External hard drives Ranking Reliability. Best External Hard Drives

To increase the amount of memory of its computers, more and more people choose external hard drives. Of all the devices that are currently produced, solid-state drives (SDD) remain fairly expensive, and standard external hard drives connected to the PC using USB, on the contrary, are becoming increasingly attractive for buyers: they are falling for them every year, and the volume Stored information increases.

When buying an external drive, you must decide for yourself, what size the device you need. If this parameter is not important to you, then you can choose enough overall and heavy 3.5-inch discs. For your money, you will get a large volume and speed, which allows you to record and read the information much faster than on other drives.

Discs installed in the drives of such a format are exactly the same as in conventional, stationary PCs. But, as you see below, buying them, you get a more powerful device from 4600 rub. For 2 TB (two terabytes or twice a thousand gigabytes). We do not know how much information you can place in it, but we can exactly say one thing - it is very, very large volume.

Portable, portable hard drives are usually the same size as the laptop discs, but by weight they are somewhat lighter. Their advantages are that, firstly, they are completely portable, and secondly, they have excellent shockproof protection in case of falling. These prices are also reduced. For example, it is possible to buy devices with a volume of 1 TB in less than 3900 rubles, and the cost of 2 TB drive only has fallen almost twice in the last couple of years.

All listed hard drives are connected to the PC outside. They are also compatible with Mac computers, however, we advise you to read the instructions to your computer before purchasing, to make sure it is adapted to work with external storage devices. And in conclusion, it should be noted that all such discs can be used with a faster USB 3.0 interface, as well as compatible with USB 2.0.

This disc looks like the main one, but the main does not boast of 2 TB in only 4600 rubles. In addition, you can purchase a 3TB drive for 5840 rubles. And on 4TB for 7780 rubles .. This is the perfect combination of volume and simplicity. It seems to us that such a drive is best suited for storing files that are rarely used, for example, a photo archive. In 2015, an updated version of the exterior disk appeared in a slightly modified design and at a higher price, but the technical parameters remained unchanged.

Verdict: If you are interested in an exceptionally large volume, you can continue to look further.

Price: 5300 rub.

Compared to the SEAGATE EXPANSION's rigid portable disc, the purchase of which is still hitting your budget, Samsung M3 is the best drive in the portable device segment. The model, with a volume of 1TB costs only 3580 rubles., And on 2TB - 5060 rubles .. A model for 500 GB is also available, but we would not advise it, because in terms of cost it is not much cheaper than the drive for 1TB. Like many other portable disc models, the Samsung M3 also joins the computer using USB. It is also equipped with some software that makes it possible to install a separate password on the disk to receive access to it.

Verdict: hit sales and, without exaggeration, - wonderful quality.

Price: 3500 rub.

Single 500GB drives, which are significantly cheaper than the disks per 1TB. This means that you can purchase a wonderful portable drive at a price of no more than 2300 rubles. The device for 1TB is also cheaper than the similar Samsung drive, however, in our list we were placed below Samsung, because it did not get out of design and looks like Mildly speaking, not very attractive. But you probably want to have such a rigid external disk, which would not be ashamed to get from the bag.

Verdict: cheap and cool, but non-pieces.

Price: 3350 rub.

The WD My Passport Ultra drive is only 15 mm thick, with a volume of 1TB and USB connector not only available in different colors (black, blue, red and gray), but also equipped with a function of hardware encryption and software for creating a backup (WD SmartWare Pro) for your PC. If you wish, using this feature, you can back up to your Dropbox storage. A wonderful decision to sleep peacefully. MAC holders will have to reformat the disk, because by default it is adapted under NTFS. Also available and version for 2TB, however, the Samsung M3 of the same volume looks preferable in all respects

The last time we were engaged in testing hard disks of this volume in December last year. Then we managed to collect nine drives for various purposes - for desktop computers, for home network drives, for servers and NAS, operating in the telecommunications rack. Since then, several new HDDs arrived in the test laboratory: two Western Digital Code Western Digital Drive - Re and Red Pro - and desktop seven toshiba DT01ACA200. Three other disks belong to the previously non-existent class - drives for video surveillance systems: WD Purple and Toshiba MD03ACA200V and Seagate Video 3.5 HDD.

Some devices are still lacking for completeness of the picture. In particular, we did not manage to get the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD, Surveillance HDD and Enterprise NAS HDD with a volume of 2 TB. Western Digital products are presented widest: only WD AV, similar to Seagate VIDEO 3.5 HDD, is missing. Unfortunately, this article does not have a single HGST device, including the appropriate volume of UltraStar and client Deskstar with a spindle speed of 7,200 or 5400 rpm. However, the expectation of test samples from manufacturers is already tightened from manufacturers, so after the results of 15 devices have accumulated, it was decided to put the point and release the second part of the article.

Over the past since December, 3DNews has implemented a new hard drive testing technique, first tested in a comparative survey of drives for the SAS interface. It most fully reveals various aspects of HDD performance and at the same time gives more visual results compared to the old, therefore all 15 devices, including already visited testing 9, were re-missed through updated tests. Because of this, we could simply add the results of an additional six HDD to an article released in December, as already arrived with other group testing. The entire empirical part of the review is written from a pure sheet, and the conclusion is adjusted in accordance with the new data.

By the way, if interesting, you can open the comparative testing of the HDD volume of 2 TB, which we released in 2011, and see how hard drives have changed for desktop computers. A circle of companies producing drives of this type narrowed. Seagate bought the appropriate division from Samsung, and then Western Digital - Hitachi, although HGST (as now called the former Hitachi Global Storage Technologies) retains a large proportion of independence inside the WD Holding. Seagate and Toshiba remain their competitors in the market of desktop drives.

Buyers, of course, worry other questions. For example, the fact that manufacturers in recent years have come up with as many previously unknown names of hard drives that eyes are running out. On the other hand, brands like Caviar or Barracuda in the range of the two most popular companies in the retail of companies changed to more understandable items that reflect the application assignment. WD - through color labels (Blue, Green, Black), at Seagate - direct text (Desktop HDD, NAS HDD and so on).

From a technical point of view, hard drives have passed a huge way since 2011. The magnetic record density has almost doubled: then for the 3.5-inch format was the plate standard 500-667 MB, and today the best samples of HDD reaches a volume of 1-1.2 TB on the plate at a spindle rotation speed up to 7200 rpm (although WD still meet dinosaurs with a characteristic of 600 MB on the plate - in corporate models of small volume). But prices for drives in Russia only increased due to the wine of the high dollar. Actually, this is one of the reasons to pay attention to the HDD rather modest according to the modern concepts of volume - 2 TB. If even the most uncompromising drives cost 5-6 thousand rubles, and most expensive are sold for almost 10 thousand, to ask yourself a question - is it necessary for an additional volume over 2 GB?

Test participants

So, we will list all 15 participants of today's test:

Seagate Desktop HDD 2 TB (ST2000DM001);
Seagate Desktop SSHD 2 TB (ST2000DX001);
Seagate NAS HDD 2 TB (ST2000VN000);
Seagate Video 3.5 HDD 2 TB (ST2000VM003);
Toshiba 2 TBA (DT01ACA200);
TOSHIBA 2 TBA (MC04ACA200E);
TOSHIBA 2 TBA (MD03ACA200V);
TOSHIBA 2 TBA (MG04ACA200E);
WD Black 2 TBA (WD2003FZEX);
WD Green 2 TBA (WD20EZRX);
WD PURPLE 2 TBA (WD20PURX);
WD RE 2 TB (WD2000FYYZ);
WD RED 2 TBA (WD20EFRX);
WD RED Pro 2 TBA (WD2001FFFSX);
WD SE 2 TBA (WD2000F9YZ);

Manufacturer	Seagate.	Seagate.	Seagate.	Seagate.	Toshiba.	Toshiba.	Toshiba.	Toshiba.
Series	Desktop HDD.	Desktop sshd.	NAS HDD.	Video 3.5 HDD.	DT01ACA ***	MC04ACA *** E.	MD03ACA *** V.	Mg04aca ****
Model number	ST2000DM001.	ST2000DX001.	ST2000VN000.	ST2000VM003.	DT01ACA200.	MC04ACA200E.	MD03ACA200V.	MG04ACA200E.
Form factor	3.5 "	3.5 "	3.5 "	3.5 "	3.5 "	3.5 "	3.5 "	3.5 "
Interface	SATA 6. Gbit / S.	SATA 6. Gbit / S.	SATA 6. Gbit / S.	SATA 6. Gbit / S.	SATA 6. Gbit / S.	SATA 6. Gbit / S.	SATA 6. Gbit / S.	SATA 6 Gb / s
Capacity, GBIT.	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
Configuration
	7200	7200	5900	5900	7200	7200	7200	7200
	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	600	1000
Number of plates / heads	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4	4/8	2/4
Buffer volume, MB	64	64	64	64	64	128	64	128
Sector size, byte	4096	4096	4096	4096	4096	4096	512	4096
Performance
	210	210	159	ND	ND	140	ND	175
	210	210	159	ND	ND	140	ND	175
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
	<8,5/<9,5	<9,5/<9,5	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	8,5/9,5
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Reliability
	ND	ND	1 000 000	ND	ND	800 000	1 000 000	ND
	ND	<1%	ND	0,55%	ND	ND	ND	ND
	300 000	300 000	600 000	300 000	ND	ND	ND	ND
physical characteristics
	5,4/8,0	4,5/6,7	3,0/4,3	3,74/5,05	5,2/6,4	6,0/11,3	6,0/11,3	6,0/11,3
	ND	ND	19/21 dB.	23/25 dB.	27/28 dB.	ND	31/31 dB.	ND / 31 DBA
	60/70	60/70	70/70	70/75	60/70	55/70	70/70	55/70
	ND	ND	80 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	80 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)
	147 × 101.6 × 26,1	147 × 101.6 × 26,1	147 × 101.6 × 26,1	147 × 101.6 × 26,1	147 × 101.6 × 26,1	147 × 101.6 × 26,1	147 × 101.6 × 26,1	147 × 101.6 × 26,1
Mass, G.	626	535	535	535	680	720	720	720
Warranty period	2	3	3	3	2	5	3	5
	5 581	6 650	5 841	5 670	5 290	5 980	6 216	8 056

Manufacturer

Western Digital.

Series

Black.

Green.

Purple.

Re.

Red

Red Pr.

Model number

WD2003FZex

WD20EZRX

WD20purx

Wd2000fyyz.

WD20EFRX.

WD2001FFSX

WD2000F9YZ.

Form factor

3.5 "

Interface

SATA 6 Gb / s

SATA 6.
Gbit / S.

SATA 6 Gb / s

Capacity, GBIT.

2000

Configuration

Spindle speed, rpm

7200

~5400

7200

~5400

7200

Data Record Density, GBB / Plate

667(750)/
1000

1000

600

1000

600

Number of plates / heads

3/6

3/6 or 2/4

2/4

4/8

2/4

4/8

Buffer volume, MB

Sector size, byte

4096

512

4096

Performance

Max. Sustainable consistent reading speed, MB / s

164

147

145

164

147

164

Max. Sustainable sequential recording speed, MB / s

164

147

145

164

147

164

BURST RATE, read / write, MB / s

Internal data transfer rate, MB / s

Average Seek Time: Read / Write, MS

Track-to-Track Seek Time: Read / Write, MS

Full Stroke Seek Time: Read / Write, MS

Reliability

MTBF (average time per failure), h

1 200 000

1 000 000

1 000 000 (1,200,000 in NAS per 1-5 disks)

AFR (Annualized Failure Rate),%

0,73%

Number of Parking Cycles Heads

300 000

600 000

300 000

physical characteristics

Power consumption: inaction / read-record, W

8,1/9,5

3,0/4,1

4,1/4,4

6,2/9,1

2,7/4,1

4,9/6,5

5,9/7,3

Typical noise level: inaction / search

29/34 DBA.

23/27 DBA.

23/24 DBA.

31/34 DBA.

23/24 DBA.

31/34 DBA.

Maximum temperature, ° C: Disc included / disk disabled

55/70

60/70

65/70

55/70

65/70

60/70

55/70

High resistance: disk enabled (reading) / disk disabled

65 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)

65 g (2 ms) / 250 g (1 ms)

65 g (2 ms) / 250 g (2 ms)

65 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)

65 g (2 ms) / 250 g (2 ms)

65 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)

Overall dimensions: DHVHG, mm

147 × 101.6
x25,4

147 × 101.6
× 26,1

Mass, G.

600

640

700

600

700

Warranty period

Middle retail price, rub. *

9 090

6 395

6 779

8 590

7 340

9 890

8 436

* Prices according to Yandex.Market on 07/22/2014.

Seagate Desktop HDD 2 TB (ST2000DM001)

After the Barracuda Green brand was closed, Seagate remained one series of classic desktop HDD plus slightly hybridized Desktop SSHD.

Seagate Desktop HDD is based on 1000 GB plates with a rotation speed of 7200 rpm - the best combination of those are now available in commercial 3.5-inch drives. In addition, the so-called Nano-actuator applies in Desktop HDD. This, in general, the same as the two-stage actuator in Western Digital disks. The actuator is an arrow, carrying a reading and writing head. In the Seagate and WD design, the heads are deposited on an additional mobile segment, due to which the accuracy of the positioning of the heads on the disk track is increasing, and therefore reliability and performance during arbitrary read / write operations.

Such characteristics make Seagate Desktop HDD a strong performance leadership candidate. From the disadvantages of this line, it can be noted only by a short time of hard drives a warranty period - only two years.


Seagate Desktop HDD 2 TB (ST2000DM001)

Seagate Desktop SSHD 2 TBA (ST2000DX001)

This hybrid is based on a completely the same disk as Seagate Desktop HDD, but augmented flash memory in the amount of 8 GB. In theory, there is nothing to do with the hybrid drive to do in one test with classic hard drives, but for Seagate Desktop SHDD you can make an exception simply because the hybrid of it is very so-so. Flash memory is used as a non-volatile cache, where the controller places the most demanded data after a certain period of learning, and the maximum access speed to the contents of Kesha is still far from the scale of full SSD. Seagate Desktop SSHD should be viewed as a hard disk with a bonus - no more. The mechanical part of it is made at the highest level, and the price is no more than that of other classic HDDs.

Note: In tests with IOMEter, a non-volatile hybrid cache does not work, so that they reflect the performance of the "banks" itself. PCMark 7 gives an average estimate between the cached and non-checked load.


Seagate Desktop SSHD 2 TBA (ST2000DX001)

Seagate NAS HDD 2 TB (ST2000VN001)

"Green" Seagate drives have been revived in the form of hard drives for small NAS (from 1 to 8 slots). Main specifications: Plates with a capacity of 1 TB, spindle speed - 5900 rpm. The speed of linear access compared to the seven thousandnes with the same plates does not affect the imagination, but Seagate NAS HDD has other advantages: guaranteed operation in 24/7 mode and increased fault tolerance compared to desktop drives. In addition, a temperature of 70 ° C is permissible for disk in operation, and not 55-60 ° C, like desktop colleagues. Spindle with magnetic plates is balanced in two planes to reduce vibrations.


Seagate NAS HDD 2 TB (ST2000VN001)

The first of three drives in this review, whose purpose is associated with the recording and reproduction of the flow video content. The positioning of all such products is based on the support of ATA Streaming Feature Set - the ATA protocol extension, which provides execution of read / write commands in predictable time intervals. For stream broadcast and even more so - for continuous video recording, this is more important than data integrity (you can read more about this in the WD Purple disk review).

ATA Streaming Feature SET support is not an exclusive characteristic of the discs of this category. But manufacturers of such highly specialized products, like Seagate Video 3.5 HDD, argue that the latest firmware is additionally optimized for the maximum possible continuous operation in the recording and playback of multiple video streams. Such discs were initially designed for continuous operation in 24/7 mode with high fault tolerance (time of operation for failure, a one-year failure percentage and other - for desktop HDDs, these parameters are not even disclosed).

Seagate Video 3.5 HDD is positioned as an initial class solution. The disc is characterized by a low spindle speed (5900 rpm) and guarantees simultaneous recording up to 16 HD video streams and 20 SD streams. Discs from a series of senior level, in this test not represented, - Seagate Surveillance HDD - support up to 64 streams.


Seagate Video 3.5 HDD 2 TB (ST2000VM003)

TOSHIBA 2 TBA (DT01ACA200)

A universal drive for desktop computers, which has a spindle speed of 7200 rpm and 1 TB plates. Unlike WD and Seagate, Toshiba does not seek to build their products in the marketing line (this can be seen, for example, by the strict name of the model), so any other technical features of the device remained unknown.


TOSHIBA 2 TBA (DT01ACA200)

TOSHIBA 2 TBA (MC04ACA200E)

We went heavyweights among the 3.5-inch HDD - server class drives. The MC series uses 1 TB plates with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, a more capacious buffer than the disks of other companies in this test - 128 MB. There are no other important details on Toshiba's website, but once a server drive, then work in 24/7 mode is guaranteed. The manufacturer's maximum stable consistent read / write speed of 140 MB / s clearly does not correspond to the real disk capabilities - but we will also see it in tests.


TOSHIBA 2 TBA (MC04ACA200E)

TOSHIBA 2 TBA (MD03ACA200V)

Another drive designed specifically for installation in the video surveillance system - respectively, Toshiba MD03ACA200V is adapted to operation 24/7 and supports ATA Streaming Feature Set. The number of recording streams to which the disk is calculated, the manufacturer does not report. Model of 2 TBA from this series, participating in the review, is built on an old platform with plates of 600 MB. However, if it takes into account its narrow specialization, the increased performance characteristic of HDD with a higher recording density here is not required (it is important to only guarantee continuous operation without unpredictable delays).


TOSHIBA 2 TBA (MD03ACA200V)

TOSHIBA 2 TBAIT (MG04ACA200E)

An advanced relative model MC04ACA200E, designed for a more intensive load, are the same terabyte plates and 7200 rpm. From the MC series, these discs features Toshiba Persistent Write Cache technology. Judging by the information from third-party sources, the latter works as follows: In the event of an emergency power off, the disk controller retains the data of the unaccepting sector in non-volatile memory. In the standard version, the disc simply has time to add data to the plate using the residual spindle rotation, but it is possible that the Toshiba method is more reliable. In addition, PersiStent Write Cache somehow increases productivity, although there are no more details on this issue.

In addition to models with an emulation of 512-bit sectors, standard for HDD with 4 KB sectors (ADVANCED FORMAT), in the MG lineup there are drives with a native addressing of 4 kilobyte sectors.


TOSHIBA 2 TBAIT (MG04ACA200E)

WD Black 2 TBA (WD2003FZEX)

Western Digital with caution introduces a 1 TB plate plate with high-performance HDD with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm. Such a combination is found in the series WD Blue, Black and SE with no more terabyte drives. Accordingly, a two-particle WD Black is built on three plates of 800 GB. Internal areas of plates carrying excess volume are not used (this is called the term short-stroked). Yes, if you wonder if it is impossible to get an additional 400 GB of volume from such an HDD: no, there is no such possibility.

Although due to the relatively low record density, the WD Black series is now not in better form to confrontate with competitors, from the standpoint of technological (or marketing) drives are very interesting. WD Black is equipped with a famous two-stage actuator (see above in Seagate Desktop HDD). Measures to reduce vibration are taken: the spindle is fixed in the housing at both of the ends, there is a mechanism for active compensation of vibration penetrating from outside.

Among desktop visits at WD Black is the highest price and the longest warranty period - 5 years.


WD Black 2 TBA (WD2003FZEX)

WD Green 2 TBA (WD20EZRX)

With this disk you need to be careful when buying. Under the same name there are varieties with a record density of 1000 or 667-750 GB on the plate. You can distinguish them by the second part of the identifier: DC0 characters in the WD20EZR-00DC0B0 string indicate terabyte plates, D8P (in WD20EZR-00D8PB0) - on the contrary. Just such we received for testing, so run: there is a real chance to run into a disk with an outdated configuration.

Regardless of the density of the recording, it is a simple and cheap (compared to seven thousand meters) disk with a spindle speed of about 5400 rpm (specific speed is selected individually for each instance). It can be put in desktop PC or home NAS for storing rarely demanded files, but constant load for WD Green is not the best idea. Nobody guarantees reliable operation 24/7, the disk risks exhaust the resource of the heading heads, and the warranty is only two years old.


WD Green 2 TBA (WD20EZRX)

WD Purple 2 TBA (WD20PURX)

The third and last hard disk in this review, intended for video surveillance systems. We once devoted the Purple line. These hardware storage drives are similar to well-known WD Red discs. In particular, in that, and in another series, plates of 1 TB, rotating at a speed of about 5,400 rpm (accurate value varies between instances). Failure characteristics differ: WD RED officially withstands 600 thousand heading cycles, and WD Purple - 300 thousand In addition, in the list of advantages of WD Purple on the manufacturer's website, it is not specified balancing the plates block that all WD Red discs.

Both Red and Purple have support for ATA Streaming Feature Set, but in the PURPLE disks firmware is specifically optimized for continuous recording of streaming video. For one disk, simultaneous recording is guaranteed up to 32 threads.


WD Purple 2 TBA (WD20PURX)

In the WD Re and WD SE rules, 2 and 3 TB drives are equipped with plates of 600 GB, which even at a spindle speed of 7200 rpm does not succeed with high sequential read / write speed.

Since this is a server HDD designed to work in a telecommunications rack, the WD technology is fully present here, ensuring the reliability of data storage: the spindle fastening from two ends, a two-stage actuator, active compensation of vibration outside, TLER (Time Limited Error Recovery - "Abbreviated Time Error correction "), as well as a shock sensor and something amazing: Dynamic correction of the height of the head of the heads and the surface of the plate. Unlike TOSHIBA corporate drives involved in testing, the WD Reer line includes models with built-in encryption and SAS interface.


WD RE 2 TBA (WD20fyyz)

WD RED 2 TBA (WD20EFRX)

Like Seagate Enterprise NAS HDD, WD REDs series disks are designed to work in network drives for home and small office (up to 8 disks in one NAS). According to the main characteristics, these are energy-efficient discs with 1 TB plates and the spindle speed in the region of 5400 rpm. But the scope determines the range of hardware and software features WD RED, distinguishing it from the desktop drives of the WD Green series. The block of magnetic plates is balanced in two planes to prevent vibrations, high refusal and operation in 24/7 operation are provided.

The firmware parameters are configured to ensure that the disc has always been ready to give the requested data and did not spend the durability resource in vain: in idle the heads are not parking and the HDD engine does not stop. The error correction timeout (Tler) is reduced, which prevents RAID destruction, which may occur if the disk does not respond to the host controller for too long in attempts to obtain data from the failure sector. WD Red discs also support ATA Streaming Feature Set (as opposed to WD Re and SE).


WD RED 2 TBA (WD20EFRX)

WD RED Pro 2 TBA (WD20FFSX)

WD discs for larger NAS size up to 16 baskets are built on a common platform with Re / SE drives. However, it is not known whether WD Red Pro has all the completeness technologies, characteristic of RE / SE. At least on the Western Digital website, only compensation penetrating from outside vibrations is indicated.

Due to the relationship with WD SE, the Red Pro model of 2 TB is characterized by a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, but is equipped with a plate with a capacity of only 600 MB, therefore the difference in linear reading speed / recording between Red and Red Pro is small. Failover indicators do not differ, but the Warranty has Red Pro for two years more - 5 years.


WD RED Pro 2 TBA (WD20FFSX)

WD SE 2 TBA (WD2000F9YZ)

From a hardware point of view, the server disks of the WD SE series are related to WD Re disks, but are calculated for a smaller load, which is expressed with low fault tolerance rates (time of operation for failure, number of parking cycles). In addition, in the SE series there are no models with an SAS interface and encryption.

It is rather strange, but this model of 2 TB is equipped with plates with a sector size of 4 KB, while an old 512-byte markup is used in similar WD Re.

External hard drives are designed for comfortable storage of data without buying an expensive laptop. It is enough to buy a laptop with a capacity of 120 GB under the system, and everything else can be stored on a removable drive.

The main criteria when choosing a disk are:

Volume. Depends on your preferences and queries. For ordinary text documents, a flash drive is sufficient. For films, electronic cards and other "heavy" projects it is desirable to have a disk with a volume of 1 TB.
Connection interface. The old USB0 quickly displaces 3.0 and 3.1 GEN options. USB Type-c Along with them provides fast data transmission.
Buffer volume. Often, when it is mentioned, an analogy with processor cache is carried out. The buffer stores the most frequently used data.
Case. It is desirable to have metal and rubberized inserts or their complete inclusion in all elements. These are guaranteed resistance to damage and durability.
Weight. The easier, the better. SSD is naturally easier due to schemes. In general, there is a large mass difference between HDD on 1 or 4 TB.

We picked up the top 20 of the best external hard drives for you.

The best external hard drives for 500 GB

The fastest category. The disc 500 GB is enough for storing 300-400 low-quality films. This is an excellent choice for owners who need to reinstall the operating system and save the working data.

5 SSD SANDISK EXTREME PORTABLE SSD 500 GB

Unusual form
Country: USA
Average price: 9120 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

The product is made of a protected rubber plastic case, its mass and dimensions are very small - 93 × 50 × 9 mm with a weight of 39 grams. In appearance, the disk is more reminded more than a flash drive, which can be transferred in your pocket. It really has protection, the device can withstand immersion into the liquid. The only unprotected place remains a weak USB port of Type-C format. Thus, it will be necessary to search and buy a stub independently if operating in extreme conditions is planned. More attention in the first acquaintance causes a cell on the right above, that is, a potentially disc can play the role of a bracelet on your keys.

The disadvantage of the device is one and essential, it lies in USB 3.1 Gen 2, the speed of which rests on SATA. It is worth sending the manufacturer due - it does not chemically with characteristics and does not assign unnecessary.

4 SSD SAMSUNG Portable SSD T5 500 GB

Best external SSD.
Country: South Korea
The average price: 7490 rubles.
Rating (2019): 5.0

The best samsung external SSD company. Implemented in the best spirit of the South Korean company. This light, compact and smart disk is connected via USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Type-C, which is why the delivery kit includes 2 cables at once. In order to allocate the goods among many competitors, in Samsung will decide to give its product blue painting. Due to chips that the highest quality in the world, the disk weighs only 51 grams.

Of the minuses, first of all, the price rushes. It is almost twice the cost, compared to the most expensive external HDD makes a purchase somewhat unable. When copying a large data array, the device is strongly heated. Another unique disk chip lies in the possibility of encoding a reading drive, that is, no one except you can use the information posted.

3 HDD Seagate Expansion Portable Drive 500 GB

The cheapest and lightweight
Country: USA
Average price: 2997 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.6

Opens the category Winchester of Seagate, pleasing buyers with several parameters. The first is the cost. The company does not chase the ruble and install gentle price tags for their products. The second is ease. The weight of 170 grams will no doubt please. There is no pick-up and to design, because the upper face is covered with something like a geometric pattern, combined with an unobtrusive load indicator. Everything else is made of matte plastic and except for the USB 3.0 port on the disk there is nothing more.

Inside the case, a 2.5-inch format disk at a speed of approximately 5,400 revolutions per minute. The remaining indicators are also medium, and buyers themselves are in response in plus the durability of use and negatively respond about a short complete cable.

2 TOSHIBA CANVIO BASICS 500GB

The most practical building
Country: Japan
The average price: 3100 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.6

Another representative of the budget rating segment, but already from the Japanese. In addition to the standard set of characteristics, the device has a stylish and modern design. The case with rounded corners turned out to be durable, despite the matte plastic. At the factory, it is specially made by rough, so that during transportation it does not fall out of the hands or not sliding on the table.

When the disc is working on the system "Install and use", which means the lack of requirements for drivers and other data. Despite the default USB connection interface, the external disk supports the last generation channel, but the data transfer rate will fall in this case. From the positive features of the model, buyers in responses mark the practicality and ergonomics of the case, as well as a durable cable for connecting.

Flash drives (usual "flash drives") and external hard drives - absolutely different classes of devices. The only similarity is the storage of information. But there will be differences in the comparative table.

Criteria comparison	"Flash drive"	External hard drive
	The most capacious model at the moment accommodates 2 TB	Portable models up to 4 TB, stationary network drives (NAS) accommodate up to 12 hard drives. The most capacious disks are 10 TB, i.e. Total get about 120 TB!
Cost	The same flash drive with a capacity of 2 TB costs 58 thousand rubles. For 4000 rubles you can buy a model for 128 GB	1 TB disc is about 4 thousand rubles, 2 TB - 6 thousand
Speed \u200b\u200bof work	Quality record models provide speed of at least 80 MB / s, reading - from 140 MB.	At the best representatives: recording - 90-95MB / s, reading - 100-110 MB / s
	Compact
EXTERIOR PROTECTIONS	USB flash drives are better to shake, but in both classes there are protected models
	Flashpecas resource is significantly less, but the overwhelming majority of users is enough

1 Transcend TS500GSJ25M3.

Food from two USB. Protected housing
Country: Taiwan
The average price: 4025 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.7

The leader of the rating category was the product of Transcend. Its distinctive feature was an additional power connector. The disk turned out to be sufficiently energy-intensive, so another source of power will not be excess for him. In addition, not all laptops and power supplies are able to provide sufficient energy powerful removable drives.

The whole series of Store Jet M, to which the disk applies, is marked by award-winning for the blastiness. In particular, our hero is not terrible fall, and the combination of green and black color give the body modernity. According to customer reviews, the main advantages of the disk is to protect against shocks, an additional power connector and a separate button to back up files.

Best external hard drives for 1 TB

5 SSD ADATA SD700 1.024 TB

Optimal copy speed
Country: USA
The average price: 10190 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

To copy data without significant speed losses, we recommend SSD ADATA SD700 1.024 TB. In terms of compactness, the drive can be classified as Middle, as it has smoothed angles and square shape. The color of the case is alone - black, which is framed by a bumper with a bumper. If you consider it boring, you can choose an acid-yellow color option. Coating withstands water splashes and dive, you just need to not forget to close the plug with the port.

Buyers in reviews note that for 3-4 months the disk starts working with failures, which is why formatting is necessary. The connector itself is weak, constantly increasing when joining and disabled.

4 SSD SAMSUNG Portable SSD T5 1 TB

Elevated compactness
Country: South Korea
Average price: 13279 rub.
Rating (2019): 5.0

Tiny, according to modern standards, the disk, on the dimensions, even the Magic Mouse. USB Type-C data transfer rate varies within 455/510 MB / s.

But what is really not very good here is the native cable. The disk itself is very small and lightweight, and the cable is so tough and fat that the disc will have a sidelion, but not lying on the table. You can solve the problem by ordering a new cable, but it is very difficult to find a more convenient alternative. By the way, the set of delivery is 2 adapter cables: USB Type-C - USB 3.1 Type A Male and USB Type-C - USB Type-C. As for the appearance, there is nothing interesting here - the classic black case with inscriptions and the rounded form for wearing in his pocket are already ordinary.

3 LACIE STFD1000400.

Best design. TYPE-C connector
Country: France
The average price: 4850 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.7

Continues the rating of the most advanced hard drive. First of all, attention is attracted to the appearance of the device. No wonder on the top face there is an inscription Porsche Design. The housing is minimalistic, metallic. No drawings and textured surfaces - everywhere flat, pleasant to the touch and perfectly looking aluminum. It pleases and thickness - only 10 mm - even hard drives with a capacity of 500 GB thicker. Also, we will take advantage of the use of USB Type-C - promising connector, which is currently used in smartphones, and in laptops, and in many other techniques. In short, the use of this connector allows you to wear with you only one cable that is suitable for charging devices, and to connect an external hard disk.

Inside everything is much easier. The usual 2.5 'disc of 1 TB is used. The speed of recording and reading is approximately the same and amount to 118-122 MB / s. According to users, this is enough to mount the video in 4K directly on the hard drive.

Lack of model one - cost. For a beautiful design and modern port, the buyer will have to pay over one and a half thousand rubles.

Advantages:

Beautiful design
USB Type-C
Decent reading and write speeds

Disadvantages:

Horregious

2 ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 1TB

The most durable housing
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 3639 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

The second place of the rating category was taken by the ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 1TB. From the obvious trumps, buyers highlight a stylish and modern design. It is especially recommended to use young people, since the bright main color (red or blue) is successfully combined with the insertion disguised under carbon in the middle. The appearance successfully combines both decorative and practical functions for the protection of vital modules from damage.

The device is quickly recognized by the computer, and the large amount of memory makes it possible to store multiple files.

Thanks to reliability, important information will always remain safe and preservation. From several color variants, you can choose the one that will have to taste. Men will delight a black color decision, and women will enjoy elegant and glamorous design in pink color. Small sizes allow you to wear a hard drive in your pocket or purse.

From the main deficiencies, according to the reviews of real buyers, you can select the insufficient length of the USB cable and a weak connector on the disk itself, which over time is loosened, which can lead to a contact breakage.

1 Western Digital My Passport 1 TB (WDBBEX0010B)

The optimum ratio of price and quality
Country: USA
The average price: 3860 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.8

Western Digital is one of the most famous and revered firms in the field of information storage. The model under consideration with a capacity of 1 TB is sold in a huge number of stores, which means you will almost certainly find it at the nearest store of electronics. The design is characteristic of the "My Passport" series - the housing is completely made of glossy plastic, but the texture is divided into two parts: smooth and corrugated. Plastic, unfortunately, brain, poorly opposed scratches. But the colors of Uyma - there are classic (black, white), and bright (yellow, blue, red, etc.) colors. On the bottom there are rubber legs, which prevent gliding on the table. The weight is small - only 170 grams. With ports, everything is traditional - one USB 3.0 connector.

Inside, as in most other participants, nothing remarkable. HDD is used for 1 TB with a rotational speed of 5400 rpm. The average read / write speed at competitors - 110-120 MB / s. Note that WD has a specialized software that allows you to easily make backups on the outer hard drive, check the operation of the disk, protect these password, etc.

Advantages:

High reliability
Useful corporate Soft
Good speed indicators

The best external hard drives for 2 TB

2 TB is already quite an impressive volume. It is still represented by the drives of both types, butHDD. Already begin to outweigh. Such a volume is good for storing films in 4K format, which on average occupy 30-70 GB. Thus, they are ideal for those buyers who wish to acquire their own large repository. ConcerningSSD. , because of your novelty and the volume, their purchase becomes not profitable.

5 SSD SANDISK EXTREME PORTABLE SSD 2 TB

Popular analog for samsung
Country: USA
The average price: 26990 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.9

Remember, we considered SSD SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500 GB in our ranking? So, this is the same, only with a volume of 2 TB. It costs 300 rubles cheaper than the South Korean counterpart, but his reading speed is higher - 550 MB / sec against 540. Interesting the fact that not reviews, there are no reviews of buyers for him - everything is because of low demands, because for such money You can purchase a full-fledged laptop with an SSD drive and headphones.

In general, this disc inherited all the features of his "older" brother with a volume of 500 GB. Its case is still resistant to damage, it can play the role of a keychain.

4 SSD SAMSUNG Portable SSD T5 2 TB

Top SSD.
Country: South Korea
The average price: 27260 rubles.
Rating (2019): 5.0

The highest quality SSD on the market and at the same time extremely expensive. This is due to the complexity of the placement of a sufficient number of chips on the low area of \u200b\u200bthe board. An attempt by Samsung engineers to create a top drive was crowned with success, and it works on the declared speed, stably squeezing 593 MB / s. By the way, with a "gentle" mode of use at a speed of 120 to 300 MB / s, it almost does not heat up and can serve as storage facilities for games. At the maximum loads, heating begins to be felt.

According to buyers, there were no significant flaws in the goods. All of them like data encryption, both for computer operating systems and mobile. The only quirk concerns the warranty period, which is equal to the usual discs 5 years, but for an external drive is only 3 years.

3 Transcend TS2TSJ25M3.

Protection on the military standard. Food from two USB
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 5670 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.6

Some use external hard drives as a large home file storage, but much more people regularly transport them. It is very important for them to keep security data. Yes, information can be encrypted, but encryption will not save the hard drive from the banal fall or drowning. But the protected body, like a bronze winning rating - will save. It complies with the requirements of the MIL-STD-810F Military Standard 516.5, which means it will survive the fall, blows and immersion under water. But the connectors are not covered with plugs. Yes, and users complain that over time they are smalleled, because of what contact is lost.

The speed of work also upsets. The average read speed is about 32 MB / s, which is slightly strange, given the presence of the USB 3.0 interface. Power is carried out by two USB ports for greater stability. It is a pity only the cost is the highest in the troika leaders.

Advantages:

Military Security Protection
Food from two USB

Disadvantages:

Loose connector
Low speed
The highest value

2 seagate stdr2000200.

The most compact and easy
Country: USA
Average price: 5386 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

And again, Seagate products earn the title of lighter and compact. The model is not for nothing that carries in the SLIM line - the thickness of the disk capacity of 2 TB is only 12.1 mm. Most competitors thick no less than 20 mm! Mala and weight - 159 grams against 250 at the rating leader. But it is not necessary to think that we have Chinese handicrafts - numerous tests and user feedback talk about high reliability. The housing is combined: from above metal, side faces are covered with glossy plastic, bottom - durable matte plastic.

Inside everything is standard. Reading / write speeds may differ on different copies. In response, users say about 110-112 MB / s, profile tests of 120-125 MB / s. In any case, these speeds will be enough for most users. Already from the factory on the disk there is about 500 MB of data. This is a Seagate Dashboard branded utility for data backup, warranty terms and other useful information.

Advantages:

Thin and lightweight housing
High reliability
The presence of corporate software

Disadvantages:

Like in the whole line, short and hard cable

1 Western Digital My Passport 2 TB (WDBUAX0020B)

The most reliable
Country: USA
The average price: 5390 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.7

Western Digital is one of the recognized leaders in the production of storage systems. The external Winchester WD My Passport for 2 TB for technical specifications is little different from competitors. Reading speed of about 100-110 MB / s. Interface, of course, USB 3.0.

Judging by the reviews, there are no complaints about the device. The quality of the assembly is excellent, materials are pleasant. Is that gloss very quickly covered with scratches, taking an unclear appearance. Winchester itself will not sin by bat sectors. Reliability is just excellent. The manufacturer itself is confident, and therefore it offers 3 years warranty.

Advantages:

Good technical characteristics
Excellent reliability
Warranty 3 years
Great corporate Soft

Disadvantages:

Scratching housing

The best external hard drives for 4 TB

4 and more terabyte drives are used in server systems. For an ordinary buyer, they are meaningless if only you are a collector of films in 4k-quality. This segment does not have SSD storage facilities, as their price would be extended, and the demand of such models in the market is extremely low.

5 HDD TOSHIBA CANVIO ADVANCE 4 TB

Japanese quality
Country: Japan
Average price: 7742 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.5

Toshiba once again proved that they know how to make equipment and components. Immediately 4 colors are offered to the buyer to choose from. There is both classic black and white and dark blue and red option. In appearance combined inherent efficiency and elegance, as well as low heat dissipation when working.

4 TB volume was fitted into an elegant case without any protection against external influence. This product is an embodiment of safe use, quality assembly and durability in use. The package is extremely modest and includes only a cable for connecting. Additionally, the buyer receives a two-year warranty on the product. The only LED indicator is located on the right in the form of a circle.

4 HDD Seagate Backup Plus Hub 4 TB

Vertical storage
Country: USA
The average price: 6860 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.5

If most external HDDs are available in 2.5 format, then Seagate decided not to move away from the classics and released their product in 3.5 format. The positioning form is different, this option is vertically, and not horizontally. Also located and ports for connecting, whose role was taken by 2 USB versions 3.0. When working at maximum loads, it is almost no noise, and on medium and small it is not heard at all. On the front panel there is a device operating status indicator.

Thanks to him, backup copies of any file types will be created at high speed and reliability, thanks to the support of the device of all kinds of platforms. The monolithic plastic case is unbearable, the surface is non-commercial, matte.

3 HDD Lacie Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C 4 TB

The highest speed. Protected housing
Country: France
The average price: 17940 rubles.
Rating (2019): 4.6

On the 3th place Top product from not the most popular company Lacie. It is much more expensive than competitors through the reliability and application of advanced technologies. The massive body is made of aluminum concluded in the rubber shell, the part of the impact during the fall. There is protection and from Water Class IP54, which prohibits "bathe" a disk in water, but from splashes and rain (if you fall under it) saves.

The interfaces and the speed issued by them are manifested. Usb Type-C and Thunderbolt is used for connectivity. Different testers for recordings and readings ranged from modest 50 MB / s before unattainable for most competitors 250 MB / s. According to customer reviews, the disk is well protected, works quickly and has two relevant interfaces for connecting. The only minus is a very high price.

2 HDD Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive 4 TB

Best price
Country: USA
Average price: 8249 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

Outer hard disk from Seagate - strong middling. The housing is maximally minimalistic - just a small lump of matte plastic with small gloss inserts. Practically and at the same time it looks good. The speed of work is somewhat lower than the rating leader, but also worthy. The average recording speed is about 85 MB / s. USB 3.0 interface. And it would not be launched hard drive through the old USB 2.0. There are no complaints for vibration, noise or high temperatures - all indicators within reasonable. But the reliability is mediocre. Quite often come across the models with marriage, and therefore be prepared for what you have to go to the service center.

Advantages:

The lowest cost
Practical building
Not bad speed indicators
Minimum vibration, noise and heating

Disadvantages:

There are defective hard drives

1 Western Digital My Passport 4 TB (WDBUAX0040B)

Best speed and reliability
Country: USA
Average price: 8069 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

The first line of the rating is the WD screw. This model is a copy of the leader of the previous category. The case is the same, including dimensions. Accordingly, the problems remained the same - scratched. But inside the hard drive of 4 TB. The write speed is slightly higher - about 115 MB / s, USB 3.0 interface. Heated moderate. The only drawback identified by buyers is vibration. Because of the small legs, it is transmitted to the table, which is not very nice. But with reliability, no problems - still Western Digital are deservedly considered leaders.

On the disk initially pre-installed several useful utilities. WD Backup allows you to configure automatic backup of important files to an external hard drive. WD Security - Protects your data from unauthorized access using the password. You can also specify your data so that, in the event of a disk loss, found it was able to find you.

Advantages:

High speed
Best reliability
Useful branded utilities

Disadvantages:

The glossy body is scratched

They use different technologies, but their application is largely similar to the use of a USB drive - external data storage in a safe and economical way, whether to transfer large amounts of data or simply as a backup.

In this article we will tell you about the best models available at the moment, as well as help you answer such questions as "what external hard disk is better to choose?" Or "What is the external hard drive of which company?".

WD MY PASSPORT

Western Digital is one of the leading firms producing hard drives, so it is not surprising that its product got into this list. Note that the name of the device is rather strange ("My passport").

WD My Passport is a reliable external hard disk that performs all its functions on "Hurray." It is compact, it is easy to transfer it, and it looks beautiful. The device comes in eight different color solutions. As a cherry on the cake, the disk is easy to use and is accompanied by very useful WD software.

Characteristics:

Capacity: 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB, 4 TB
Dimensions: 110 × 81.5 × 21.5 mm
Weight: 1 TB model: 170 g; Models 2-4 TB: 250 g
Colors: Black, Blue, Orange, Red, White, Yellow, White Golden, Black and Gray
Interface: USB 3.0.

The biggest plus WD My Passport is, first of all, the size. He will fit without any problems in your hand or bag. All color options and the corresponding USB cables are a good addition, and the supplied software makes the device easy to use.

We did not find explicit problems in this device, although in terms of performance it lags behind more powerful models, especially if it comes to large files. This undoubtedly makes the periphery less attractive for professionals and those who need to regularly make backup copies of large amounts of data, but it is almost the perfect choice for a regular user.

Pros:

Light and compact;
Flawless design;
Easy to use.

Minuses:

Average performance.

WD Elements

Our list got another external hard drive from Western Digital. This time we will consider the Elements models that are more affordable alternative to My Passport.

External WD Elements hard drives have a rather remarkable appearance compared to more expensive models, but they are very good in terms of memory capacity. They, perhaps, are felt cheap and look a little bulky, but they can more or less fit the models of My Passport in terms of performance, although they lack of that convenient software that is noteworthy My Passport.

Characteristics:

Capacity: 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB
Dimensions: 1 TB Model: 111x82x15 mm; Models for 2 and 3 TB: 111x82x21 mm
Weight: 1 TB Model: 130 g; Models for 2 and 3 TB: 230 g
Colors: The black
Interface: USB 3.0.

WD Elements may not look as good as My Passport, but at the same time it is more accessible and even a little easier and thinner. But, of course, if comparing productivity, he will not surprise anyone with its speed. The device has no serious drawbacks, except that we have already mentioned early.

Pros:

Light and compact;
Available.

Minuses:

Average performance;
Tasteless design.

Toshiba Canvio Basics.

Toshiba may not be so widely represented in the hard drive market as WD, but they release some of the best models. Naturally, the company's track record includes external hard drives.

Canvio Basics is a pretty simple version, but, nevertheless, very reliable and effective. These external hard drives are several sizes and are performed in two different styles: classic (softer view with rounded edges) and modern (smoother, more angular option).

Characteristics:

Capacity: 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB
Dimensions: 119 × 78.7 × 20.5 mm
Weight: 230 g
Colors: The black
Interface: USB 3.0.

There is nothing to say about this hard disk, in addition to the fact that it is very similar to WD Elements in terms of price and design. Nevertheless, it works a little better, albeit slightly. But in general, the device shares most of the strengths and weaknesses of the above-mentioned models from WD.

Pros:

Two design options to choose from;
Compact;
Available.

Minuses:

Average performance.

Seagate Expansion (Desktop)

All three previous models were notable for compactness and portability, but with Seagate Expansion Desktop, the situation is completely different.

As you can see, it is a pretty massive external hard disk compared to other, supplied with rubber stands, on which the device is worth. The capacity of various disk models can reach up to 8 TB. Nevertheless, it is not very good in terms of aesthetics, as the appearance is spoiled by a polygonal pattern - but, of course, some can appreciate this design.

Characteristics:

Capacity: 2 TB, 3 TB, 4 TB, 5 TB, 8 TB
Dimensions: 176 × 120.6 × 36.6 mm
Weight: 950 g
Colors: The black
Interface: USB 3.0.

Seagate Expansion is a universal external hard disk for desktop PC, combining good performance and a large container in one large case. Moreover, although the device cannot be called accessible, since the minimum capacity is quite high (2 TB), in fact it has a rather low cost, if we talk about the price for gigabytes.

The biggest disadvantage of Seagate Expansion is that it is difficult to transfer it, but it should be remembered that the model is designed for desktop computer. However, this fact may be too noticeable for some users, especially if you consider that the device must be installed vertically. In addition, the only practical disadvantage is the absence of any software.

Pros:

A large number of memory;
Relatively low price per GB;

Minuses:

Big and heavy;

Seagate Expansion (Portable)

If you are interested in the lightest and compact version of the above hard disk, you will be pleased to know that Seagate also offers another EXPANSION variation called Portable.

Basically, the difference lies in the amount, since performance and external design remain the same as the desktop version. Another difference is in the amount of memory, since the minimum capacity of the portable version is 1 TB, and the largest - 4 TB, which is far from close to the value proposed by the desktop version (8 TB).

Characteristics:

Capacity: 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB
Sizes of models: 1 TB and 2 TB: 117x80x14.8 mm; Model for 4 TB: 117x80x20.9 mm
Weight: 1 TB and 2 TB models: 170 g; Model 4 TB: 238 g
Colors: The black
Interface: USB 3.0.

In essence, Expansion Portable is just a reduced copy of the Expansion Desktop, which is more aimed at portability, and not on a large memory capacity. Also, when buying a device, it is possible to get a carrying bag.

From the point of view of functionality, it is also almost identical to Expansion Desktop both at the speed of read / write and for the price.

Pros:

Low price per GB;
Decent performance.

Minuses:

No attached software.

Seagate Backup Plus.

This is the third product we consider from Seagate. Backup Plus is a more productivity-oriented hard disk.

The Backup Plus series is divided into two main versions: thin and portable. The first is obviously thinner, easier and is a version with a smaller memory capacity. Meanwhile, the second, somewhat cumbersome, includes options with a large amount of memory. Regardless of this, both models have a beautiful metal design, as well as several color options to choose from.

Characteristics:

Capacity: 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, 5 TB
Sizes of models: 1 TB and 2 TB: 113,5x76x12.1; Models for 4 TB and 5 TB: 114.5x78x20.5
Weight: 1 TB and 2 TB models: 159 g; Models for 4 TB and 5 TB: 247 g
Colors: Black, Blue, Silver, Red
Interface: USB 3.0.

Seagate Backup Plus is significantly ahead of most other external hard drives, if we talk about performance. In addition to the excellent reading / write speed and assembly, the choice of several colors is also pleased with the eye. The device is even accompanied by convenient software.

But what about the minuses? Well, we have no special complaints on this hard disk. If we still had to choose one thing that we did not like, it would be what is not really associated with a hard drive itself - a limited 2-year warranty. Obviously, this is very little, if we talk about the device in this price range and with such a performance.

Pros:

Elegant design;
Large memory capacity;
Good performance.

Minuses:

Short warranty period.

How to find the best external hard drive

We have collected a list of several questions that you must ask yourself before making a choice in favor of any external hard disk when buying:

1. Will I often wear it with me?

External hard drives are very clearly divided into portable and desktop models, which is immediately visible, based on their form factors. Of course, even desktop devices can be transferred relatively easily, but if the device is less and easier, the process becomes even easier.

2. Will I perform backup data often or only occasionally?

This is a key question that needs to be asked when you need to decide whether you need a high-performance external hard drive. If you are a professional who daily creates backup copies of its data, then this option is definitely ideal. On the other hand, ordinary users and gamers who do not often store large amounts of data will be prone to cheaper options.

3. How much memory do I need?

The easiest way to answer this question is to just see how much data you plan to store on this disk. If we are talking about the large volumes of multimedia content, such as music, movies or TV shows, the hard disk with a large memory capacity is a priority. However, if you plan to create backup copies of only smaller files and pictures, you may be better to use the "clouds" service.

4. Do I need an external or internal hard drive?

External hard drives are intended for two purposes: backup and data transfer. If you need a system disk to install the operating system, you should purchase an internal hard disk. They not only work faster themselves, but also use SATA 3.0 instead of USB 3.0, which provides much greater bandwidth and more stable data transfer rate.

5. Are there compatible ports on my computer?

As you can see, all external hard drives in this list (and all modern models as a whole) use USB 3.0 as a means of connecting to a computer. Fortunately, USB 3.0 is back compatible, so you do not need to worry if your PC / laptop has only USB 2.0 ports. Just remember that the USB 2.0 connection is much slower than the USB 3.0 connection.

Best External Hard Disk

Given that there are no significant differences in performance or price between any of the external hard drives listed herein or price, we must consider not only two of these factors to determine the best model.

We managed to choose your favorite. They became my passport from Western Digital, simply because of the ease of use, and all this thanks to the attached software. Moreover, we believe that this is the most attractive external hard disk, but this is a purely subjective question. Given all this, the device will become an excellent backup disk and a convenient way to transfer large volumes.

Do you agree with our choice? If not, let us know about your favorite in the comments.

Statistics of reliability of hard drives from the company Backblaze for 2015 is included in the data of 56,224 disks that work in 1249 storage systems. In total there are more than 200 petabytes of disk space, of which 65 PTB are added in 2015. Below is a table of reliability of all drives used in the company as of December 31, 2015, while statistics are conducted from 2013:

In 2015, it was removed from using 5 models. Statistics of failures for these models are presented below:

Determining the percentage of disk failure

This is a good point to find out - as the company Backblaze considers the percentage of the failures of the disks used. There are two ways. One of them is as follows:

the disc group is selected (usually - Part)
during the time period (usually 1 year) monitored (statistics)
fixed the number of disks fails in a specific group for the observation period
and also - the number of hours of operation

(100 * Drive-failures) / (DRIVE-Hours / 24/365)

(100*5)/(750,000/24/365)

We get 5.84% of the discs in 2015.

For the second method, the only change in the fact that the time of operation of the disk is different. For each disk in this case, the Backblaze specialists simply calculate the number of spent days. Every day of work is fixed for each disk. When the disk fails, it is removed from the list and its final counting is used to calculate the total number of days spent, while all the discs continue to be observed.

Percentage of disk failures by manufacturers

As you can see - most of all fails Western Digital.. Oddly enough, but in second place by the number of failures - Seagate.. It is worth noting that earlier the backblaze was slightly accused of removed from statistics data on the large part of Seagate, allegedly due to the fact that Seagate gave them to free testing a large batch. Now, most likely, all data is taken into account.

Also, the guys from the backblaze noticed that hard drives of small sizes were almost brought out of their park (up to 4 TB), it is simply due to the desire to save on the ground and volumes.

And of course I remind you that Hgst. this is Hitachi.But now this is a partnership with Western Digital. If you discuss why the HGST is the best reliability indicator, then it should be noted that the backblaze has a large number of their 2 TB disks, which are very reliable, at one time Hitachi has been very seriously engaged in this size. So if you plan to store your family photos and videos, then the reliable is just 2 TB from Hitachi.

Below is the statistics of the work of large disks (main in the backblaze), i.e. 4TB:

Hitachi shows here very good results. Obviously pushed - Toshiba. and Seagate.. The first one has long ended "Pokal", so the company actually ceased to some serious research and development, focusing on the current release, and it stopped when there were 2 TB in the go, so now it will be reaping fruits. For Seagate, it is also fair that the number of these discs is as much as possible to other suppliers - due to the low price of the discs and for 1GB in terms of.

There is also preliminary information on reliability and failures of large disks (6TB):

Why is the preliminary? Too small time interval for objective assessment. The technology should be incolmenting at least 2 years, so 5 TB discs, 6 TB, 8 TB are still actively used. But HDD. 4 TB already seems to be quite possible to start taking important use in the storage of important files.