- Best Portable External Hard Drive For Mac
- External Ssd Hard Drive Mac
- Best Ssd External Drive
- Best Portable Ssd External Hard Drive For Mac
- Best Ssd External Drive For Mac
You might pay £340 for a 1TB portable SSD, whereas a 1TB external hard drive costs around £50. If you decide in favour of hard drives, see our roundup of the best Mac hard drives.
It's a Great Time to Go for a Drive
In an era when Apple charges 99 cents per month for 50GB of iCloud storage and Google offers 100GB of free storage for two years with the purchase of a new Chromebook, mainstream external hard drives might appear less essential than they once were.
But modern external drives are faster, more stylish, and often more durable than their counterparts from a few years ago. They're ever cheaper and more capacious, too. For about $50, you can add a terabyte of extra storage to your laptop or desktop by just plugging in a USB cable.
Choosing an external drive isn't as simple as buying the most expensive one you can afford, however. The capacity and type of storage mechanism are the two most important factors to consider, and each one will increase or decrease the cost dramatically depending on your needs. Other factors include the physical size of the drive (is it designed to be carted around or to sit on your desk?), how rugged it is, the interface it uses to connect to your PC, and even what colors it comes in. This guide will help you make sense of all the options. Here are the key questions to ask as you shop.
The Need for Speed: Hard Drive or SSD?
Solid-state drives (SSDs) have fewer moving parts than traditional hard drives, and they offer the speediest access to your data. Unlike a conventional disk-based hard drive, which stores data on a spinning platter or platters accessed by a moving magnetic head, an SSD uses a collection of flash cells—similar to the ones that make up a computer's RAM—to save data.
Just how much faster is it to access data stored in flash cells than those stored on a spinning platter? Typical read and write speeds for consumer drives with a single spinning platter are in the 100MBps to 200MBps range, depending on their USB interface and whether they spin at 5,400rpm (more common) or 7,200rpm (more expensive and less common). External SSDs offer twice that speed and sometimes much more, with typical results on our benchmark tests in excess of 400MBps. Practically speaking, this means you can move gigabytes of data (say, a 4GB feature-length film, or a year's worth of family photos) to your external SSD in seconds rather than the minutes it would take with an external spinning drive.
Not only is it faster to read and write data stored in flash cells than those stored on a spinning platter, but it's also safer. Because there is no spinning platter or moving magnetic head, if you bump the SSD while you're accessing its data, there is no risk that your files will become corrupted and unreadable.
While external SSDs are now readily available and cheaper than they were a few years ago, they're not a complete replacement for spinning drives. Larger external drives designed to stay on your desk or in a server closet still mostly use spinning drives, taking advantage of their higher capacities and lower prices compared with SSDs.
Physical Size Matters: Desktop or Portable Drive?
If you have a large photo or video collection—perhaps you are a photo or video editor, or maybe a movie buff—you'll likely need several terabytes of space in which to store it. So your best option is a desktop-class drive. We define these as having one or more spinning-platter drives inside and requiring its own dedicated power cable. Of course, in this scenario, your files are going to have to stay at your desk.
A desktop drive with a single platter mechanism inside will typically use a 3.5-inch drive inside and will be found in capacities up to 12TB, and most are roughly 5 inches tall and 2 inches wide. In addition to storing large media collections, these drives can also serve as inexpensive repositories for backups of your computer's hard drive that you schedule using either the software that came with the drive or a third-party backup utility.
The next size up for consumer desktop drives is about the same height but twice as wide to accommodate additional drive mechanisms in the chassis, such as with the Western Digital My Book Duo. These larger drives are more expensive but also much more capacious; the highest-capacity current models employ two drives for up to 20TB of storage. Note: In the case of these and single-platter-drive products, you're not meant to swap out the drive or drives inside.
The largest desktop drives are often much, much larger than the first two categories, so large that you'll want to stick them under your desk or in a dedicated server closet. They're mostly intended for professional use in editing studios, surveillance control rooms, and the like. Their defining characteristic is the ability to swap drives in and out easily, so they provide quick access to the drive bays at the front of the device. Most are sold without drives included, so you can install any drive you want (usually, 3.5-inch drives, but some support 2.5-inchers). Their total storage capacities are usually limited only by their number of available bays and the capacities of the drives you put in them.
At the other end of the physical-size spectrum are portable drives, some of which now use an SSD inside instead of a spinning platter to save space, as well as to increase throughput and durability. These drives can be truly tiny, weighing just a few ounces and with their largest sides measuring less than 3 inches long, like with the Samsung Portable SSD T5. Others use spinning platters and are a bit larger, like the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive, but they still fit easily in a purse or even a coat pocket. Portable drives get their power from the computer to which you connect them, through the interface cable, so there's no need for a spare wall outlet.
Need Redundancy or Extreme Speed? Consider a RAID
If you buy a larger desktop drive with two or more spinning platters, you'll almost certainly have the ability to configure the drive as a RAID array using included software. Depending on which RAID level you choose, you can prioritize capacity, speed, or data redundancy, or some combination thereof.
A collection of spinning drives configured with a RAID level designed for faster access can approximate the speeds of an SSD, while you should consider a drive with support for RAID levels 1, 5, or 10 if you're storing really important data that you can't afford to lose. Hit the link above for explanation of the strengths of each RAID level.
What Interface Should You Look For?
How an external drive connects to your PC or Mac is second only to the type of storage mechanism it uses in determining how fast you'll be able to access data. Unfortunately, these connection types are constantly changing, and the internet is littered with outdated references to legacy interface types such as eSATA and FireWire.
Right now, the fastest mainstream connection type is Thunderbolt 3, which is handy assuming you have a newer laptop or desktop with a Thunderbolt 3 port. All late-model Apple laptops have them, but they're much scarcer on Windows machines. This interface uses a USB Type-C connector and offers blazing throughput of 40GBps. As an added bonus, a desktop drive that supports Thunderbolt 3 might also come with additional DisplayPort and USB connections that allow you to use the drive box as a hub for your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and other peripherals.
You'll really only see the speed benefits of Thunderbolt 3, however, if you have a drive that's SSD-based, or a RAID array. If you'd rather save money than time transferring your data, if you're buying a desktop drive with a single platter-based mechanism inside, or if you have a PC that lacks Thunderbolt 3, you'll want to make sure your drive has a USB connection. Nearly every recent drive we reviewed supports USB, and the same goes for laptops and desktops.
Not all USB ports are created equal, though. The most prevalent is the standard rectangle shape (called Type-A) that's been present on devices for decades. The oval-shaped Type-C connector is quickly gaining traction, though. It's capable of supporting the USB 3.1 standard in addition to Thunderbolt 3, though most Type-C ports include only the former. If you buy a drive with a Type-C cable, make sure it also includes a cable with a rectangular Type-A plug if your PC lacks a Type-C port. Otherwise, you'll need to buy a separate cable or adapter.
Do You Need to Go Rugged?
If you carry your drive around frequently, you'll want to pay attention to how rugged the drive is. Some models include plastic bumpers, and some even meet military standards for shock and dust protection. (Look for support for specifications such as IP67 or IP68.)
And of course, if you're carrying your drive around with you, you want it to look nice. Some, like the Samsung T5, come in multiple colors, while others, like the ADATA SD700, are super-slim and ready to be tossed in a pocket.
Perhaps the only thing you don't need to pay much attention to is the warranty. If your drive breaks because you damaged it, the warranty likely won't cover it. Even if the drive fails because of a manufacturing defect, most warranties simply replace the drive and don't cover the cost of recovery services that attempt to rescue your data from the broken drive.
Let's Look at the Top Models We've Tested...
Also know that you can find external drives that do way more than just store your data. Some include SD card readers to offload footage from a camera or drone in the field, while others have built-in Wi-Fi and can double as an all-in-one home media server. Some of that kind even come with extra-large batteries that can charge your smartphone while you're on the go.
To get you started in the right direction toward the right add-on backup/storage solution, below are 10 of the best drives we've tested of late, at a variety of prices and capacities. Some are SSD-based, while others are platter.
Best External Hard Drives Featured in This Roundup:
CalDigit Tuff Review
MSRP: $179.99Pros: Rated to survive 4-foot drops. Certified waterproof and dustproof. Comes with USB 3.0 and USB-C cables.
Cons: Warranty limited to two years. SSD option is still unreleased.
Bottom Line: Not only is the CalDigit Tuff a rugged hard drive designed to survive extreme conditions, it's also a terrific value.
Read ReviewWestern Digital My Book Review
MSRP: $249.99Pros: Comes in a variety of large capacities. Three-year warranty.
Cons: Requires external power adapter.
Bottom Line: With a full 8TB for less than $250, the 8TB version of the Western Digital My Book is a deep well of affordable storage for your photos, music, videos, and more.
Read ReviewADATA HD830 External Hard Drive Review
MSRP: $109.99Pros: IP68 resistance to water and dust. Highly crush-resistant chassis. Aggressive price for capacity, build. Two colors to choose between.
Cons: On the heavy, bulky side for some. Only waterproof and dustproof when the USB cover is closed. Could use a Type-C cable.
Bottom Line: It's brawny, but the ADATA HD830 offers superior protection and value for the money in a rugged external platter-based drive.
Read ReviewLaCie Mobile Drive Review
MSRP: $94.95Pros: Slick, faceted design. Solid-feeling aluminum enclosure. Useful LaCie Toolkit software handles backup and restore, as well as mirroring. On-the-mark performance.
Cons: A little hefty. Toolkit utility requires a download.
Bottom Line: A metal-skinned gem of a platter hard drive, the LaCie Mobile Drive looks great and performs on point. It's geared to macOS users, but it will please anyone with an eye for style in their gadgets.
Read ReviewSamsung Portable SSD T5 Review
MSRP: $799.99Pros: Excellent performance. Includes USB 3.0 and USB-C cables. Compact. Android-, Mac-, and Windows-compatible.
Cons: While a comparable good per-gigabyte value, the drive itself is expensive.
Bottom Line: Samsung's Portable SSD T5 drive has a speedy USB-C interface, plenty of reliable storage, and it takes up about as much room in your pocket as a short stack of credit cards.
Read ReviewSeagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch Review
MSRP: $89.99Pros: Fabric-covered enclosure. Small and light. Seagate Toolkit provides handy backup/recover functions, as well as mirroring. Data protected by password and AES-256 hardware encryption.
Cons: Fabric cover a bit slippery to grip. Seagate Toolkit a separate download.
Bottom Line: Combining on-point performance and strong encryption, Seagate's Backup Plus Ultra Touch portable drive is a great choice for everyday backups and security-first use alike. Plus, a fabric coat adds appeal.
Read ReviewAkitio Thunder3 RAID Station Review
MSRP: $369.99Pros: Excellent connectivity options and transfer speeds. Solid build quality and attractive aluminum finish. Easy disassembly. Cooling fan can be disabled. No software required for Macs. Hardware RAID controller.
Cons: Expensive. SATA interface limits read/write speeds. Only 27W of power delivery.
Bottom Line: With its wealth of ports, the Akitio Thunder3 RAID Station is both a connectivity hub and a capacious external hard drive for multimedia content creators.
Read ReviewBuffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC Review
MSRP: $129.99Pros: Built-in USB cable. Ruggedized. Dust and water resistant. Hardware encryption. Mac and PC format utility.
Cons: NFC card is easy to lose. Doesn't unlock via smartphones.
Bottom Line: The 1-terabyte Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC has a built-in cable you can't lose, a rugged chassis that will survive a rough daily commute, and an NFC card and reader add some security to this portable hard drive.
Read ReviewSamsung Portable SSD X5 Review
MSRP: $699.99Pros: Extremely fast data transfer speeds, thanks to Thunderbolt 3 and PCIe NVMe interfaces. Multiple capacity options. Sleek design.
Cons: Expensive. Heavy. No USB support. Difficult to connect to Windows PCs.
Bottom Line: The sleek, expensive Samsung Portable SSD X5 offers the fastest single-drive external storage money can buy, but it's suited mainly to well-heeled content-creation pros using late-model Macs.
Read ReviewWestern Digital My Passport Wireless SSD Review
MSRP: $499.00Pros: Durable. Built-in SD card reader and USB port. Plex support. Doubles as a power bank.
Cons: Expensive. No Thunderbolt support.
Bottom Line: The Western Digital My Passport Wireless SSD is pricey, but this feature-packed drive can do much more than just wirelessly transfer files.
Read Review
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Apple has already started to ship MacBook with SSD and Windows laptop manufacturers are also following the same. SSDs are consuming low battery power compared to HDD. What makes it stand out is its thundering speed in copying, reading, booting OS etc. When you transfer files or use time machine with the latest SSD laptops, you have to use external SSD for the same speed and performance. For Mac users, while using time machine (see best SSD for Mac), external SSD with Thunderbolt port ensure maximum speed.
Whether it is Mac or Windows OS (see best SSD for Windows), it is time to switch from traditional spinning platter portable hard disk drive (HDD) to SSD for fast data transfer. Portable SSDs are ideal for photographers, and business persons who are traveling a lot and want to keep their data safe. The External SSDs will consume less battery power. Since there are no moving parts, external SSDs are safe from an accidental drop or impact, ideal to keep while you travel.
After quite a bit of analysis, we present our list of the best External SSD for Windows, Mac, and Android that are excellent in performance and decent in pricing.
Samsung T3 Portable SSD
When it comes to SSDs, Samsung rules the market. Samsung T3 Portable SSD is our best pick so far for external SSDs. This external SSD is developed with the TLC V-NAND technology and offers a storage capacity of up to 1TB packed in a compact console. With lightning-fast read-write speeds, this portable device is a top contender when it comes to SSDs. This SSD for mac and android offers a sequential data transfer speed of up to 450 MB/s. Also, the AES 256-bit encryption algorithm protects your data.
The compact shock resistant metal case SSD ss coming with USB 3.1 type C, to make sure fast data transfer. You can also use this external SSD with other older devices supporting USB 2.0 ports using the included USB Type-C to Type-A adapter. This portable SSD is compatible with Windows and Mac OS and also good to work with Android devices to backup data from Android phone and tablet. For Mac and PC users, this external SSD’s storage space can partition and format to use with Mac and PC. With this setup, there is no need to buy separate external SSD for Mac or PC.
Well, if portability is your key requirement, we advise you to go for this portable SSD. With Samsung’s credibility and guarantee, you can enjoy robust data transferring experience throughout.
Best Portable External Hard Drive For Mac
Buy from Amazon: Samsun T3
External Ssd Hard Drive Mac
SanDisk Extreme 500
SanDisk Extreme 500 is one of the best external SSD for computer users, photographers, videographers and graphic designers who need to transfer or back up large files on the go. The SanDisk Extreme 500 offers a sequential read speed of 430MB/s and a sequential write speed of 400MB/s. This high-speed SSD for Windows and Mac is capable of reading/writing at lightning speed. In addition to the improved design and robust features, SanDisk Extreme 500 comes with 128-bit AES encryption software that helps you protect all your files wherever you go.
This external SSD hard drive comes with a durable case and compact design. The presence of USB 3.0 gives you lightning fast speed, either in copy or writing. Moreover, the drive can work for both USB2.0 and 3.0. There is no additional power sources or power banks are required for this External SSD to operate. This portable external SSD is compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 and Mac OS 10.4+.
This external SSD can be connected to car audio system with the prescribed USB ports to play the song from SSD itself. SanDisk Extreme is ideal bet for those who are looking for external SSD drive for Android devices to back up the device data.
Buy from Amazon: Sandisc Extreme 500
PNY EliteUSB 3.0 Portable SSD
The PNY Elite Portable SSD is one of the most compact SSDs we ever tested. This external SSD is very compact and easily portable, offers a storage capacity of up to 480GB with combined lightning transfer speeds. This portable external SSD for Mac and Windows offers 430MB/s sequential read, and 400MB/s write speed. The PNY’s Elite Portable SSD offers fast transfer mode with built-in USB 3.0 port. This external SSD hard drive is intended to meet the requirements mainstream PC users, photographers, graphic designers who are always on the go.
Moreover, the data encryption software and helps you protect all your files. The Acronis True Image Data Protection Software that comes with this SSD helps to backup all important data instantly as a whole image. The PNY Portable SSD is compatible with Windows, and Mac OS X and earlier versions of OS. PNY External SSD also supports Windows To Go andautomatically detects the drive. When compared with other portable external SSDs, we found that this device cannot be used as a hard drive for PC as it comes in a sealed unit. Again, it cannot be used as a custom flash drive and can’t be connected to car stereos, etc.
Best Ssd External Drive
If you are looking for a handy and compact SSD, we advise you to take a look at this product. Being light and small help you extremely well with the portability factor.
Buy from Amazon: PNY Elite
MyDigital Portable SSD
MyDigitalSSD is a portable external SSD that helps to store all your files safely. This external SSD is capable of giving mammoth read/write speeds. With four times the speed of a traditional hard drive, users can run operating systems, play games, stream media, and utilize programs directly from this portable SSD. The optimised sequential read speed clocks up to 465MB/s and the sequential write speed clocks to 445MB/s (peak values). The new robust and compact design makes this SSD portable and easy to use. This external SSD for Mac and Windows supports USB 3.0 which gives you up to 10x faster file transfer than USB 2.0. Moreover, this device can be a portable link to your media collection. Hence you can simply transfer movies, music directly to the external SSD and enjoy entertainment on the go.
Furthermore, this external SSD also supports devices that have USB 1.1, USB 2.0, and USB 3.1. This External SSD is coming with two USB cables, 8-inch USB 3.0 cable for standard USB ports and one 18-inch USB Type-C cable. In fact, the improved endurance factor helps you give greater read/write speed. Now coming to the compatibility part, this portable SSD works well with Windows and Mac OS and certain Android devices with updated versions. In comparison with other models available in the market, this SSD doesn’t support partition and trim features. The speeds also decrease when you connect this device to a USB 2.0 port.
For the trim feature, you need an E-SATA or Thunderbolt interface. This device is also available in three storage variants (128GB, 256GB, 512GB).
Buy from Amazon: My Digital
SanDisk Extreme 900
The next one in our list is the SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSD. This solid-state drive helps you move photos, videos, and graphics-intense files within the nick of time. The SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSD delivers up to 850MB/s read and write speeds and promises up to 9X faster performance than any external hard drive available in the market. Furthermore, the 128-bit AES encryption software helps you protect all your important and sensitive files securely. The SanDisk SecureAccess software that comes with the product takes care of this. All you need to do is install this software and simply drop sensitive and critical files into its vault.
With the new cutting-edge technology, the SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSD is far cooler, quieter and extremely efficient than any other SSDs out there. This external SSD for mac and windows has the unique USB Type C as its only port. But don’t worry, the product comes with cables which help you get Type C-Type C and a Type C-Type A connectors. Now coming to the compatibility part, this SSD for Mac OS X v10.6+, Windows 10 and older versions. Like other SSDs, this device also drives power from the USB port and doesn’t require any other power outlet. Another small flaw is that this SSD cannot be connected to car stereos, Xbox, etc.
Best Portable Ssd External Hard Drive For Mac
Note: the SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSD is available in three storage variants, 480GB, 960GB, and 1.92TB.
Buy from Amazon: SanDisk Extreme 900
Best Ssd External Drive For Mac
There you have it, our list of the top 5 external SSDs that does excellent with invariably all major software and mobile platforms. Availability of SSDs is currently on the rise owing to its fragmentation (related to speed) and non-mechanical working that ensures its form factor and durability. If you are looking for absolute performance within a reasonable price tag, we highly recommend you to take a look at our list. The above mentioned SSDs meet all the basic criteria and functioning needed for a smooth experience.