Best external external drive (2025): SSD to store data, video and more

If you’re working Outdoors of cupboard space in your laptop computer or it is advisable to e-book your knowledge and save that video background you’ll edit at some point (I’m, I swear), an exterior onerous disk can remedy your drawback. The issue is, there are a whole lot of machine choices starting from free to loopy soiled dirt-which is appropriate to your wants? I’ve examined dozens, in all working programs and with totally different use of use in thoughts, to search out the perfect exterior storage drives, backups, video games, video modifying, community storage tools (NAS), and extra.

Take a look at our different guides, together with reserve and transfer your images between providers, reserve your digital life and reserve your iPhone.

Up to date September 2025: Now we have added SSDs of the Extremely Compact Sea, new SSD4 of Lacie and Corsair Ex400U, and we topped the brand new SSD 990 SSD greatest inside. Now we have additionally up to date costs and connections all through.

Greatest for backup

For added backups, which we suggest, pace isn’t a significant component. That’s the reason the primary automobile I like to recommend is that this Western digital onerous disk. I’ve used a tough drive change of desktop components to make further backups of my knowledge for greater than a decade. These discs are massive and require exterior energy, however they’re a number of the least expensive, most dependable drives I’ve used.

Switch speeds should not exterior the tables – Drive components I’ve examined marked 120 megabytes per second (MB/S) for sequential logs in Home windows – however once more, it is advisable to make a backup in a single day, nevertheless, and even at these speeds, the typical PC reservation might be finished till morning. These discs use USB-C with USB 3 assist, and I’ve had no drawback utilizing them with Home windows, Macos and Linux.

Storage choices go as much as 20 terrabs. Simply test the costs; Generally you may get a 10- and even 12-TB automobile for not rather more than the 8-Terabyte model. And I have never seen an enormous distinction between the road of the weather, my WD e-book, or my WD Passport runs. My Drive Passport command a premium value as a result of they’re smaller, and my e-book drives have some encryption options that improve the value, however I discover that the Fundamental Drive is sufficient for most individuals.

Different wonderful spare discs

• Seagate Growth 8-TB Exhausting Disk for $ 159: Seagate is one other dependable machine producer. It by no means hurts to have extra backups, and if you would like a variety of backups, use discs from totally different manufacturers, as it’ll scale back the potential for each fail on the identical time.

Greatest for moveable backups

Picture: Scott Gilbertson

Digital western

My extremely passport

In case you journey quite a bit, you will have one thing that’s simpler to perform than the drive drives, which aren’t the perfect in a suitcase. For backup when touring, I like my Western Digital passport sequence, particularly the brand new “Extremely” model, which makes use of a regular USB-C twine, eliminating the necessity to keep a separate cable. It isn’t the thinnest automobile available in the market, however it’s lower than a thick and so sturdy inch that I by no means fear about throwing it into my bag. (Though it needs to be stated that it is a rotating machine, so do not throw it actually.) I additionally like that the corners are fantastically rounded and there’s no screws or nothing else that may catch on the material in your bag.

There’s quite a lot of colours obtainable and you may get from 1 tb to six tb. I examined the 5-TB mannequin, however Western Digital claims the identical speeds, whatever the measurement of the automobile. I examined it utilizing Crystaldiskmark in Home windows, AmorphousDiskmark in Macos, and Kdiskmark in Linux and on common the outcomes to provide you with 121 MB/S for studying pace and 115 Mb/s writing pace. It isn’t what you wish to shortly copy the images for a shopper on this discipline, however as quick as you drive a day by day backup in your lodge room.

Different detachable reserve drives

• Digital Western Western 5-TB HDD moveable components for $ 130: This automobile is barely thinner than our primary selection, but it surely feels extra ardent in my expertise. The speeds are additionally slower, however if you’re with a finances, it’ll prevent somewhat cash. Corsair is marking this as a great way to repeat your iPhone Prores’ photographs, and whereas it actually works for this, the efficiency is proscribed by the USB-C interface of the iPhone. For max laps, join it to a PC with a USB4 port or Thunderbolt 4.

Drive thunderbolt 5: When pace is all the pieces

Picture: Scott Gilbertson

Lacie has up to date its damaged SSD line with damaged pro5. This throws an orange portrait for blue, however in any other case it is rather like the same old padded lacic drives on the skin. From the within, that is an especially quick automobile. 5 Within the title is for him, you considered it, Thunderbolt 5, which regardless of being observed ceaselessly earlier than, has been sluggish ache to cheat in the marketplace. This made the take a look at barely difficult, however happily a pal permit me to borrow his new MacBook Professional 14 model for testing. And the outcomes had been spectacular.

Lacie claims to learn/write speeds of as much as 6,700 MB/S and 5,300 MB/S, which they are saying are sufficient for actual -time modifying of 8K and 6K uncooked photographs. In testing larger speeds, file transfers had been 5,787 MB/S Learn and 5,188 MB/S Write – which, whereas not fairly matching the demand, remains to be far and away from the quickest automobile on the web page. However uncooked speeds are solely numbers for spreadsheets; I used to be extra considering actual -world efficiency. Because it occurred to me to check Nikon Z6III (8/10, Wired recommends), which may shoot 6k proes uncooked, I loaded a very good portion of the Pro5 footage and I used to be actually in a position to edit utilizing Davinci Resolve Studio.

The weaknesses listed below are the value. With $ 600 for the 4-TB model (which is the minimal you wish to work with the Uncooked Recordsdata Recordsdata), it is a very costly automobile. Nonetheless, it is definitely worth the cash if it is the pace you might be behind.

The perfect USB4 drive

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If you don’t but have any system with thunderbolt 5 assist, this thunderbolt 4 machine can be my suggestion for anybody shortly mounted. Corsair’s ex400U is a small spectacular automobile, continually giving speeds of about 3,800 MB/S for sequential studying and and three,550 MB/S Write. Once more, it will solely be attainable when you have a tool that helps USB4/Thunderbolt 4 (together with the most recent MacBooks, Dell XPS, and others – see our information for the perfect laptops for extra). Technically, similar to I used to be ending this replace, the brand new damaged Lacie SSD got here out who beat this automobile in my assessments with about 10 mb/s, however this automobile is smaller, simpler and cheaper.

I additionally like that Corsair has included a Magsafe connector at the back of the problem, which makes the chance to assist the Video Video footage of your iPhone.

The perfect detachable SSD finances

Picture: Scott Gilbertson

These important drives are my favourite exterior storage drives with normal objectives. They’re cheap value (for a detachable SSD) and quick sufficient for many makes use of. X6 is gentle and small, making it a sensible choice to work in cafe.

This isn’t a quick onerous disk. In actual fact, below the hood, X6 makes use of an older machine interface (serial in attachment, or SATA), which was most typical with stable rotation discs. So whereas it’s small and straightforward, its pace is proscribed by that previous interface expertise. In my testing on Home windows and Macos, which operates at about 550 MB/S Studying pace and 208 MB/s Writing pace. That is adequate for backup and use as an exterior machine, however I don’t suggest it for utilizing Xbox or Ps. It really works nicely with iPad professional although.