What’s the most effective exterior drive?
Whereas cloud storage appears extra handy, many individuals nonetheless favor exterior drives for storing information in a protected and safe method. Working low on area for these valuable household photographs or vital work recordsdata? Investing in an exterior laborious drive or solid-state drive (SSD) could possibly be precisely what you want. We have examined the highest storage choices available on the market that can assist you discover dependable units that supply nice worth in your cash.
Storage costs have come down through the years, however high-capacity SSDs will nonetheless want an even bigger funding. That is why it’s also possible to go for conventional laborious disk drives. They don’t seem to be as quick as SSDs, however they offer you extra space for storing in your greenback. When selecting your drive, bear in mind to verify what cables you will want, as this may have an effect on each compatibility and comfort.
All of CNET’s prime picks for exterior laborious drives and SSDs are suitable throughout platforms, together with Home windows PCs, Macs and gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. Simply needless to say you would possibly must format the drive in your particular system. Usually, they will be designated to work with a particular platform and generally they arrive with backup software program that’s platform-specific. Until in any other case indicated, all of the PC drives talked about listed here are suitable with Home windows however might be formatted for Mac. Plus, a lot of them embody USB-C and USB-A cables or adapters. In the event that they don’t occur to be included, you may simply purchase dongles for about $12.
Console players will need to maintain a watch out for platform-specific particulars. For instance, the PS5 enables you to retailer and play PS4 video games from an exterior drive however not PS5 video games. The Xbox Sequence X, then again, can retailer Sequence X video games on an exterior laborious drive, however you will must switch them to inside storage earlier than enjoying them. Each consoles will allow you to increase inside storage. The Xbox Sequence X makes use of a proprietary Seagate-made storage growth card, and the PS5 makes use of a extra customary M.2 SSD.
With these caveats in thoughts, our present prime picks for the most effective exterior laborious drive and exterior solid-state drive are beneath. These (or practically equivalent fashions with much less storage capability) have been used or anecdotally examined by CNET editors. We’ll replace our listing of the most effective exterior laborious drives and SSDs as we check new merchandise. Ideally, you must have redundant backups — both off-site or within the cloud — for vital information and enormous recordsdata like household photographs, in case of theft or hearth. Be sure to encrypt your information, too.
Finest exterior drives of 2025
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Western Digital, which owns SanDisk, sells its WD My Passport SSD as properly this SanDisk Exterior Transportable SSD for principally the identical value. I just like the design of this mannequin a bit higher, and it is technically ruggedized with an IP65 score, which means it could face up to a sustained spray of water. Additionally, it is dust- and shock-resistant and has a USB-C interface.
The most recent model presents speeds as much as 1,050MB/s (simply over 1GB per second) and is true round $90 for the 1TB model. Whereas step-up fashions just like the SanDisk Excessive Professional provide quicker learn/write speeds with the correct laptop, that could be overkill until you usually work with very massive recordsdata.
Your pace will differ in case you’re shifting a mishmash of recordsdata to or from the USB drive, however when copying a single massive file you must be capable of get near that quick switch pace.
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First launched in 2022, the WD Black P40 has come down in value and is now fairly inexpensive. It is an ultrafast SSD that is extra geared towards current Home windows PCs geared up with USB 3.2 Gen2x2 dual-lane structure that enables for a theoretical 20Gbps information switch price. It can be used with consoles and Macs. It is able to speeds as much as 2,000MB/s.
Rated for surviving drops of as much as 2 meters, the drive is sturdy and has an RGB lighting aspect that may be personalized with a Home windows PC.
You do pay a little bit of a premium over the WD Black D30 (see beneath), which comes with a stand and is extra geared to sport consoles. This drive is extra future-proof as PCs are more and more geared up with USB 3.2 Gen2x2. Kingston’s XS2000 has related specs for round $10 much less for the 1TB mannequin, however some customers have famous this drive presents barely higher write speeds.
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For higher or worse, there’s presently just one technique to increase the storage in your Xbox Sequence X/S for next-gen Sequence X/S video games: the Seagate Growth Card. Just like the storage state of affairs with the PS5, you may plug in any exterior SSD or laborious drive to increase the storage for traditional Xbox video games (previous-gen), however you may retailer solely native Xbox Sequence X/S video games on the sport console’s inside reminiscence or the Seagate Growth Card.
It plugs right into a proprietary slot on the again of the Xbox Sequence X/S and “replicates the Xbox Velocity Structure” (Microsoft’s inside NVMe SSD tech) with peak speeds of as much as 2.4GBps of uncooked I/O throughput. Microsoft says that is greater than 40x the throughput of the Xbox One.
The growth card is available in 1TB ($150) and 2TB ($250) variations.
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That is SanDisk’s entry-level SSD, and whereas it does not have fairly the identical speedy efficiency because the step-up Excessive mannequin, it nonetheless has strong efficiency only a step or two behind with 800MB/s speeds in contrast with 1,050MB/s (that is about 1GB per second). The Excessive mannequin can be ruggedized, whereas this one is not. SanDisk says it is drop-tested to 2 meters. To get the 1TB SSD capability model prices round $85, whereas the 2TB goes for round $140. They provide greater than sufficient pace for normal use (by that I imply people who aren’t shifting round lots of of gigs of video recordsdata).
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You’ll be able to increase storage for PS4 video games in your PS5 by including a typical exterior SSD as a result of you may play PS4 video games instantly from an exterior SSD. That is not the case for PS5 video games, which take up a ton of area and might be performed solely from the PS5’s inside drive or an M.2 SSD that you simply set up in a particular growth bay inside your PS5.Â
Whereas the Seagate FireCuda 530 technically is not an exterior SSD, it is not so totally different from Seagate’s Storage Growth Card for the Xbox Sequence X/S in that it is an NVMe SSD with a really excessive switch pace (as much as 7,300MB/s, in accordance with Seagate, although my PS5 listed the highest price at 6,800MB/s).
A number of M.2 SSDs will work with the PS5 (see our full listing) however ideally, you need one with an built-in heatsink. In any other case, you will have so as to add one.Â
The Seagate FireCuda 530 with heatsink begins round $67 for the 500GB model and jumps to roughly $140 for the 1TB model (hottest). The 2TB goes for round $200, whereas the 4TB sells for round $600.
Learn extra: Here is The way to Enhance Your PlayStation 5 Storage
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As its identify implies, Kingston’s XS2000 is able to speeds as much as 2,000MB/s. Just like the WD Black P40 Recreation Drive and SanDisk Excessive Professional (see beneath), it is an ultrafast SSD that is extra geared towards current Home windows PCs geared up with USB 3.2 Gen2x2 dual-lane structure that enables for a theoretical 20Gbps information switch price. It can be used with consoles and Macs. (Observe that the XS2000 is silver, whereas its predecessor is black).
Its design is a bit more plain than some SSDs on this listing, however the XS2000 is compact (it is about half the scale of a harmonica), light-weight and comes with a rubber sleeve that is presupposed to make the machine water-, shock- and dust-resistant, though it does not have an IP score. It is a first rate worth at roughly $105 for the 1TB mannequin.
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If you happen to’re on the lookout for a high-capacity exterior drive in your Xbox One, the WD Black P10 2TB transportable laborious drive is an efficient worth at round $75 (the 5TB model is about $150). It provides you transportable storage in your coveted sport assortment. This exterior drive additionally comes with a digital code that offers you one month of Microsoft’s Recreation Cross Final in case you’re a brand new subscriber. There’s additionally a typical model of the transportable laborious 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 transportable drive can ship speeds as much as 130MBps.
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Whereas this drive works with each the PS4 and PS5, it could solely retailer PS4 video games in case you’re utilizing it with a PS5 (you may play PS4 video games with out lag instantly from the transportable laborious drive). The 5TB model is $148.
Observe that Seagate makes an SSD Recreation Drive For Xbox however not PS4. The storage drive prices round $200 for 1TB.
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You should use any SSD together with your PlayStation PS4/PS5 or Xbox One, Xbox One Sequence X or Sequence S to retailer PS4 and Xbox One video games and different content material and decide up a pleasant pace bump when loading video games in contrast with a typical exterior laborious drive just like the WD Black P10 above. Observe that with the Xbox Sequence X, you may solely archive Xbox Sequence X and S video games to this drive, you may’t retailer full video games on it (the Seagate Storage Growth Card is required for that). The PS5 has the identical restriction — you may 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. It is the design that units it aside. It is 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. That is an NVMe SSD (Non-Unstable Reminiscence Specific) that gives wonderful efficiency and interoperability. It primarily appears like a mini laborious drive, which is type of cool.Â
The usual 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 emblem and a month of Recreation Cross Final, a $15 worth, for $20 extra. Alas, solely new subscribers can use the included code, so if you have already got a Recreation Cross Final subscription, you are paying the additional $20 for the emblem.
The 1TB model is $150 or much less when on sale.
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SanDisk makes the Excessive Transportable SSD (see above) that delivers speeds as much as 1,050MB per second switch charges. If you happen to’re a photographer or videographer on the lookout for a good quicker SSD drive in your PC or Mac, the Excessive Professional Transportable SSD is the best way to go for further space for storing. The most recent model can ship as much as 2,000MBps (2GBps) learn/write speeds in case you pair it with the correct tools. To get the utmost pace, you want a bunch system that helps USB Gen 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds.
Appropriate with Macs and Home windows PCs, it is technically ruggedized with an IP65 score, which means it could face up to a sustained spray of water and is dust-resistant. It is also shock-resistant (3-meter drop safety) and is supplied with a solid aluminum chassis that acts as a heatsink. It has a USB-C interface and consists of each USB-C-to-USB-C and USB-A-to-USB-C cables. The 1TB model is round $130 whereas the 2TB has dipped to round $220.
Observe: Some customers say they’ve encountered reliability points with this drive and even had recordsdata mysteriously erased. SanDisk has acknowledged some firmware issues with sure drives. It is unclear if these points have been resolved or not, however we did not encounter any issues with the check drive we had been utilizing.
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SanDisk’s flagship Professional-G40 SSD begins at round $180 for a 1TB drive, whereas the 1TB model of Different World Computing’s Envoy Professional FX goes for $280. Each provide top-end speeds (the Envoy Professional FX will get as much as a 2,800MB/s switch pace whereas the Professional-G40 tops out barely greater at as much as 3,000MB/s). Whereas the drive will work simply nice with Home windows and Linux computer systems, OWC has lengthy catered to the Mac market, and this exterior SSD definitely performs properly with Macs.
Sure, it prices greater than the Professional-G40, but it surely appears very properly constructed with an aluminum chassis that does an excellent job dissipating warmth (it does not warmth up an excessive amount of). Alas, it does not include some form of carrying case, but it surely’s a formidable drive in case you can afford it and are on the lookout for ultrafast switch pace.
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Sure, even drive makers like Seagate are beginning to incorporate recycled supplies into their merchandise. The Extremely Contact is available in 4TB and 5TB storage capacities (we tried the 5TB) and except for the eco angle, it is a fairly customary mechanical drive that options USB-C connectivity (sure, it is suitable with quite a lot of units, together with Macs, Home windows machines and Chromebooks). It weighs in at 267g or 0.589 kilos.
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This drive presents related specs to the SanDisk Excessive SSD, with as much as 1,050MB learn/write speeds, but it surely does not have a ruggedized exterior. I’ve used one usually and it is held up properly and presents a comparatively quick efficiency. I’ve included it right here as a result of the 2TB is healthier priced than some comparable 2TB fashions.
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The WD My E book desktop drive is out there in as much as a 24TB configuration. This drive has been round for some time and is geared towards individuals who want quite a lot of storage however do not need to pay a ransom to get it.
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After Seagate acquired LaCie a number of years in the past, LaCie turned the corporate’s premium model, and this exterior HDD 5TB mannequin might be discovered on quite a lot of video editors’ desks (together with a lot at CNET). This rugged laborious disk drive makes use of a USB-C interface, is suitable with Mac and Home windows PCs and is water- and shock-resistant. A 4TB Thunderbolt with USB-C model is out there for Thunderbolt-equipped Macs for about $260.
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Essential’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 may provide learn/write speeds which might be twice and even 4 occasions as quick (the Essential X8 is the step-up mannequin). Even so, the X6 is about 4x quicker than a drive that is not solid-state, with a switch pace of as much as 540MB per second for the 1TB and 2TB variations and as much as 800MB/s for the brand new 4TB model, which has one of many lowest costs for a 4TB SSD at round $280.
Comparatively, the 4TB SanDisk Excessive SSD, which has a switch pace score of as much as 1,050MB/s, prices $300. So that you’re principally a $20 financial savings in case you’re keen to take a little bit of a small pace hit (once more, at the very least the 4GB model of the Essential X6 has been bumped as much as 800MB/s from 540MB/s).
Funds
Earlier than the rest, you will need to work out how a lot you are keen to spend on a brand new laborious drive. Compact solid-state drives that use flash reminiscence are pricier than slower and larger mechanical drives, however they’ve gone down in value during the last couple of years. At present, you may get a 1TB exterior SSD for as little as $65 or so. Very high-capacity SSDs are typically fairly expensive, so in case you’re trying for lots of storage for not an excessive amount of cash, you will probably must go for a mechanical drive.
Capability
Exterior drives begin at 500GB and go all the best way as much as 22TB or so. For lots of people, particularly in case you’re a quicker SSD, the storage candy spot is 1TB or 2TB. If you happen to want greater than that, you will probably be deciding between spending so much on a 4TB SSD or choosing a extra inexpensive however slower 4TB or 5TB mechanical drive.
Knowledge switch pace
Stable state drives are delivering quicker and quicker information switch speeds. SSDs that supply the quickest speeds are additionally fairly expensive. You will must determine simply what sort of efficiency you need and wish based mostly in your use case and the PC you have got (to get the quickest switch pace you want a pc with the most recent USB know-how). Until you usually switch large video recordsdata, you in all probability do not want a “professional” degree storage machine. Observe that even the slowest SSDs are typically about 5 occasions as quick as a conventional mechanical drive.
Compatibility
Most exterior drives are suitable with all kinds of computer systems, together with Macs, Home windows PCs and Chromebooks. Issues get extra difficult while you get into the realm of sport consoles. To retailer PS5 or Xbox Sequence X or S video games, you will must buy a drive particularly for that process. You should use most exterior drives to retailer and play PS4 video games or customary Xbox One video games (off the drive), however you will want to put in an inside drive to retailer and play PS5 video games. Xbox Sequence X and S machines require you to purchase both the WD Black C50 growth card or Seagate Storage growth card to retailer and play Xbox Sequence X or S video games.
Safety
A few of you could be storing delicate information in your exterior storage drive. If that is the case, search for drives that embody security measures, together with encryption.
We check exterior drives based mostly on three key standards, evaluating equally styled and priced fashions. These standards are design, efficiency and worth.
- Design: We assess not solely the scale and weight of the drive (portability components) however its general construct high quality and sturdiness, together with water-, shock- and dirt resistance.
- Efficiency: We consider learn/write efficiency by transferring 50GB of recordsdata to and from each a PC and a Mac laptop a number of occasions. We additionally consider how a lot a drive heats up.
- Worth: We evaluate drives with related efficiency specs in opposition to one another and assess how good a price they’re based mostly on their value for a similar capability drive.
Many drives are plug-and-play, however you will have to format a drive in your specific working system. Some drives include their very own software program utilities to arrange the drive for no matter working system you are utilizing.
Most of right this moment’s drives use USB-C interfaces and infrequently include a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter that permits you to join the drive to older USB-A ports. To get most speeds, you will want to attach the drive through USB-C.
USB-C connectors have 4 steel pins which might be used to switch information. They’re generally known as “lanes.” USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) and USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) use one TX lane to transmit information and one RX lane to obtain information. A lot of the newest computer systems provide at the very least these speeds, and extra computer systems are getting USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, which presents as much as two lanes of 10 Gbps operation for a theoretical 20Gbps information switch price.
USB4 and Thunderbolt ports (Macs use Thunderbolt) let you switch information in addition to video and audio. Which means you may join each exterior drives and shows. Thunderbolt/USB4 presents as much as a 40Gbps theoretical information switch price. Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 ports look and act like USB-C ports and assist USB-C connectivity. A pc with customary USB-C ports doesn’t assist Thunderbolt units.
To get the quickest speeds, you usually want a suitable USB-C cable (the drive ought to include the correct cable to maximise information switch charges). A Thunderbolt-compatible cable is required for computer systems geared up with Thunderbolt ports to realize a most information switch pace. Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 ports appear to be USB-C ports and use a cable that appears like a USB-C cable however has a Thunderbolt insignia on it. Earlier Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 ports used their very own kind of connector (the port additionally accommodates a Mini DisplayPort cable for connecting to screens). You should purchase an adapter that converts a Thunderbolt 2 cable to Thunderbolt 3 and 4. There are additionally USB-C to Mini DisplayPort cables.
USB sorts and theoretical burst switch speeds.
