Most Reliable Backup Hard Drive
External hard drives are required for a galore of purposes. These range from creating system backups and storing data to transferring saved game files. The most important aspect of any external hard drive is its reliability, which is simply the measure of the device failure rate.
Best External Hard Drives
Here is our pick of the 15 best hard drives that offer high reliability while offering humongous amounts of storage at the same time:
#1. Adata SD700 External SSD
Backblaze uses 25,000 hard drives for its online backup service. This has provided some interesting information, such as how long hard drives are likely to last and the difference in reliability. Jul 31, 2020 USB 3.0 Micro B port is the most common port on portable backup drives today. It’s basically the same Micro USB port used on your phone, but beefed up with more connectors to hit USB 3.0 speeds.
A great reliable hard drive option that is also not that pricey is the Adata SD700 External SSD. The hard drive offers powerful performance and is one of the few SSDs to receive an IP68 rating. Adata SD700 External SSD comes with rugged packaging, shielding it from external damage. Unlike the traditional spinning hard drives, the Adata SD700 relies on solid-state drive mechanism and hence, offers superfast data transfer speeds.
Capacity – 1 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#2. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC
Compatible with both Mac and Windows systems, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is a reliable external hard drive that is a budget buy. It comes with a USB 3.0 cable and a rugged case that is resistant to both dust and water. In addition to protecting the data against external factors, Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC comes with 256-bit AES security. The NFC allows you to unlock the drive on the fly and access files simply by tapping the NFC card onto the drive’s body.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#3. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt
The Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt offers support for devices with Thunderbolt port. A Thunderbolt port offers data speeds about twice as fast as the standard USB 3.0 drives. The reliable external hard drive comes with a USB 3.0 port, nonetheless, for using with non-Thunderbolt devices.
Compared to other Thunderbolt external hard drives, the Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt has affordable pricing. This is due to the external hard drive’s reliance on a traditional hard drive in place of an SSD.
Capacity – 1 TB/2 TB
Interface – Thunderbolt/USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#4. G-Technology G-Drive
Relying on the spinning disk technology, G-Technology G-Drive external hard drive comes in a number of storage capacities. Thanks to its support for Thunderbolt 3 specification, the external hard drive is an ideal companion for the MacBook Pro.
G-Technology G-Drive comes in 4 TB and 8 TB variants. The 10 TB hard drive version of the storage unit is excellent for serving multiple purposes, ranging from creating system backups to carrying game libraries and saved files around. All variants of the drive are highly reliable.
Capacity – 4 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB
Interface – USB 3.1/Thunderbolt 3
You can buy form here
#5. iStorage diskAshur
The iStorage provides external hard drives to government and full-fledged organizations. Reason being, they offer security measures unmatchable by other external hard drive makers. Nonetheless, the iStorage diskAshur is one of the best reliable options to go for personal use. iStorage diskAshur comes with the 256-bit AES encryption as well as multiple forms of protection for ensuring no one with malicious intent can access the data. Astonishingly, iStorage provides provision for configuring the hard drive to self-destruct in case of tampering. Though iStorage diskAshur is almost 4 times as costly as its contemporaries, it has security standards that no other brand is able to offer.
Capacity– 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB/ 12 TB/ 14 TB
Interface – USB 3.1
You can buy from here
#6. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive
Although expensive, the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive is one of the most reliable and fastest external hard drives available in the market. Theoretically, it can give out as much as 5Gbps of data transfer speeds via its USB Type-C port. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive flaunts an aluminum finish and is one of the best USB Type-C external hard drives available in the market. The external hard drive consists of five, 800 GB platters in a 15mm form factor.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 4 TB/ 5 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB
Interface – USB Type-C
You can buy from here
#7. Samsung T5 SSD
For those buyers aiming for a reliable, rugged, and fast external hard drive, one great option is the Samsung T5 SSD. The T5 lineup builds over the previous T3 series of hard drives that are also considered to be one of the best hard drive series available in the market. The T5 series introduces the reversible USB Type-C connectivity. Even if you don’t have a machine that supports USB Type-C, the solid state drive provides backward compatibility for USB 3.0 and even the dated USB 2.0. Samsung T5 SSD is undoubtedly expensive, but well worth it.
Capacity – 1 TB/2 TB
Interface – USB Type-C
You can buy from here
#8. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive
The Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive combines extended storage capacity with speed and high reliability. The external hard drive easily outshines the competition in terms of writing as well as reading speeds. The Seagate external hard drive also offers lower than average failure rates. In addition to the Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive, you get a backup software and compatibility with both Windows and Mac running machines. Though the external hard drive comes formatted for Windows users, a little more expensive Mac-ready version is also available.
Capacity – 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 5 TB/ 6 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
Most Reliable Backup Hard Drive
#9. Seagate FireCuda Mobile
The Seagate FireCuda Mobile performs better than a standard HDD. The reliable external hard drive has 64 MB cache and a maximum rpm of 5400. The external hard drive can offer data transfer speeds up to 6 Gbps thanks to its eSATA interface. The 2.5-inch FireCuda Hybrid external drive gives a significant storage boost of 8 GB of flash storage along with an option between 1 TB and 2 TB of storage. The external hard drive is backed by a 5-year warranty.
Capacity – 1 TB + 8 GB/2 TB + 8 GB
Interface – eSATA
You can buy from here
#10. Seagate IronWolf NAS
RAID-ready, Seagate IronWolf NAS external hard drive is available in a range of capacities, varying from 2 TB to 14 TB. The NAS optimization along with a maximum spinning capacity of 7200 rpm makes the IronWolf NAS one of the most affordable and reliable drives to opt for.
Capacity – 2 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB/ 12 TB/ 14 TB
Interface – eSATA
You can buy from here
#11. WD Blue Desktop
Western Digital offers an affordable external hard drive option in the form of the Blue Desktop series. Available in 2 TB, 4 TB, and 6 TB versions, WD Blue Desktop is compatible with most desktops and laptops. These external hard drives offer high reliability. For those requiring speedier drives, the WD Blue Desktop external hard drives are also available in 7200 RPM variants. These are much costlier than their 5400 RPM counterparts.
Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB
Interface – eSATA
You can buy from here
#12. WD My Book
The WD My Book external hard drive offers a perfect balance of storage capacity and price-effectiveness. It is an excellent option for storing and transferring all your games. The external hard drive is available in a multitude of storage capacities, including a 10 TB hard drive. Supporting USB 3.0 doesn’t offer as much speed as offered by some internal drives. Nonetheless, it offers humongous storage and high reliability at an inexpensive price.
Capacity – 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy from here
#13. WD My Book Duo
A combination of two hard drives, WD My Book Duo offers a humongous storage capacity of 4 TB. The external hard drive is backed by a 2-year warranty. In order to protect against data loss, you can set up a backup of the drive using the pre-packaged WD SmartWare Pro software.
WD My Book Duo comes with a multitude of features, including being a complete NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. In order to use the reliable external hard drive as a NAS device, all you require is a router with USB 3.0 support.
Capacity – 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 12 TB/ 16 TB
Interface – USB 3.0
The high-reliability external drive comes pre-formatted for Windows (NTFS). In addition to supporting 256-AES hardware encryption, WD My Book Duo comes with an enclosure that is fully serviceable.
You can buy from here
#14. Western Digital My Passport
Available in a range of storage capacities, the latest range of the Western Digital My Passport is here. The reliable hard drive comes with 256-AES encryption, cloud storage support, and WD’s backup software.
Western Digital My Passport hard drives offer excellent data transfer speeds, easily beating out several names on the hard drive market.
- Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB
- Interface – USB 3.0
You can buy this from here
#15. Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
The My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive from Western Digital comes with a complete design overhaul. The premium external hard drive resembles an external DVD drive but flaunts an onboard SD card slot, which makes it a lucrative buy for ardent photographers.
The most outstanding feature of the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive is its ability to transfer data wirelessly. It comes with a big 6400 mAh battery that allows the hard drive to be used without any wires over 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels.
- Capacity – 2 TB
- Interface – USB 3.0/Wi-Fi
You can buy this from here
When wired, My Passport Wireless Pro relies on USB 3.0 for transferring data. The reliable hard drive, obviously, is expensive. However, it is an essential gadget for any tech-savvy professional requiring an external hard drive that is capable to transfer data without dealing with wires.
Some FAQs Regarding Hard Drives
Following are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding external hard drives:
Q: How reliable are the hard drives?
A: Different manufacturers offer different reliability rates for external hard drives. Nonetheless, most of them are highly reliable devices that can provide uninterrupted operation for several years to come.
Q: What are SATA, USB, and Thunderbolt interfaces? What are the maximum data transfer speeds?
A: SATA, USB, and Thunderbolt are the various forms by which an external hard drive is able to exchange data with compatible devices. Hence, they are called interfaces.
Each of them offers different speeds. There are several factors that restrict the external hard drives for achieving maximum rated speed. Maximum data transfer speeds for some of the most popular interface are:
- eSATA – up to 6 Gbps
- USB 2.0 – up to 480 Mbps
- USB 3.0 – up to 5 Gbps
- USB 3.1 – up to 10 Gbps
- USB Type-C – 5 Gbps
- Thunderbolt – up to 20 Gbps
- Thunderbolt – up to 40 Gbps
Q: How many years an external hard drive can last?
A: An external hard drive can last for several years. Manufacturers offer warranties for these gadgets, ranging from 1-year to 5-year, and even more in some scenarios. Typically, a hard drive can last for about 5 to 10 years. Though it can survive even further, it’s a desirable idea to replace a decade-old hard drive with a newer one.
Q: Are external hard drives portable?
A: Yes, this is one of the main reasons why people prefer to use them. Any external hard drive weighs a few hundreds of grams and is about a few inches long. Hence, it can be taken along from one place to another.
Have any queries regarding external hard drives? Please ask them via comments. We’ll be more than happy to answer back.
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Looking for the right external hard drive to help store or transport your work? Here are the best available, from large backup drives to ultra-portable SSDs.
If you’re in the market for an external hard drive to help you manage your photos or other creative work, you’ve probably noticed there are a lot of options out there.
And it’s an important decision. Every professional need a great hard drive to store their masterpieces until they are ready to share them with the world on their online photography portfolio or online art portfolio.
So we’ve compiled a list of the best options for photographers and artists. These external hard drives offer features that will be most important to creators, including speed, reliability, portability, and pricing. Let’s take a look!
Navigate through the article with our easy-to-use table of contents:
- Best Portable Hard Drives
- Best High-Capacity External Hard Drives
- Best Portable SSDs
- Best External Hard Drives for Mac
- Best Cheap External Hard Drives
Best Portable Hard Drives
This category is for artists seeking the best all-around solution for taking their work on the go, whether it’s just a daily commute or traveling to a new city.
1. Western Digital My Passport (4TB)
Pros: Good capacity-to-price ratio
Cons: Slower than average when writing large files
Cost:$104.99 from Walmart (regularly $130.50)
This portable external hard drive is a great choice if you’re seeking large storage capacity at a fair price. It is also available in models ranging down to 1TB and costing around $60. But since the 4TB model is so reasonably priced, it is the perfect option if you want a portable external drive that you could use to back up all of your photos or work.
According to performance tests, the My Passport 4TB external drive is slightly slower than average when dealing with very large files. But it excels at writing large batches of smaller files and folders—which is what most photographers and artists will be dealing with, anyway.
The My Passport is slightly bulkier than some of the comparable external hard drives on the market, but not enough that you’ll find it cumbersome to lug around. It is 4.25 inches long, by 3.1 inches wide, and 0.85 inches thick. It weighs about eight ounces.
It also features a stylish design with a beveled texture on half the drive, and it’s available in six different colors.
2. Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro (2TB)
Pros: Wireless transfers, SD card reader
Cons: No USB-C port
Cost:$138.99 on Amazon (MSRP $179.99)
The My Passport Wireless Pro was designed with photographers and videographers in mind. It has a number of features that aim to make it as easy as possible to offload, edit, or view photos and stream high-definition videos. For one, it has an integrated SD 3.0 card reader, so you can skip a step when it comes to getting your photos and videos off of your camera.
In addition, the hard drive’s Wi-Fi capabilities mean you can transfer images wirelessly from compatible cameras. Using the My Cloud mobile app, you can also wirelessly stream video from the drive to your mobile devices.
Best High-Capacity External Hard Drives
This category focuses on the best external drive with enough capacity to back up all your work.
3. WD My Book Duo (8TB)
Pros: RAID ready, large capacity
Cons: Lackluster speed
Cost:$320.99 on Amazon (MSRP $329.99)
The My Book Duo offers exceptional capacity. It is available in models ranging up to 20TB that are currently selling for around $780. But since that kind of capacity will be overkill for most artists, the 8TB model is a more reasonable option.
This external hard drive can be switched to different RAID configurations to either optimize performance or protect your data in the event of a hard drive crash. Since losing all of your creative work is any creators’ worst nightmare, being able to set up that extra level of protection is a very valuable feature.
The My Book Duo also offers decent performance with sequential read speeds up to 360 MB per second. As you might expect, it is not designed to be portable, so it is quite bulky and weighs over five pounds.
Best Portable SSDs
This category is for those who don’t mind spending a little more to get the latest technology in a compact package. These drives are especially helpful when you’re traveling with limited free space in your luggage, such as when taking a travel photography workshop.
4. Samsung T5 Portable SSD (500GB)
Pros: Very compact, fast, wide compatibility
Cons: A bit pricey
Cost:$107.99 on Amazon (regularly 129.99)
This external solid state drive can offer compact size and blistering speeds. In Samsung’s promotions, they’ve boasted that this external SSD drive is smaller than the average business card. It’s also only 0.4 inches thick and weighs about 1.8 ounces.
Since it’s an SSD drive, this external hard drive is not cheap. However, the 500GB model offers a great option. It won’t break the bank and it should offer ample storage for many creative professionals. If you’re looking for a compact drive for simply carrying your photos or work from the studio to home and vice versa, the Samsung T5 is the perfect choice.
If you’re dealing with very large amounts of data, this SSD is also available with capacity up to 2TB. However, that model will cost you $479.99.
It makes a good choice for an external hard drive for Mac and PC, as it works seamlessly with both operating systems. Lastly, this portable SSD drive has a USB-C interface that enables transfer speeds up to 540 MB per second.
5. Adata SD700 External SSD (512 GB)
Pros: Rugged and compact
Cons: No USB-C cable included
Cost:$165.42 on Amazon (regularly $180.70)
The SD700 external SSD is built for durability. It is dustproof, waterproof, and shockproof. It’s a great choice if you know your external drive is going to get subjected to some abuse, such as if you’re going to have to do a lot of traveling with your data for shooting video or photos in remote locations. But it’s also handy if you’re someone who tends to drop things!
This solid-state hard drive is compact enough to slip into a small pocket in your backpack or jacket without even noticing it, and its rugged enough that you don’t have to worry about it.
Performance tests show that his external hard drive is not quite as fast as other SSDs on the market. But if you’re upgrading from a standard hard drive, the SD700 will still be much faster than you’re used to. According to the specifications, it can provide speeds up to 440 MB per second.
The combination of ruggedness and reasonable pricing make this external SSD worth checking out.
6. SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (1TB)
Pros: Compact size, durable construction
Cons: Not quite as fast as some other SSDs
Cost: $189 from SanDisk (regularly $249.99)
This solid state external hard drive has a lot in common with Adata SD700 External SSD. They both feature compact and durable designs. Where they start to differ is in the size and speed, as this drive is larger and faster. It offers read speeds up to 550 MB per second.
Also, since you can currently find this drive on sale, you can pick up the 1TB model for a very reasonable price.
It has an attractive, unique design and the whole drive is covered in a textured, ergonomic casing. It also has a cutaway on one corner so you can attach it to things like a keychain or a backpack. So if you are looking for an SSD external hard drive that’s good for traveling—and 500 GB of storage just won’t cut it—this is a solid choice.
Best External Hard Drive for Mac
This category covers the best hard drives that are optimized for Apple computers.
7. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt (1TB)
Pros: Thunderbolt interface
Cons: Less usability on PC
Cost:$128.98 on Amazon (regularly $239.99)
The MiniStation Thunderbolt offers an affordable way to take advantage of the outstandingly fast Thunderbolt interface. It’s not an SSD hard drive, but, using the Thunderbolt connection, it can provide speeds up to two times faster than USB 3.0.
It’s also currently available for a very reasonable price. This external drive is regularly listed as $239.99, but many suppliers are now offering it for around half that. There’s also a 2TB model available that’s regularly priced at $319.99 and is currently heavily discounted to around $220. So if you’re going to pick up this external hard drive, make sure you shop around.
In addition to the Thunderbolt interface, this portable hard drive also has a USB 3.0 connection to offer wider compatibility. So it can be used on PC setups, but you’ll miss out on a few features when you’re not using it on a Mac. For instance, it is pre-formatted for Mac computers and offers support for scheduling backups on Macs using Time Machine.
8. Samsung Portable SSD X5 (1TB)
Pros: Incredible speed, attractive styling
Cons: Expensive
Cost:$449.99 on Amazon (MSRP $699.99)
The Portable SSD X5 is like the Cadillac of Apple external hard drives. PCMag.com has called it the “best external hard drive for Mac creative work,” and it’s easy to see why. While it is very expensive, if you have the means, it offers several top-of-the-line features that earn it a place on this list of the best external hard drives available.
Since it’s an SSD drive and it uses a Thunderbolt 3 interface, it’s able to offer unparalleled transfer speeds. It can read data at up to 2,800MB per second, and can write data at up to 2,300MB per second.
That’s useful for transferring things like large video files. In performance tests conducted by Samsung, the Portable SSD X5 was able to move a single 20 GB file of 4K video footage to a desktop in about 10 seconds. That means you can spend less time waiting and more time being productive.
It also features a shock-resistant design that protects the drive from drops of up to two meters. All of these features combined make this the best external SSD for Mac.
There’s a 2TB model of this external hard drive, but it has a suggested retail price of $1,400 (!). For that reason, the 1TB model offers a much more accessible way to get your hands on its cutting-edge features.
9. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive (2TB)
Pros: Fast USB-C connection
Cons: Lacks extra features.
Cost:$84.99 on Walmart (MSRP $89.99)
When compared to the other recommendations on this list, this external hard drive offers a more affordable choice for Mac users. It allows you to get a 2TB hard drive with a fast USB-C interface at a reasonable price.
This portable hard drive was designed specifically for Mac computers, so it can work seamlessly as a backup drive. It also features an attractive design that’s meant to complement your other stylish tech (including an aluminum finish that’s designed to match a MacBook).
Best Cheap External Hard Drives
This category is for the most affordable hard drives that still provide a reasonable level of performance and reliability.
10. Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2TB)
Pros: Lightweight, great value
Cons: No USB-C compatibility, warranty is only two years
Cost:$69 on Amazon (MSRP $124.99)
The Backup Plus Slim is an external hard drive that offers exceptional value. If you are looking for a decent amount of storage capacity at a low price, it may be the right external drive for you.
Reviewers have praised its speed, reliability, and easy-to-use backup software. According to the Seagate website, this is an external hard drive for Mac and PC that can be used with interchangeably with no need to reformat. However, several reviewers have pointed out that the external hard drive comes formatted as an NTFS drive. So while you don’t have to reformat it to get it to work on Macs, you may need to download an NTFS driver for your Mac.
If you have more money to spend, the Backup Plus is also available in non-slim models ranging up to 5TB. They are currently selling for about $125.
But for those on a tight budget, the 2TB version offers an affordable choice that doesn’t skimp on features.
Curate Your Work
How To Backup Hard Drive
Now you know which hard drives offer the best options for securing your work. At this point, it’s a good time to go through your work and decide what pieces you want to share with the world. That can be a difficult proposition, as creatives tend to become very attached to their projects.
If you’re struggling to choose the best photos or artworks for your portfolio, one thing that can help is getting a second opinion. Try to go to a colleague or friend who knows something about the industry, but failing that, any pair of fresh eyes can help you narrow down your focus.
Another thing to keep in mind is your audience. If you plan to use your online portfolio to attract potential clients, choose to show off projects that are related to the type of gigs you want, whether it’s wedding photography or pet portraits.
If you want some more tips on picking images, check out this guide on how to curate your portfolio.
Get Your Portfolio Up and Running
Most Reliable External Hard Drive For Backup
You don’t have an online portfolio for showing off your work? No problem! Setting one up is fast and easy, so long as you choose the right website builder.
Look for an online portfolio that offers a free trial so you can test it out before making a commitment. Also, try to find a site with a built-in online store. This is ideal for photographers and other artists because you’ll have a single website where you can show off your work and sell it.
With your new external hard drive in hand, your work will be, thankfully, safe forever!
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