Game consoles at the moment include 1TB drives (equal to roughly 1,000GB of arduous drive storage), however the drives get full rapidly for those who aren’t good about taking video games off the drive as you add extra. And most new computer systems do not include a lot inside arduous drive cupboard space except you are splurging on a high-end mannequin — they often have 256GB or 512GB. One technique to handle all of it is to search out the most effective exterior arduous drive and SSD on your wants.
A standard arduous drive or mechanical drive that makes use of “outdated” arduous drive know-how (mechanical platters and a shifting read-write head to entry information) is sufficient for almost all of customers, due to speedier USB-C and USB 3.0 (in addition to 3.1/3.2) interfaces. Prices have dropped considerably in the previous few years, with even the high-capacity exterior arduous drive fashions tipping the scales at 5TB however costing simply over $100. A solid-state drive would not have shifting elements and the exterior SSD drive has as much as 4 instances quicker learn and write pace, but it surely prices much more per gigabyte.
Most of the choices on this record of the most effective exterior arduous drive fashions will work throughout platforms — whether or not you have got a Windows PC, Mac laptop, PlayStation 4 or Xbox — as long as the drives are accurately formatted for the precise platform. But a variety of instances they’re going to be designated as working with a particular platform out of the field and generally include backup software program that is platform-specific. Unless in any other case indicated, all of the PC drives talked about listed here are suitable with Windows however might be formatted for a Mac. Many of them embody cables or adapters to accommodate USB-C and USB-A ports. But if they do not occur to be included, you possibly can simply purchase dongles for about $10.
And keep in mind: A single backup would not minimize it. Ideally, you may need redundant backups both off-site or utilizing cloud storage for key information and enormous recordsdata (reminiscent of household images) in case of theft or hearth. And ensure that to encrypt your information, too.
One vital observe for console avid gamers is that the newer PS5 and Xbox Series X (and Series S) consoles are far more restrictive about utilizing exterior drives. The PS5 can retailer and play PS4 video games from an exterior drive, however not PS5 video games; the Xbox Series X can retailer Series X video games, however you may need to switch them to the primary SSD to truly play them. The Xbox Series X does provide a proprietary Seagate-made storage growth card, but it surely prices $220.
With these caveats famous, our present high picks for the most effective exterior arduous disk drive and exterior solid-state drive are under. These (or practically similar fashions with much less storage capability) have been used or anecdotally examined by CNET editors. We’ll replace our record of the most effective exterior arduous drives and SSDs as we take a look at new merchandise.
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Western Digital, which owns SanDisk, sells its WD My Passport SSD as effectively this SanDisk External Portable SSD for principally the identical value. I just like the design of this mannequin slightly higher and it is technically ruggedized with an IP55 ranking, which means it could possibly stand up to a sustained spray of water. It’s additionally shock-resistant and has a USB-C interface.
The cheaper “older” model has switch speeds as much as 550MBps whereas the next-gen model practically doubles that pace with as much as 1,050MBps (simply over 1GB per second) and solely prices barely extra for the 1TB model. The value for the 2TB mannequin of this exterior drive jumps to $280 for the newer model.
Your pace will range for those who’re shifting a mishmash of recordsdata to or from the USB drive, however when copying a single massive file it’s best to be capable to get near these quick switch speeds.
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If you are in search of a high-capacity exterior drive on your Xbox One, the WD Black P10 2TB moveable arduous drive is an effective worth at round $80 (The 5TB model is about $140). It offers you moveable storage on your coveted sport assortment. This exterior drive additionally comes with a digital code that provides you one month of Microsoft’s Game Pass Ultimate for those who’re a brand new subscriber. There’s additionally an ordinary model of the moveable arduous drive, which additionally works with PCs and the PS4 for barely much less (it is lacking the Xbox branding however is in any other case the identical drive). The moveable drive can ship speeds as much as 130MBps.
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For $115, you will get an exterior drive so you do not have to fret about managing the cupboard space in your PS4 (you possibly can play video games with out lag instantly from the moveable arduous drive). The 2TB model of the Seagate Game Drive is about $30 much less at $80. But you may as effectively spend the additional dough and get 4TB for this moveable exterior arduous drive.
Note that Seagate makes an SSD Game Drive For Xbox however not PS4. The storage drive prices round $200 for 1TB.
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You can use any SSD along with your PlayStation PS4/PS5 or Xbox One, Xbox One Series X or Series S to retailer PS4 and Xbox One video games and different content material and choose up a pleasant pace bump when loading video games in contrast with an ordinary exterior arduous drive just like the WD Black P10 above. Note that with the Xbox Series X, you possibly can solely archive Xbox Series X and S video games to this drive, you possibly can’t retailer full video games on it (the Seagate Storage Expansion Card is required for that). The PS5 has the identical restriction — you possibly can solely retailer full PS4 video games on exterior drives.
On its floor, then, the WD Black D30 sport drive is not all that particular (it has as much as a 900MBps switch price, which is principally what a console’s USB 3.1 connection caps out at). But it is actually its design that units it aside. It’s thicker and extra rugged-looking than your typical SSD or flash drive and features a removable stand with rubber ft to maintain it from shifting round wherever you place it. This is an NVMe SSD (Non-Volatile Memory Express) that gives environment friendly efficiency and interoperability.It basically appears like a mini arduous drive, which is type of cool.
The normal model works with PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and One X and S consoles, in addition to PCs. The Xbox model proven within the picture merely consists of an Xbox brand and a month of Game Pass Ultimate, a $15 worth, for $20 extra. Alas, solely new subscribers can use the included code, so if you have already got a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, you are actually paying the additional $20 for the brand.
The 1TB model begins at $150 whereas the 2TB model begins at $270.
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SanDisk makes the Extreme Portable SSD (see above) that delivers speeds as much as 1,050MB per second switch charges. But for those who’re a photographer or videographer in search of an excellent quicker SSD drive on your PC or Mac, the Extreme Pro Portable SSD is the best way to go for further cupboard space. The newest model is able to delivering as much as 2,000MBps (2GBps) learn/write speeds for those who pair it with the precise tools (as a way to get the utmost pace, you want a bunch system that helps USB Gen 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds).
Compatible with Macs and Windows PCs, it is technically ruggedized with an IP55 ranking, which means this could stand up to a sustained spray of water. It’s additionally shock-resistant and has a cast aluminum chassis that acts as a heatsink. It has a USB-C interface and consists of each USB-C to USB-C and USC-A to USB-C cable. The 1TB model is round $230 whereas the 2TB mannequin jumps to $364.
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The Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB is without doubt one of the extra compact non-SSD drives, making it the most effective exterior arduous drive for many who need to avoid wasting area. And at lower than $60, this backup drive can be a great worth. This Seagate exterior arduous drive can be related to Macs which have a thunderbolt port. Available in a number of coloration choices, it additionally is available in 1TB ($55), 4TB ($93) and 5TB ($115) variations, however the higher-capacity drives are thicker.
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This drive is about as future-proof — and backward-compatible — as they arrive. You pay a little bit of a premium over the usual WD drive, however this newer mannequin affords a USB-C connection, which means it has the newest and best USB cable connectivity for Macs and PCs. No USB-C in your system? No downside: Western Digital additionally tosses in a USB-A to USB-C adapter, so this storage gadget will work with just about any laptop straight out of the field.
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The WD My Book desktop drive is obtainable in as much as a 18TB configuration, however the 8TB is the most effective worth at round $200. Unfortunately, it is so standard it is out of inventory.
Read our WD My Book (Fall 2016) evaluation.
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After Seagate acquired LaCie a number of years in the past, LaCie grew to become the corporate’s premium model and this exterior HDD 5TB mannequin might be discovered on a variety of video editors’ desks (together with loads at CNET). This rugged arduous disk drive makes use of a USB-C interface, is suitable with Mac and Windows PCs and is water and shock-resistant. A 4TB Thunderbolt with USB-C model is obtainable for Thunderbolt-equipped Macs for about $200.
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Crucial’s X6 exterior SSD is taken into account entry-level as a result of it is simply not as quick as higher-end fashions, which might provide learn/write speeds which can be twice and even 4 instances as quick (the Crucial X8 is the step-up mannequin). Even so, the X6 is about 4x quicker than a non-solid-state drive, with switch speeds of up 540MBps for the 1TB and 2TB variations and as much as 800MBps for the brand new 4TB model, which has one of many lowest costs for a 4TB SSD at round $490.
Comparatively, the 4TB SanDisk Extreme SSD, which has a switch pace ranking of as much as 1,050MBps, prices $700. So you are principally taking a look at a $240 financial savings for those who’re prepared to take a little bit of a pace hit (once more, a minimum of the 4GB model of the Crucial X6 has been bumped as much as 800MBps from 540MBps).
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