example if you intend to bring it along when you're travelling, then you will probably want to get a portable one that offers cross platform compatibility. There are many types and models on the market with various sizes of data storage. Check that the external case is solid and durable, as you'll want to ensure that your data is well protected when you take it along for your business meetings or overseas trips.

Who will have access to the data and files on them? Is it confidential information, or is it data that you want to be easily shared? If it's the former, you will want to make sure it comes with security features like password protection or encryption key.

Where will you be using it? If you will be using it at several different computer stations, then one with an easy to set up, plug-and-play system will allow you to access your data with great speed.

Why do you need to use it for? Is it to store information for long term? Or are you backing up your PC in case of damage through flood, fire, etc? They are great for all of these. If you are buying it solely to increase your storage capacity, then a desktop version will be very suitable and you can find many popular brands that give you as much as 3 TB storage capacity.

Some Technical Aspects To Look At

There are some important technical points to consider when you're getting one. A basic computer user might not know all these but it's always good to have such information on hand so that you can have a better idea of what you're paying for.

The first is to look at the cache of it. A cache is a component part of the drive that stores data recently used, so it can be retrieved faster when needed again. Like a queuing system it moves items closer to front so getting regularly accessed data is a lot quicker. The more cache a hard drive has, the faster it will perform.

The speed in which data is being retrieved is often referred to as spindle speed, which typically starts from at least 3600 RPM and it can go up to as high as 10000 RPM. For those who need to access their data quickly, you will want to go for one that has a higher spindle speed.

Form factor gives you a very good indication with regards to the storage capacity. A high form factor such as a 3.5 inch drive can provide a higher storage capacity as compared to a 1 inch drive. But the disadvantage of higher form factor is that it's not as portable and it's also heavier.

There are many factors involved when you're evaluating external hard drive and these include things like performance, speed, capacity and mobility. Of course price is also a major factor to consider and for that it's easy to check out the best deal through online stores such as Amazon.

External Hard Drive Comparison Chart - Popular And Best Selling Models

External Hard Drive Comparison Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB

Seagate Expansion 500 GB

New Model

Western Digital WD Elements 3 TB Toshiba Canvio 500 GB

Seagate Expansion 2 TB

New Model

Western Digital My Book AV DVR Expander 1 TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1 TB
List Price (USD) 129.99 89.99 180.99 85.99 159.99 109.99 120.99
Release Date October 2010 August 2011 March 2011 October 2010 August 2011 June 2010 May 2010
Capacity 1 TB 500 GB 3 TB 500 GB 2 TB 1 TB 1 TB
Interface USB 2.0, USB 3.0 USB 2.0, USB 3.0 USB 2.0 USB 2.0 USB 2.0, USB 3.0 USB 2.0, eSATA USB 2.0
Type Portable Portable Desktop Portable Desktop Desktop Portable
Wireless No No No No No No No
Warranty 2 Years 1 Year 1 Year 3 Years 1 Year 2 Years 6 Months
Dimension (inches) 4.3 by 3.3 by 0.7 3.2 by 5.4 by 0.7 7.0 by 4.6 by 1.4 3.1 by 4.7 by 0.5 8.2 by 5.0 by 1.5 5.3 by 1.9 by 6.5 4.7 by 3.5 by 0.9
Overall Ratings

4.2

4.1 4.1 4.5 3.3 4.2 3.8
Stars Ratings 4.2 Out Of 5 Stars Rating For Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB 4.1 Out Of 5 Stars Rating For Seagate Expansion 500 GB 4.1 Out Of 5 Stars Rating For Western Digital WD Elements 3 TB 4.5 Out Of 5 Stars Rating For Toshiba Canvio 500 GB 3.3 Out Of 5 Stars Rating For Seagate Expansion 2 TB 4.2 Out Of 5 Stars Rating For Western Digital My Book AV DVR Expander 1 TB 3.8 Out Of 5 Stars Rating For Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1 TB

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