The Ultimate Guide to External Drives

External USB and Thunderbolt drives, often called direct-attached storage (DAS), offer a convenient solution for backing up important files and storing data you don’t need on your computer’s internal storage. They’re also invaluable for transporting data between devices and locations.

While auxiliary storage and transport are important, the role of external drives in backup is paramount. They can serve as your primary backup medium or a secondary backup to an internal drive. Restoring from local storage is significantly faster than retrieving data from the internet, making external drive backups a time-saving necessity.

Why Trust Our Recommendations?

At PCWorld, we’ve rigorously tested computer hardware for decades. We possess the experience and expertise to identify the strengths and weaknesses of various drives through comprehensive benchmark testing and real-world usage. Our recommendations below highlight the best external drives for performance, budget, portability, and more.

Top External Drive Recommendations

Best Overall: Crucial X9 Portable SSD

Pros: Excellent 10Gbps performance, affordable, durable, IP55 dust and spray resistance.

Cons: Lacks the blazing-fast performance of 20Gbps drives.

The Crucial X9 offers a compelling balance between performance and affordability, making it ideal for most users. In our tests, it rivaled the SK Hynix Beetle in performance but at a lower price. Its sleek design and IP55 rating ensure durability.

Alternative Option: The SK Hynix Beetle X31 offers similar performance and a stylish design. It’s currently available at a significant discount, making it a great bargain while supplies last.

Best Budget Portable SSD: Crucial X6 Portable SSD

Pros: Affordable, compact, rounded edges for comfortable portability.

Cons: Not the fastest SSD available.

The Crucial X6 prioritizes comfort and affordability. Its thin, rounded design is ideal for carrying in pockets. While not state-of-the-art fast, it’s fast enough for most users.

Best Portable Thumb Drive SSD: SK Hynix Tube T31

Pros: Convenient thumb drive form factor, fast SSD performance, cable-free.

Cons: Priced higher than standard thumb drives.

The SK Hynix Tube T31 combines the convenience of a thumb drive with the performance of an SSD. Its 10Gbps NVMe storage delivers impressive speed without needing a cable.

Alternative Option: The Seagate Ultra Compact SSD is a slightly slower but compelling alternative with included Dropbox Backup and Mylio Photos subscriptions, plus data recovery eligibility.

Best 20Gbps Performance: Lexar SL600 Portable SSD

Pros: Top-tier 20Gbps performance, unique form factor with lanyard opening, 5-year warranty.

Cons: Performance is closely matched by competitors.

The Lexar SL600 edges out competitors in 20Gbps drive performance. It features a unique design, optional RGB lighting, and a five-year warranty. Its price is competitive.

Best Budget 20Gbps Performance: Teamgroup M200 Portable SSD

Pros: Affordable, outstanding everyday performance, compact and portable, gamer-friendly design.

Cons: Not the cheapest option available.

The Teamgroup M200 delivers exceptional performance for its price. Its compact size, durability, and combat-inspired design make it ideal for gamers and performance enthusiasts.

Best USB 4 Performance: Adata SE920 Portable SSD

Pros: Fastest USB 4 performance, more affordable than competitors, built-in fan for cooling, portable.

Cons: Requires USB 4 support on your PC.

The Adata SE920 offers the best USB 4 performance at an affordable price. Its built-in fan ensures optimal cooling during demanding tasks.

Alternative Option: You can build your own high-performance USB 4 external SSD using Ugreen’s CM642 enclosure and an NVMe SSD.

Best Auxiliary Storage SSD: SanDisk Desk Drive

Pros: Brisk 10Gbps performance, rugged SSD design, reliable.

Cons: Not portable, requires AC adapter, available only in 4TB and 8TB capacities.

The SanDisk Desk Drive is designed for sedentary workflows and auxiliary storage. Its speed and durability make it a reliable choice for stationary backup needs.

Best Portable Hard Drive: WD My Passport, Works with USB-C

Pros: High capacity (up to 6TB), affordable price per terabyte, performs on par with other 2.5-inch hard drives.

Cons: Uses a Micro-B port with a USB-C adapter, not as fast as an SSD.

The WD My Passport offers high capacity at an affordable price, making it suitable for backup needs.

Best Desktop Hard Drive: Seagate Expansion Desktop

Pros: Massive capacity (up to 24TB), twice the sustained transfer rate of 2.5-inch hard drives, competitive price per terabyte.

Cons: More fragile than SSDs, requires regular backups.

The Seagate Expansion Desktop provides unparalleled storage capacity at a competitive price. It’s ideal for dealing with large amounts of data.

Understanding External Drive Technology

For most consumers, capacity and price are the primary factors in choosing external storage.

Capacity and Value

Lower-capacity drives often have the worst price per terabyte. The best value typically comes from the most capacious hard drives. Consider how much storage you need for backup. We recommend a drive that’s at least twice the capacity of your PC’s internal storage.

SSD vs. HDD

SSDs (solid state drives) are smaller, faster, and more durable than HDDs (hard disk drives). However, you’ll pay more per terabyte for an SSD.

USB and Thunderbolt

The vast majority of external drives are USB drives. USB comes in various speeds: 5Gbps, 10Gbps, 20Gbps, and 40Gbps. Faster interfaces like USB 20Gbps, USB4, or Thunderbolt are valuable for RAID hard drive setups or SSDs. USB 10Gbps is fast enough for most users and is becoming more affordable. Thunderbolt offers the highest performance but comes at a premium price and lacks widespread USB compatibility.

Connectors

The industry is gradually standardizing on the USB Type-C connector.

Backup Strategies

Follow the rule of three for backup: keep three copies of your data on two different media, with one copy offsite. Consider multiple external drives or cloud storage for offsite backups. If you use your external storage as a primary repository, have a second drive as a copy. Keep your data backed up!

Testing Methodology

Our drive tests use a Windows 11 system with a high-performance motherboard, CPU, and memory. We perform tests on newly formatted drives to ensure optimal results. Performance may decrease as a drive fills up.

Lifespan and Reliability

The lifespan of an external hard drive can vary widely. SSDs don’t wear out as quickly as HDDs. However, SSDs cells can only be written to so many times. Check the warranty and user feedback for insights. Keep your ears peeled for strange noises, your fingers crossed, and don’t drop the thing! Our best guess is that you should get at least five years with careful handling.