Best External Hard Drives and SSDs

The best external hard drives and SSDs for Mac and PC users in 2020

The best setup for most is a combination, where the solid-state drive (SSD) boots Windows and most used applications, and the hard disk drive (HDD) is used primarily for mass storage. The best external hard drives are fast, dependable, and easy to use. They're usually affordable too, and of course, portable.

HDD vs SSD: which is best?

The best setup for most is a combination, where the solid-state drive (SSD) boots Windows and most used applications, and the hard disk drive (HDD) is used primarily for mass storage.

There are two types of external hard drive: hard disk drives (HDD, also known as mechanical or traditional hard drives) or solid-state drives (SSD). An SSD is faster, lighter, and less power-hungry, whereas an HDD drive will be cheaper and slower than an SSD. HDDs are also good for storing lots of data as they often have a high capacity.

an SSD is flash storage and has no moving parts whatsoever. As a result, they're smaller and take up less space in a PC case, in some instances even mounting directly to the motherboard. SSD storage is much faster than its HDD equivalent.

HDD storage is made up of magnetic tape and has mechanical parts inside. They're larger than SSDs and much slower to read and write.

Best external hard drives and SSDs for Mac and Pc

1) Western Digital My Passport 4TB

The overall best external hard drive for Mac or PC

Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0

Large capacity

Good data transfer speeds

WD backup software is basic

Pros:

1. Transfer Rates (About 115 MB/s Reads and about 90-110 MB/s Write Speeds | Also reads/writes depends on how data is on the HDD Fragmented or Defragmented)

2. Looks Good from outside

3. The capacity of about 3.63 TB Usable.

4. The cheapest option in India if you want to store a large amount of data at a low price/don't want an Internal Drives/NAS Drives which you can access anytime, factors why would you prefer this over NAS/Internals: Power outages & you don't have power backup(assuming you have a laptop), want to save 2-3k INR.

5. 3 years Warranty from the date of purchase (Make sure to head to the WD website and register your product)

 2) Samsung Portable SSD T5

The best high-speed external storage device

Capacity: 250GB - 2TB | Interface: USB 3.1 (Gen 2)

Very good performance

Very high capacity

Expensive

You can use this directly with your android phone, just make sure you have the USB C connector and is excepted by your android phone and its version. it will prompt you to download an SSD Samsung app which once downloaded can be password protected and you can have a piece of mind. However while i have tested this the transfer speeds have not been that great on the Mac air (2011 version,) not sure about the phone or Windows PC

3) G-Technology G-RAID with Thunderbolt 3

The fastest and largest external hard drive for modern desktop Macs

Capacity: 8TB - 24TB | Interface: Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1

Lashings of fast disk storage

Easy removal of disks

High price

Up To 28TB1 Of Storage

Hardware Raid

Dual Removable, Enterprise-Class 7200RPM HDD

HDMI Port (4K 60FPS & HDR Ready)

Daisy-Chaining For 5 Additional Devices

Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports And USB-C Port

Transfer Rates Up To 500MB/s2

5-Year Limited Warranty

4) Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt

The most affordable Thunderbolt external hard drive

Capacity: 1TB, 2TB | Interface: Thunderbolt, USB 3.0

Comparatively low price

Limited hard disk performance

The drive is very durable and lightweight. It has withstood airplane rides and getting banged around in a backpack and suitcase. It has a very sturdy metal frame around the drive. The Thunderbolt cable is just the right size for use with a MacBook Air.

5) LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 4TB

A fast USB-C star

Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB-C

Fast USB-C connection

Great design

ExpensiveYou need USB-C ports to take advantage of speed

Delivers speeds of up to 5 GB/s

Features reversible USB-C connectivity as well as compatibility with USB 3.0 Ports

Sturdy, all aluminum enclosure while still lightweight and ultra-portable

6) Adata SD700 External SSD

The best cheap external SSD

Capacity: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | Interface: USB 3.0

Great performance

IP68 rating

No USB Type-C

This SSD the device is fast and reliable, been using it for a while now without any issues.

It’s square shape and size that fits in the palm make it good for everyday use. Rubber padding around is particularly useful for outdoor use. Because it’s lightweight, it’s okay to use it while dangling (although not recommended) from a laptop, etc

7) WD My Book Duo

The best high capacity external drive for your Mac or PC

Capacity: 4TB - 28TB | Interface: USB-C (Gen 1)

Huge amounts of space

Integrated USB hub

Expensive

Limited performance compared with Thunderbolt drives

8) LaCie Rugged USB-C

This rugged design is great for storage on the move

Capacity: 1TB - 5TB | Storage Type: Hard Disk | Connector: Type-C | Interface: USB 3.1

Rugged design

Backward compatible with older USB

Ugly orange casing