In this post we will talk about the best external hard disks in general, differentiate their types, give tips on how to properly take care of them and more. All this to help you choose the best external HD for you.

Types of External Hard Drives

There are two types of external HD’s: the external HD’s desktop and the portable. Both are highly recommended, but it is important for you to analyze which one will be most appropriate for your utility.

But if you’re interested in just keeping your data somewhere else, whether it’s for backup or just not using your notebook or computer storage, we recommend you buy a desktop HD, which has more storage capacity but are approaching 3.5 “.

Regardless of your choice, by default, it will have a USB output (be it 3.0 or 2.0) that will allow the transfer of data from your device to the HD.

We should also mention the latest technology in this area, which is the USB-C outputs. It is faster than the conventional USB 3.0, however, as it is an extremely recent technology, there are few drivers and devices that are already found with these inputs natively.

Desktop HD’s

This type of HD usually stays fixed on a desk at home or at work. They are about 3.5 inches and weigh more than laptops. It is worth remembering that this type of device must be connected to an external source of energy to operate.

If this is your case and an HD of this type is what you are looking for, it is highly recommended to look for a model that has a built-in cooling fan or system, as this will improve its performance and increase the life of the device.

These desktop models have a capacity ranging from 6 TB up to 8 TB and are more suitable for large companies and offices, serving well as a great place to store your photos and documents.

Portable HD’s

When dealing with portable HDs, they are most often used and recommended for users whose mobility is a relevant factor. They are lighter and smaller, and because of that, they are easy to transport. Depending on the model chosen, it can even fit in your pocket.

They have a 2.5-inch mechanism and are powered through a single cable connector, without the need for an external power source to operate.

However, these portable models have lower capacity compared to desktop models. The same can vary from 1TB up to 4TB and are most often used to make backups and store some files. They are best suited for home use or even small offices.

Factors to consider when purchasing an external hard drive

Safety

Regardless of your choice, we expect the device to meet our needs for several years, but like every appliance, this also has a limited shelf life. But of course we can increase this useful life by taking due care of, for example:

• Purchase a case that will protect it against dust and moisture
• It is not recommended to access your external hard drive on public computers because of the risks of it being infected by some virus
• High temperatures are also harmful to the appliance, so keep it away from sources of excessive heat
• The HD stores the data on a magnetic disk and, if exposed to magnets or other magnetic devices (such as microwaves, speakers, etc.), they can permanently damage the device, rendering it unusable

For those users who still want to go a step further, it is worth remembering that some external HD models have the option of encrypting the data, which is always a viable option, because in this way if your device is stolen, thieves will not have access to your data.

HD Speed

For the question of the speed of the HD, we have 2 factors that influence and much in this question. We will deal with them next, but first, we must have the concept of speed well defined.

When we refer to the speed with which an HD works, we are talking about the agility of the HD in accessing and working with the data contained in it and this “agility” is measured by the RPM number (or revolutions per minute) that the same

Regarding the other factor, we have to analyze the connections that the HD has. Nowadays, the standard adopted is the USB 3.0 connections, which have transfer rates close to 5 Gbps (something between 150 and 250 MB / s). But of course we have several types of connections beyond this and we will cite a few below:

• USB 2.0: Works at a slower speed than the current standard (USB 3.0), achieving something close to 100 MB / s.
• USB 3.1: Which can be found in both USB-A (the best known standard model) and in its innovative new USB-C format (which we will talk about soon). It still reaches more than 600 MB / s, and is becoming increasingly popular, and may become the new standard in a few years.
• USB-C: It has a single and symmetrical input that can be plugged in from either side and reaching more than 400 MB / s when downloading and accessing files.
• Thunderbolt: With the USB-C format, it is the top of the line of this generation, but this connection is becoming very popular, due to the high price and the high energy consumption through it. Thunderbolt 3 is even faster than USB 3.1, easily reaching 1 TB / s.

It’s easy to replace a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse, or even the processor, but not your data, so do not take the chance and do the right thing for your external hard drive.

Now with the tips and information provided above you are ready to choose the best external HD and to help you, we have made a list of the best external HD. You can check our individual evaluation on each of them below.

Portable Hard Disk – The Best List