Greatest Exterior Laborious Drive (2026): SSD to Retailer Knowledge, Video & Extra

Should you’re operating out of cupboard space in your laptop computer or you should again up your knowledge and retailer that backlog of movies you are going to edit someday (I’m, I swear), an exterior exhausting drive can resolve your drawback. The difficulty is, there are tons of of drive choices starting from dirt-cheap to crazy-expensive—which one is correct to your wants? I’ve examined dozens, throughout working programs and with completely different use circumstances in thoughts, to seek out the very best exterior exhausting drives for storage, backups, gaming, video enhancing, network-attached storage (NAS) gadgets, and extra.

Take a look at our different guides, together with Methods to Again Up and Transfer Your Images Between Companies, 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.

Greatest for Backups

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

Switch speeds aren’t off the charts—the Components drive I examined scored 120 megabytes per second (MB/s) for sequential writes on Home windows—however once more, you need to ideally be operating backups in a single day anyway, and even at these speeds the typical PC backup can be carried out by morning. These drives use USB-C with assist 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 test the costs; generally you may get a 10- and even 12-TB drive for not way more than the 8-terabyte model. And I’ve not seen an enormous distinction between the Components line, the WD My E book 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 E book drives have some encryption options that drive up the value, however I discover the fundamental Components drive is adequate for most individuals.

Different Nice Backup Drives

• Seagate Growth 8-TB Exterior Laborious Drive for $159: Seagate is one other dependable drive maker. It by no means hurts to have extra backups, and should you do need a number of backups, use drives from completely different manufacturers, since it’ll cut back the possibility that each fail concurrently.

Greatest for Transportable Backups

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Western Digital

My Passport Extremely

Should you journey quite a bit, you will need one thing that is simpler to hold than the Components drives, which are not the very best in a suitcase. For backups when touring, I really like Western Digital’s My Passport collection, 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, nevertheless it’s lower than an inch thick and stable sufficient that I by no means fearful about tossing it in my bag. (Though it ought to be stated that this can be a spinning drive, so do not actually toss it.) I additionally like that the corners are properly rounded and there are not any screws or anything that may catch on cloth in your bag.

There are a number of colours obtainable and you may get from 1 TB to six TB. I examined the 5-TB mannequin, however Western Digital claims the identical speeds no matter drive dimension. I examined it utilizing CrystalDiskMark on Home windows, AmorphousDiskMark on macOS, and KDiskMark on Linux and averaged the outcomes to give you 121 MB/s for learn pace and 115 MB/s write pace. 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 Transportable Backup Drives

• Western Digital Components 5-TB Transportable HDD for $135: This drive is barely thinner than our high choose, however feels flimsier in my expertise. Speeds are tad slower as nicely, however should you’re on a price range this can prevent a bit 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 presents some encryption instruments, however speeds lagged a bit behind our high choose. Nonetheless, this can be a stable choice for backups and it is surprisingly small for a spinning drive enclosure. Additionally word that this drive is typically bought with 4 months of Adobe Inventive Cloud (a roughly $40 worth), however should you use it, you’ll want to cancel as a result of after these 4 months you will be charged.

Greatest 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 enduring orange padding for blue, however it’s in any other case similar to the extraordinary LaCie padded drives on the surface. On the within, that is an amazingly quick drive. The 5 within the identify is for, you guessed it, Thunderbolt 5, which regardless of being introduced seemingly without end in the past, has been painfully gradual to trickle onto the market. This made testing a bit tough, 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 best speeds, file transfers had been 5,787 MB/s learn and 5,188 MB/s write—which, whereas not fairly matching the declare, remains 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 by 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 superb little bit of footage on the Pro5 and was certainly capable of edit utilizing DaVinci Resolve Studio.

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

Greatest USB4 Drive

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Should you do not but have any gadgets with Thunderbolt 5 assist, this Thunderbolt 4 drive could be my advice for anybody obsessive about pace. Corsair’s EX400U is a powerful little drive, persistently 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 potential 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 very best 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 assessments 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 choice for backing up ProRes video footage out of your iPhone.

Greatest for Photographers

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Essential’s X9 Professional hits the candy spot of pace, portability, and worth to be the most effective drives on the market for photographers trying to make backups within the discipline. These drives are tiny, about half the dimensions of a deck of playing cards, and weigh a mere 1.3 ounces (38 grams). They will hook up 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. With regards to pace, the X9 Professional claims symmetrical learn and write speeds, at 1,050 MB/s. I truly persistently received 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 moveable drive pace.

I have been testing the X9 Professional for a number of months now, and whereas I am unable to but converse to the long-term survival charge, I’ve been testing X6 and X8 drives from Essential for over two years now with out problem. There may be additionally the X10 Professional drive ($235), which presents even sooner speeds if in case you have a PC that helps USB 2X2. (The newest Intel chips assist this spec, however Apple doesn’t, so there is not any 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 in depth testing, however I did get an opportunity to a minimum of strive it, and the X10 Professional does certainly ship on its promise of two,100 MB/s (I received it as much as 2,050 MB/s). In case your {hardware} helps it, the X10 Professional is value the additional cash.

Greatest 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 way sooner, providing 1,000 MB/s throughput by way of USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps). In my CrystalDiskMark check, it managed 1034 MB/s and a write pace of 1018 MB/s, which, whereas not as quick as a number of the new Thunderbolt 5 drives coming in the marketplace, remains to be approach, approach sooner than most USB sticks. In some methods, performance-wise, this can be 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 could be value it to some individuals.

My one gripe with this drive is that it is on the extensive facet for a thumb drive, which signifies that in case your laptop computer has USB-C ports shut collectively it would cowl two. You may mitigate this by ditching the rubber housing, however then you definitely lose a number of the safety (the drive with housing is rated to resist 3 meter drops and is IP54 rated for mud and water resistance). It additionally goes out and in of inventory regularly. Seagate’s Extremely Compact SSD is one in all 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 Greatest USB Flash Drives.

Different Nice Tiny Drives

• Kingston XS1000 2-TB for $203: This tiny little drive is without doubt one of the smallest on this information. Just like the Essential X6, it has a principally plastic enclosure, nevertheless it has withstood life in my bag fairly nicely. Whereas it is not as sturdy because the padded choices under, it is robust 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 remains to be fairly good. The drive bogs down a bit with giant recordsdata (MP4s, for instance), so it is not the very best for professional videographers, however for everybody else, this can be a stable, barely cheaper choice.

Greatest Go-Wherever Drive

OWC

Envoy Professional Elektron SSD

Should 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 exhausting surfaces, OWC drives are your most suitable option. It is robust to select a winner right here as a result of there are lots of stable choices, however OWC’s Elektron drive narrowly beat others in benchmark assessments. I additionally like that you would be able to swap out the drive contained in the aluminum casing (it is simple to unscrew), which implies two years from now, you’ll be able to 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, nevertheless it has two drawbacks. The primary is that it may get scorching. Should you’re making an attempt to work with it in your lap, it may be downright uncomfortable. The opposite problem is that generally it is gradual to be acknowledged by my PC. I might discover no sample to this; generally it appeared instantly, and different instances it took a few minutes. If these issues do not hassle you, this drive is tiny, cheaper, and features a padded rubber case.

Greatest Padded Drive

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson

Samsung’s T9 has been my go-to moveable 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 lots quick. The 20Gbps T9 was capable of take full benefit of that pace, clocking in at over 1350 MB/s, handily beating the Essential X9. The T9 additionally appears to have a decrease energy draw, or a minimum of once I plug it into my Android pill it drains the battery far lower than some other drive I exploit usually.

The padding on the T9 is lower than what the LaCie drives supply, nevertheless it’s additionally significantly cheaper and has assist up nicely to life on the highway. The one catch is that its not waterproof or mud proof. The padding stops on the ends so it is not fully sealed. I have never had any points, however should you get it moist it is going to be an issue. Should you’re fearful about that, take a look at the T7 Defend under.

One other Nice Padded Choice

• Samsung T7 Defend 2-TB SSD for $235: That is similar to the above, nevertheless it provides an IP65 score, which implies it is wonderful 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 Defend doesn’t have a fingerprint reader.

Greatest 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 wonderful for gaming (simply persist with the quickest you’ll be able to 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 affect energy consumption.

As for pace, my assessments 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 bathroom down (a minimum of in benchmarks). In real-world use, the bottleneck I persistently hit was some lag in transferring large quantities of information. That could be a deal-breaker for some, however for the value, it stays a stable selection.

Greatest 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 seek out out. Lately 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, test your PC to substantiate the drive it wants before you purchase. Of the handfuls I’ve tried, Western Digital’s WD Black collection has stood out for pace, and it does not run extremely popular.

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. Should you’re doing lots of drive-intensive duties, like enhancing video or gaming, this drive is nicely definitely worth the cash. The most important model you may get is 4 TB, and the value is affordable contemplating the pace. There are sooner drives, however you will pay for them and I discover that at present, past this drive there’s a diminishing return within the pace vs worth curve. I have been utilizing this one as my primary 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 assessments, this drive’s outcomes got here shut. Just like the Samsung above, to take full benefit of the pace right here, you will want a system that helps the PCIe 4.0 SSD normal, however this can be 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 also be one of many few I’ve seen that is obtainable as much as 8-TB capability.
• Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2-TB for $273: The 990 EVO Plus is an improve to the very talked-about 990 EVO. The unique didn’t supply something compelling and by no means made this information, however the brand new model manages to be impressively speedy and never overly scorching, 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 pace it does not fairly match the SN850X above, topping out at 5,677 MB/s learn, nevertheless it’s lots quick for many makes use of and stays fairly cool even when pushed. Should you’re searching for a superb all-around drive that stays cool, this one makes a sensible choice, although it’s on the expensive facet for what you get.

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