Best Externel Hard Drives

Anonymous
When you go shopping for one of the best external hard drives, you should think about some important details. Here are some suggestions .

1. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC

Wireless security
  • Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0
  • Rugged designNFC security
  • Not the fastest drive

An external hard drive you can buy without breaking the bank, Buffalo's MiniStation Extreme NFC could be your match made in heaven.
With compatibility for both Mac and Windows machines, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is very flexible, and comes with a rugged case that's dust and water resistant, along with a built-in USB 3.0 cable.
Not only is your data kept protected from knocks and drops with the rugged shell, but it's also got 256-bit AES security features and NFC (Near Field Communication) features as well.
Essentially it allows you to unlock the drive to get to your files quickly and easily by tapping the supplied NFC card onto the drive's body. Pretty neat!
  • This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro 

2. Western Digital My Passport 4TB

Western Digital My Passport 4TB

Fast speeds
  • Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0
  • Good data transfer speedsLarge capacity
  • WD backup software is basic

The latest generation of the Western Digital My Passport range of external hard drives has landed, coming in sizes from 1TB to 4TB. It features cloud storage and 256-AES encryption, along with WD's own backup software.
Best of all, it is a very good performer when it comes to data transfer speeds, beating many of its competitor. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't reach the top speeds of solid state external drives, but for external hard drives based on traditional HDDs, this is the drive to get.

3. Adata SD700 External SSD

Adata SD700 External SSD

A terabyte in the palm of your hand
  • Capacity: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | Interface: USB 3.0
  • IP68 ratingGreat performance
  • No USB Type-C
The Adata SD700 will suit those looking for a rugged storage device that can provide ample capacity without costing too much. It performs superbly well and remains the only SSD we’ve seen that is IP68 rated. 
Thanks to the solid state drive that resides in this external hard drive, it's a lot faster than external drives that use traditional spinning hard drives - so you're getting great transfer speeds as well as rugged protection.
It also comes in capacities up to 1TB, so you don't have to worry about missing out on storage space just because it uses an SSD - this drive really does hit all the right notes.

4. WD My Book Duo 4TB


The most space you can get
  • Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0 x 2
  • Huge amounts of space
  • RAID support
  • Expensive
  • Need two USB 3.0 ports free
This USB 3.0 drive has many of the features of a fully-fledged NAS device (including a high price), and if you have a router with a USB 3.0 port you could use this as a network attached storage device in its own right.
The device, which comes with two-year warranty, has 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and automatic backup software (WD SmartWare Pro).
Worth noting that the enclosure used is fully serviceable and that WD ships the drive already pre-formatted for Windows users (NTFS).

5. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt



Best Thunderbolt external hard drive
  • Capacity: 1TB, 2TB | Interface: Thunderbolt, USB 3.0
  • Mac-formattedLow price compared to other Thunderbolt drives
  • Not SSD

If you have a device with a Thunderbolt port, then this is a great option, as it provides twice the speeds of standard USB 3.0 drives. It's also not especially expensive compared to other Thunderbolt drives. The price is kept down due to its use of a traditional hard drive, rather than an SSD, which limits the potential speeds. It also comes with a USB 3.0 port for people without access to Thunderbolt.

  • This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the WD MyBook Duo

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