Laptops and PCs might be getting ever smaller and lighter, but storage space has never been so tight. On the one hand, video, photo and even music files are getting larger, as higher-resolutions hit the mainstream. On the other, the SSDs being used in many laptops and convertibles simply don’t have the space to hold much of this stuff. Even PC and console gamers feel the pinch, with big titles taking 40GB or more. And what are you meant to do if you want to keep all these massive files backed up?
External hard drives are the answer, giving you plenty of cheap and cheerful storage or an extra high-performance drive in a convenient, easy-to-use package. Now that USB 3 and USB-C are pretty much ubiquitous, they’re up to handling the most demanding applications too, including 4K video and games. Here we’ve picked out some of the best to cover every need and budget, including both slimline portable and beefy desktop drives. Hook one up and give yourself a little room to breathe.
Best external hard drives: Buyer’s Guide
What type of hard drive should I buy?
These days external hard drives come in two basic form factors. Portable drives use a 2.5-inch drive and get both power and connectivity through a single USB cable, making them compact, lightweight and very convenient, even if you’re on the move. Desktop drives use a 3.5-inch drive and require a separate power supply. They do, however, come with some advantages. Firstly, they come in higher capacities, meaning 3GB, 4GB, 5GB and even 8GB drives are more common and still very affordable. Secondly, the drives themselves spin at a faster rate – sometimes 7200RPM or more, where portable drives are limited to 5,400RPM. That means improved performance. As a bonus, some desktop drives are extremely quiet. For demanding applications like video-editing or gaming, a desktop drive will give you more bang for your buck.
Is it worth paying more for an SSD?
SSDs are incredibly fast, which matters if you’re editing 4K video or obsessive about reducing loading times with games. For more general use, though, a drive based on good old mechanical HDD technology will give you more than enough speed for storing photos, HD videos, music, documents and games, and you’ll get a lot more storage for your money. For instance, the £150 you might spend on a 480GB SSD would net you a 4TB HDD.
What kind of connectivity should I look for?
USB 3.0 connectivity is now the baseline for external drives, with a theoretical speed of up to 5Gbps though the practical speed is closer to 300MB/sec. Given that anything bar an SSD can’t get close to reading or writing data at that rate, that’s more than fast enough. USB-C and the new USB 3.1 Gen 2 offer faster connectivity, at 10Gbps or 1.2GB/sec, but you won’t find a drive that can reach those speeds. Some professional drives support Intel’s Thunderbolt v2 or v3 connections, with maximum speeds of 20Gbps (2.4GB/sec) or 40Gbps (4.8GB/sec). Again, though, your bottleneck is more likely to be the drive inside the unit, not the connection.
Are there any extra features worth having?
Windows 10 has its own backup tools in the shape of the System Image and File History features, but some users prefer a more old-fashioned daily backup tool, which is why some external drive manufacturers still provide them. For Mac users, these aren’t so important; Apple’s Time Machine has you covered. Meanwhile, only Windows 10 Professional has Microsoft’s BitLocker file encryption built-in, so if you’re using Windows 10 Home and storing anything sensitive, having file encryption features is a bonus. Some drives include management tools, but it’s unlikely you’ll use these once you’ve formatted the drive for the first time. Others bundle-in some kind of cloud-based storage, which can be a useful extra, especially if you want to keep some important documents or photos stored online.
The best external hard drives to buy
1. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim
Price when reviewed:£46 (1TB), £85 (2TB)
At just 9.6mm thick, it’s not hard to see where the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim gets its name; at just under 135g drives don’t get more portable. There’s a touch of bling about the gold or platinum metallic top cover with its honeycomb dimples, and while the rest of the casing is plastic it still feels extremely solid and keeps noise fairly inconspicuous. Setup is easy and Seagate bundles in its own backup tool, not to mention 200GB of free OneDrive storage for two years. Performance, meanwhile, is a little better than most of the portable HDD competition, hitting peaks of 135MB/sec read and 130MB/sec write, with a reasonable performance in our small file tests. An excellent, affordable and easy to lug around drive.
Key specs – Type: Portable HDD, Connectivity: USB 3.0, Spindle Speed: 5400RPM
2. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive USB-C/USB 3.0
Price when reviewed:£105 (1TB), £135 (2TB)
If you’re looking for a portable drive to match your new Ultrabook or MacBook, you’ll struggle to do better than the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile. It’s a lovely, streamlined, all-aluminium unit, just 10mm thick and weighing just 193g. It makes a little more noise and clatter than some portable drives, but it looks great and feels tough. It can connect and take power from a USB-C or USB 3.0 connection – both cables are provided - though speeds are limited by the HDD inside, peaking at 129MB/sec read and 127MB/sec write. The 1TB version isn’t great value, but the 2TB version is a great choice if you’re happy to pay extra for that USB-C connectivity and style.
Key specs – Type: Portable HDD, Connectivity: USB 3.0/USB-C, Spindle Speed: 5400RPM
3. WD MyPassport
Price when reviewed:£63 (1TB), £84 (2TB), £149 (4TB)
It’s not the slimmest or lightest portable drive, but this compact little brick, just 110mm long by 82mm wide, is impressively practical. As well as feeling extremely robust it’s whisper-quiet and comes in a larger 4GB capacity, enabling it to do the job of many desktop drives. It’s also easy to setup and format, while WD’s Backup and Security tools give you basic backup and optional password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption, which you might be grateful for if lose your MyPassport on the road. Speeds aren’t anything special, peaking at 117MB/sec read and 110MB/sec write, but the MyPassport delivers great value.
Key specs – Type: Portable HDD, Connectivity: USB 3.0, Spindle Speed: 5400RPM
4. SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable SSD
Price when reviewed:£71 (120GB), £107.90 (240GB), £147.90 (480GB)
If your priority is speed, not storage capacity, the SanDisk Extreme 500 Portable gives you high performance without the matching price tag. It’s extremely thin, tough and light even by portable HDD standards, weighing in at just 40g, with a metallic handle on one corner to attach to a strap or lanyard, while the USB 3.0 connector is concealed beneath a flap on the opposite corner. It’s simple to setup and format and the SanDisk Secure Access utility provides optional 128-bit AES encryption. With no moving parts inside it’s also absolutely silent, while speeds are through the roof, hitting peaks of 375MB/sec read and 270MB/sec write. You’ll pay more per MB on limited 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities, but you’ll struggle to find faster without paying silly money.
Key specs – Type: Portable SSD, Connectivity: USB 3.0, Spindle Speed: N/A
5. Seagate Expansion Desktop
Price when reviewed:£70 (2TB), £75 (3TB), £130 (5TB)
While Seagate has made some effort with the Expansion Desktop’s industrial style, this drive doesn’t sell itself on looks or even performance, but on providing a lot of space for not much money. With 2TB for under £70 and 5TB for under £130, it’s easy to forgive the slightly noisy drive, the wall-wart power supply and chunky dimensions. It’s a no-frills affair, with no software included, but it comes pre-formatted for use with Windows and just works as soon as the cables are plugged in. Speeds are perfectly reasonable too, reaching 156MB/sec read and 152MB/sec write. If you’re just looking to expand your storage and don’t want or need additional software, the Expansion Desktop is for you.
Key specs – Type: Desktop HDD, Connectivity: USB 3.0, Spindle Speed: 7200RPM
6. LaCie Porsche Design USB-C + USB 3.0 Desktop
Price when reviewed:£168 (4TB), £190 (5TB), £280 (8TB)
The one downside of all those sleek ultra-portables and MacBooks is the lack of onboard storage, but the LaCie Porsche Design USB-C + USB 3.0 Desktop gives you plenty of working space when you’re sitting at your desk. It’s a beautifully-made drive in an aluminium chassis, with a USB-C connector and both USB-3 and USB-C cables included. LaCie’s software makes short work of formatting on connection, and you can use the bundled Genie Timeline software to organise backups. It’s not a noisy drive, making a low rumble rather than a high-picched whine, and it’s speedy too, hitting transfer rates of 162MB/sec read and 160MB/sec write (the connectivity makes no real difference). The style and USB-C option come at a premium, but you’re getting a top-notch drive.
Key specs – Type: Desktop HDD, Connectivity: USB 3.0/USB-C, Spindle Speed: 7200RPM