Finest Exterior Exhausting Drive (2026): SSD to Retailer Information, Video & Extra

When you’re operating out of cupboard space in your laptop computer or it’s essential to again up your knowledge and retailer that backlog of movies you are going to edit in the future (I’m, I swear), an exterior arduous drive can remedy your drawback. The difficulty is, there are a whole lot of drive choices starting from dirt-cheap to crazy-expensive—which one is true in your wants? I’ve examined dozens, throughout working methods and with totally different use instances in thoughts, to search out the most effective exterior arduous drives for storage, backups, gaming, video enhancing, network-attached storage (NAS) units, and extra.

Try our different guides, together with Methods to Again Up and Transfer Your Pictures Between Providers, Methods to Again Up Your Digital Life, and Methods to Again Up Your iPhone.

Up to date January 2026: We have added Seagate’s One Contact SSD, swapped out our padding drive choose, and eliminated the Essential X6, which, sadly, has been discontinued. We have additionally added a word explaining the rebranding of WD_Black and WD Blue drives as SeaGate Optimus GX, and up to date costs and hyperlinks all through.

Finest for Backups

For incremental backups, which we suggest, velocity is not an enormous issue. That is why the primary drive I like to recommend is that this Western Digital Components arduous drive. I’ve been utilizing a variation of the Components desktop arduous drive to make incremental backups of my knowledge for greater than a decade. These drives are massive and require exterior energy, however they’re among the most cost-effective, most dependable drives I’ve used.

Switch speeds are usually not off the charts—the Components drive I examined scored 120 megabytes per second (MB/s) for sequential writes on Home windows—however once more, it’s best to ideally be operating backups in a single day anyway, and even at these speeds the common PC backup can be finished by morning. These drives use USB-C with help for USB 3, and I’ve had no drawback utilizing them with Home windows, macOS, and Linux.

Storage choices go all the way in which as much as 20 terabytes. Simply verify the costs; typically you will get a 10- and even 12-TB drive for not far more than the 8-terabyte model. And I’ve not seen an enormous distinction between the Components line, the WD My Guide drives, or the WD My Passport drives. The My Passport drives command a premium worth as a result of they’re smaller, and the My Guide drives have some encryption options that drive up the worth, however I discover the essential Components drive is enough for most individuals.

Different Nice Backup Drives

• Seagate Enlargement 8-TB Exterior Exhausting Drive for $159: Seagate is one other dependable drive maker. It by no means hurts to have extra backups, and for those who do need a number of backups, use drives from totally different manufacturers, since it’s going to cut back the possibility that each fail concurrently.

Finest for Moveable Backups

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Western Digital

My Passport Extremely

When you journey rather a lot, you may need one thing that is simpler to hold than the Components drives, which are not the most effective in a suitcase. For backups when touring, I really like Western Digital’s My Passport sequence, particularly the brand new “Extremely” model, which makes use of a normal USB-C wire, eliminating the necessity to carry a separate cable. It isn’t the thinnest drive in the marketplace, but it surely’s lower than an inch thick and stable sufficient that I by no means frightened about tossing it in my bag. (Though it must be stated that it is a spinning drive, so do not actually toss it.) I additionally like that the corners are properly rounded and there aren’t any screws or the rest that may catch on cloth in your bag.

There are a selection of colours accessible and you will get from 1 TB to six TB. I examined the 5-TB mannequin, however Western Digital claims the identical speeds no matter drive measurement. I examined it utilizing CrystalDiskMark on Home windows, AmorphousDiskMark on macOS, and KDiskMark on Linux and averaged the outcomes to provide you with 121 MB/s for learn velocity and 115 MB/s write velocity. It isn’t what you’d need to copy images shortly for a consumer within the discipline, however quick sufficient to run a day by day backup in your resort room.

Different Moveable Backup Drives

• Western Digital Components 5-TB Moveable HDD for $135: This drive is barely thinner than our high choose, however feels flimsier in my expertise. Speeds are tad slower as effectively, however for those who’re on a finances it will prevent a bit of money. Corsair is advertising and marketing this as a great way to backup your iPhone ProRes footage, and whereas it actually works for that, efficiency is proscribed by the iPhone’s USB-C interface. For optimum throughput, join it to a PC with a USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 port.
• Seagate One Contact 4-TB for $125: Seagate’s One Contact drive provides some encryption instruments, however speeds lagged a bit of behind our high choose. Nonetheless, it is a stable possibility for backups and it is surprisingly small for a spinning drive enclosure. Additionally word that this drive is usually offered with 4 months of Adobe Artistic Cloud (a roughly $40 worth), however for those who use it, make sure to cancel as a result of after these 4 months you may be charged.

Finest USB5 Drive: The Thunderbolt 5

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

LaCie has up to date its rugged SSD line with the Rugged Pro5. This one ditches the long-lasting orange padding for blue, however it’s in any other case similar to the odd LaCie padded drives on the surface. On the within, that is an amazingly quick drive. The 5 within the title is for, you guessed it, Thunderbolt 5, which regardless of being introduced seemingly without end in the past, has been painfully sluggish to trickle onto the market. This made testing a bit difficult, however happily a pal let me borrow his brand-new MacBook Professional 14 for testing. The outcomes had been spectacular.

LaCie claims learn/write speeds of as much as 6,700 MB/s and 5,300 MB/s, which it says are sufficient for real-time enhancing of 8K and 6K RAW footage. In testing the very best speeds, file transfers had been 5,787 MB/s learn and 5,188 MB/s write—which, whereas not fairly matching the declare, continues to be far and away the quickest drive on the web page. However uncooked speeds are simply numbers for spreadsheets; I used to be extra fascinated with real-world efficiency. Since I occurred to even be testing the Nikon Z6III (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which may shoot 6K ProRes RAW, I loaded a very good little bit of footage on the Pro5 and was certainly in a position to edit utilizing DaVinci Resolve Studio.

The draw back right here is the worth. At $600 for the 4-TB model (which is the minimal you’d need for working with ProRes RAW video recordsdata), it is a very expensive drive. It’s, nonetheless, effectively definitely worth the cash if it is velocity you are after.

Finest USB4 Drive

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

When you do not but have any units with Thunderbolt 5 help, this Thunderbolt 4 drive can be my advice for anybody obsessive about velocity. Corsair’s EX400U is a powerful little drive, constantly delivering speeds of round 3,800 MB/s for sequential learn and and three,550 MB/s write. Once more, that is solely going to be doable if in case you have a tool that helps USB4/Thunderbolt 4 (together with current Macbooks, Dell XPS, and others—see our information to the most effective laptops for extra). Technically, simply as I used to be wrapping up this replace, Lacie’s new rugged SSD got here out which beat this drive in my checks by about 10 MB/s, however this drive is smaller, lighter, and cheaper.

I additionally like that Corsair has included a Magsafe connector on the again of the case, which makes nice possibility for backing up ProRes video footage out of your iPhone.

Finest for Photographers

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Essential’s X9 Professional hits the candy spot of velocity, portability, and worth to be among the finest drives on the market for photographers seeking to make backups within the discipline. These drives are tiny, about half the scale of a deck of playing cards, and weigh a mere 1.3 ounces (38 grams). They will connect with absolutely anything. I examined the X9 Professional on Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS and by no means hit any points with any of them. In the case of velocity, the X9 Professional claims symmetrical learn and write speeds, at 1,050 MB/s. I really constantly acquired larger speeds, as much as 1,110 MB/s for learn and 1,100 MB/s for write. That places the X9 Professional on the high of the pack by way of transportable drive velocity.

I have been testing the X9 Professional for a number of months now, and whereas I can not but communicate to the long-term survival fee, I’ve been testing X6 and X8 drives from Essential for over two years now with out difficulty. There’s additionally the X10 Professional drive ($235), which provides even sooner speeds if in case you have a PC that helps USB 2X2. (The newest Intel chips help this spec, however Apple doesn’t, so there is no level in shopping for the X10 Professional if in case you have a Mac.) I don’t personal a PC that helps USB 2X2 for intensive testing, however I did get an opportunity to not less than attempt it, and the X10 Professional does certainly ship on its promise of two,100 MB/s (I acquired it as much as 2,050 MB/s). In case your {hardware} helps it, the X10 Professional is price the additional cash.

Finest Tiny Drive

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Seagate’s new Extremely Compact SSD straddles the road between USB thumb drive and conventional exterior drive. The dimensions, design, and built-in USB-C connector make it a thumb drive, however the drive inside is far sooner, providing 1,000 MB/s throughput through USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps). In my CrystalDiskMark check, it managed 1034 MB/s and a write velocity of 1018 MB/s, which, whereas not as quick as among the new Thunderbolt 5 drives coming in the marketplace, continues to be method, method sooner than most USB sticks. In some methods, performance-wise, it is a extra compact, down-market model of the X9 drive above (LaCie is Seagate’s high-end, Mac-focused model). You do get barely much less efficiency for the cash, however the compact, no-cable-needed kind issue may be price it to some individuals.

My one gripe with this drive is that it is on the large facet for a thumb drive, which implies that in case your laptop computer has USB-C ports shut collectively it’d cowl two. You possibly can mitigate this by ditching the rubber housing, however then you definitely lose among the safety (the drive with housing is rated to face up to 3 meter drops and is IP54 rated for mud and water resistance). It additionally goes out and in of inventory ceaselessly. Seagate’s Extremely Compact SSD is certainly one of a number of SSDs adopting the thumb drive kind issue. We have additionally examined and just like the SK Hynix Tube 31, which is featured in our information to the Finest USB Flash Drives.

Different Nice Tiny Drives

• Kingston XS1000 2-TB for $203: This tiny little drive is likely one of the smallest on this information. Just like the Essential X6, it has a principally plastic enclosure, but it surely has withstood life in my bag fairly effectively. Whereas it isn’t as sturdy because the padded choices under, it is sturdy sufficient for many issues. It is also speedy. Kingston claims as much as 1,050 MB/s. I by no means managed that, however I routinely hit round 800 MB/s, with some older laptops nearer to 600 MB/s, which continues to be fairly good. The drive bogs down a bit with giant recordsdata (MP4s, for instance), so it isn’t the most effective for professional videographers, however for everybody else, it is a stable, barely cheaper possibility.

Finest Go-Wherever Drive

OWC

Envoy Professional Elektron SSD

When you want a drive that may stand as much as life in a backpack or digicam bag, get moist, or deal with a drop onto arduous surfaces, OWC drives are your most suitable option. It is powerful to select a winner right here as a result of there are numerous stable choices, however OWC’s Elektron drive narrowly beat others in benchmark checks. I additionally like that you could swap out the drive contained in the aluminum casing (it is easy to unscrew), which suggests two years from now, you may choose up a sooner naked SSD and drop it within the hardy Elektron enclosure.

Different Nice Rugged SSDs

• Sabrent Rocket Nano 1-TB SSD for $170: I actually like this one. It is smaller and barely sooner than the OWC, but it surely has two drawbacks. The primary is that it could get sizzling. When you’re attempting to work with it in your lap, it may be downright uncomfortable. The opposite difficulty is that typically it is sluggish to be acknowledged by my PC. I may discover no sample to this; typically it appeared straight away, and different instances it took a few minutes. If these issues do not trouble you, this drive is tiny, cheaper, and features a padded rubber case.

Finest Padded Drive

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Samsung’s T9 has been my go-to transportable drive for a pair years now. Whereas I do just like the LaCie drives (just like the rugged Pro5 above) that often dominate this class, the Samsung is loads quick. The 20Gbps T9 was in a position to take full benefit of that velocity, clocking in at over 1350 MB/s, handily beating the Essential X9. The T9 additionally appears to have a decrease energy draw, or not less than once I plug it into my Android pill it drains the battery far lower than some other drive I exploit commonly.

The padding on the T9 is lower than what the LaCie drives provide, but it surely’s additionally significantly cheaper and has assist up effectively to life on the highway. The one catch is that its not waterproof or mud proof. The padding stops on the ends so it isn’t utterly sealed. I have not had any points, however for those who get it moist it is going to be an issue. When you’re frightened about that, take a look at the T7 Protect under.

One other Nice Padded Choice

• Samsung T7 Protect 2-TB SSD for $235: That is similar to the above, but it surely provides an IP65 ranking, which suggests it is high-quality within the rain and is protected against mud and sand. The T7 line is notable for its built-in security measures like hardware-based encryption, however in contrast to the Contact mannequin, the Protect doesn’t have a fingerprint reader.

Finest Gaming Drive

{Photograph}: Western Digital

Western Digital

P40 Gaming Drive

Take this class with a grain of salt. A lot of the drives right here will work simply high-quality for gaming (simply persist with the quickest you may afford). That stated, Western Digital’s new P40 does have some cool RGB lights on the underside if that is your jam. In my testing, that did not appear to impression energy consumption.

As for velocity, my checks had been inconsistent. This drive is able to speeds that handily beat each the Envoy Professional and Samsung T7, however at different instances it appeared to lavatory down (not less than in benchmarks). In real-world use, the bottleneck I constantly hit was some lag in transferring enormous quantities of information. That may be a deal-breaker for some, however for the worth, it stays a stable alternative.

Finest Naked Drive

If you wish to put an even bigger SSD in your laptop computer, all you want is a naked drive, which is mostly cheaper than the drives with enclosures listed above. The very first thing to determine is which drive your PC makes use of. Seek the advice of your producer’s documentation to search out out. Nowadays the commonest kind issue is M.2 2280, which is the lengthy, skinny drive within the picture above. Extra compact laptops might use the same, however shorter, M.2 2242 design. Once more, verify your PC to substantiate the drive it wants before you purchase. Of the handfuls I’ve tried, Western Digital’s WD Black sequence has stood out for velocity, and it would not run highly regarded.

The SN 990 PRO SSD NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4 achieved speeds of seven,458 MB/s reads in my testing, roughly matching the claimed 7,450 MBs / 6,900 MBs learn/write speeds. When you’re doing loads of drive-intensive duties, like enhancing video or gaming, this drive is effectively definitely worth the cash. The biggest model you will get is 4 TB, and the worth is cheap contemplating the velocity. There are sooner drives, however you may pay for them and I discover that at the moment, past this drive there’s a diminishing return within the velocity vs worth curve. I have been utilizing this one as my important drive for a number of months months now and it really works nice for enhancing 5.2K video footage and compiling software program. My favourite half? It generates little or no warmth.

Different Choices

• Western Digital SN850X 1-TB SSD for $245: One other quick one, Western Digital claims as much as 7,300 MB/s learn speeds, and in benchmark checks, this drive’s outcomes got here shut. Just like the Samsung above, to take full benefit of the velocity right here, you may want a system that helps the PCIe 4.0 SSD commonplace, however it is a nice drive if you wish to improve a gaming system, whether or not it is a desktop PC or your PlayStation. This drive can be one of many few I’ve seen that is accessible as much as 8-TB capability.
• Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2-TB for $273: The 990 EVO Plus is an improve to the highly regarded 990 EVO. The unique didn’t provide something compelling and by no means made this information, however the brand new model manages to be impressively speedy and never overly sizzling, as many Gen 5 PCIe disks I’ve examined have been. The 990 EVO Plus additionally launched with a 4-TB mannequin, one thing lacking the primary time round. When it comes to velocity it would not fairly match the SN850X above, topping out at 5,677 MB/s learn, but it surely’s loads quick for many makes use of and stays fairly cool even when pushed. When you’re on the lookout for a very good all-around drive that stays cool, this one makes a sensible choice, although it’s on the expensive facet for what you get.

Regularly Requested Questions