Our 5 Best External Hard Drives In 2022
Thanks to technological advancements over the last decade or so, media files and workloads have increased in size exponentially. Like myself, I’m sure many of you have found yourselves in a situation where you simply haven’t got the space to accommodate the latest game title or media file. It’s a problem that shows no signs of slowing down and the best external hard drive could be the answer.
Storage manufacturers are today, churning out external storage solutions faster than ever before, and they’re affordable! In this article, we will take a look at our top five external hard drive recommendations currently available on the market. The products range from super quick external SSD’s to high capacity 10TB HDD’s and everything in between.
External hard drives are a brilliant solution if you want to boost your computer’s storage capacity without installing anything internally. They also work alongside laptops and games consoles such as PS4 and Xbox one via a number of different connectivity options. The possibilities are endless, let’s waste no more time and have a brief look at what we have to offer.
Our Top Picks
Our 5 Best External Hard Drives
In-depth Review
Seagate Backup Plus Slim
Seagate Backup Plus Slim
Seagate has paved the way once again taking the top spot with what we consider the best external hard drive and it’s difficult to argue against its positioning. The sleek design was the first thing we noticed when looking at the Backup Plus Slim as it’s been finished with fabric. It comes in a variety of colors so you can match it to your desired device. Always nice.
Performance-wise, this hard drive is actually pretty fast boasting read speeds of 151MB/sec and write speeds of 134MB/sec respectively. For the price that’s about as good as you’re going to get from HDD.
Overall it’s a really well-designed hard drive and due to popular demand, Seagate has also released a 5TB version for those needing that little bit extra.
Samsung T5 Portable SSD
Samsung T5 Portable SSD
Samsung’s T5 Portable SSD is a really impressive piece of kit, it comes to the table with USB 3.1, boasting double the speed of regular USB transfer rates. This effectively takes the speed from 5GB/sec to 10GB/sec if you have the relevant USB 3.1 gen 2 port available.
As we all know, with SSD you get massively increased read and write speeds which are displayed in the T5’s impressive 500+MB/sec read/write. This is almost four times quicker than the quickest HDD in this list and puts into perspective how much more efficient solid-state drives have become.
This comes at a price however, SSDs will always be more expensive than their hard drive counterparts and for good reason too. You pay for quality in the technology universe which is why we make value for money one of our top priorities.
Ultimately, the Samsung T5 portable SSD is a great little storage solution that comes in a number of sizes ranging from 256GB up to 2TB. If you’re a gamer that’s going to be running secondary games off your external hard drive we highly recommend this as an option.
Seagate Backup Plus Hub
Seagate Backup Plus Hub
This is Seagate’s second entry into our best of guide and holds the current high-capacity crown thanks to it’s up to 10TB storage capacity. It’s not just the size that impressed us though, it also has excellent connectivity boasting a singular USB 3 connector at the rear and 2x USB 3 ports at the front.
The Backup Plus Hub is a desktop hard drive solution meaning it does require power to operate but with that comes a few cool features we think you’ll enjoy.
It has excellent read/write speeds for both it’s size and price, coming equipped with 188MB/sec read and 153MB/sec write speeds. Noise levels are also pretty low as far as desktop hard drives are concerned so it gets a thumbs up in that department as well.
G-Technology 1TB G-Drive Mobile Pro SSD (Thunderbolt 3)
G-Technology 1TB G-Drive Mobile Pro SSD (Thunderbolt 3)
By far the highest performing external hard drive out of the bunch is the G-Technology G-Drive which comes equipped with thunderbolt 3 connectivity. Thunderbolt 3 for those who didn’t read the ‘what to consider’ section is a connection with much faster transfer speeds than the likes of USB 3.1 gen 2 and Type-c. It boasts almost double that of its nearest rival, making it perfect for gamers or businesses that simply can not be stalled.
The G-Drive comes in two sizes, 500GB and 1TB, and is fully mobile making it exceptionally good for keeping your most important documents with you at all times. The design is sleek and compact with a classic black and silver theme. The thunderbolt symbol displays the power which this hard drive has to offer.
All this doesn’t come cheap however, it is by far the most expensive hard drive on our list due to its performance levels. What you get for that price however is unmatched performance and efficiency.
Right now we consider this a luxury, but a seriously good one at that.
Western Digital My Passport
Western Digital My Passport
Finally, we come to our budget pick which is in the shape of Western Digital’s My passport. Don’t be fooled by the price tag though, there’s plenty of pros to this external hard drive which starts with its excellent value for money.
The WD, as we’ll call it, comes in four sizes ranging from 1TB up to 4TB and has average read/write times of 115/113MB/sec. This is where the negatives stop, however. The WD feels extremely robust and well built as far as budget hard drives go and are extremely quiet. The slim, all-black design is both sleek and stylish and would pair with consoles superbly.
Overall the Western Digital My Passport would make an excellent addition if you’re looking for a cheap additional storage solution which is going to stand the test of time
Final Word
That’s the breakdown of our top recommendations for the best external hard drives. We’ve tried to cater to everyone’s needs by choosing the best products in each of the specific categories.
Hopefully, you’ve found the article informative and it’s given you a better idea of which external hard drive to go for. My personal favorite for all-round use has to be the Seagate Backup Plus Slim thanks to the size variety and price. However, like non-external hard drives, the difference between SSD and HDD is massive and one we definitely feel is worth the investment.
Which hard drive best suited your needs? Why not leave us a comment below letting us know, alternatively, if you can think of something that would be better suited, feel free to leave suggestions as well!