External hard drives are required for a galore of purposes. These range from creating system backups and storing data to transferring saved game files. The most important aspect of any external hard drive is its reliability, which is simply the measure of the device failure rate.

Dec 15, 2020 The ADATA SE800 external SSD is everything you want in a shirt-pocket solid-state drive: sleek, tough, affordable, and snappy. It will make an excellent addition to your kit. Read ADATA SE800. The latest generation of the Western Digital My Passport Ultra range of external hard drives is here, coming in sizes from 1TB to 4TB, and they’re among the best external hard drives out there. The storage capacity of this external hard drive is just 250GB, but it still works great at storing numerous files. Needless to say, it is still the go-to product if you are looking for a reliable external hard drive where you can store data and other things. Buying guide for best external solid-state drives. An external solid-state drive (SSD) provides a reliable and easy-to-use way to store your data and access it quickly. The lack of mechanical moving parts in a solid-state drive allows it to quickly transfer data and reduces the chance of data loss. Most hard drives only claim reliability and durability for mechanical operation over time, but ADATA’s SD700 SSD drive offers more substantial protection. This travel-ready external hard drive uses 3D NAND technology to pack tons of space into a small form factor that allows easy pocket entry and removal.

Best External Hard Drives

Here is our pick of the 15 best hard drives that offer high reliability while offering humongous amounts of storage at the same time:

#1. Adata SD700 External SSD

A great reliable hard drive option that is also not that pricey is the Adata SD700 External SSD. The hard drive offers powerful performance and is one of the few SSDs to receive an IP68 rating. Adata SD700 External SSD comes with rugged packaging, shielding it from external damage. Unlike the traditional spinning hard drives, the Adata SD700 relies on solid-state drive mechanism and hence, offers superfast data transfer speeds.

Capacity – 1 TB
Interface – USB 3.0

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#2. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC

Compatible with both Mac and Windows systems, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is a reliable external hard drive that is a budget buy. It comes with a USB 3.0 cable and a rugged case that is resistant to both dust and water. In addition to protecting the data against external factors, Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC comes with 256-bit AES security. The NFC allows you to unlock the drive on the fly and access files simply by tapping the NFC card onto the drive’s body.

Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB
Interface – USB 3.0

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#3. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt

The Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt offers support for devices with Thunderbolt port. A Thunderbolt port offers data speeds about twice as fast as the standard USB 3.0 drives. The reliable external hard drive comes with a USB 3.0 port, nonetheless, for using with non-Thunderbolt devices.

Compared to other Thunderbolt external hard drives, the Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt has affordable pricing. This is due to the external hard drive’s reliance on a traditional hard drive in place of an SSD.

Capacity – 1 TB/2 TB
Interface – Thunderbolt/USB 3.0

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#4. G-Technology G-Drive

Relying on the spinning disk technology, G-Technology G-Drive external hard drive comes in a number of storage capacities. Thanks to its support for Thunderbolt 3 specification, the external hard drive is an ideal companion for the MacBook Pro.

G-Technology G-Drive comes in 4 TB and 8 TB variants. The 10 TB hard drive version of the storage unit is excellent for serving multiple purposes, ranging from creating system backups to carrying game libraries and saved files around. All variants of the drive are highly reliable.

Capacity – 4 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB
Interface – USB 3.1/Thunderbolt 3

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#5. iStorage diskAshur

The iStorage provides external hard drives to government and full-fledged organizations. Reason being, they offer security measures unmatchable by other external hard drive makers. Nonetheless, the iStorage diskAshur is one of the best reliable options to go for personal use. iStorage diskAshur comes with the 256-bit AES encryption as well as multiple forms of protection for ensuring no one with malicious intent can access the data. Astonishingly, iStorage provides provision for configuring the hard drive to self-destruct in case of tampering. Though iStorage diskAshur is almost 4 times as costly as its contemporaries, it has security standards that no other brand is able to offer.

Capacity– 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB/ 12 TB/ 14 TB
Interface – USB 3.1

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#6. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive

Although expensive, the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive is one of the most reliable and fastest external hard drives available in the market. Theoretically, it can give out as much as 5Gbps of data transfer speeds via its USB Type-C port. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive flaunts an aluminum finish and is one of the best USB Type-C external hard drives available in the market. The external hard drive consists of five, 800 GB platters in a 15mm form factor.

Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 4 TB/ 5 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB
Interface – USB Type-C

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#7. Samsung T5 SSD

For those buyers aiming for a reliable, rugged, and fast external hard drive, one great option is the Samsung T5 SSD. The T5 lineup builds over the previous T3 series of hard drives that are also considered to be one of the best hard drive series available in the market. The T5 series introduces the reversible USB Type-C connectivity. Even if you don’t have a machine that supports USB Type-C, the solid state drive provides backward compatibility for USB 3.0 and even the dated USB 2.0. Samsung T5 SSD is undoubtedly expensive, but well worth it.

Capacity – 1 TB/2 TB
Interface – USB Type-C

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#8. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive

The Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive combines extended storage capacity with speed and high reliability. The external hard drive easily outshines the competition in terms of writing as well as reading speeds. The Seagate external hard drive also offers lower than average failure rates. In addition to the Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive, you get a backup software and compatibility with both Windows and Mac running machines. Though the external hard drive comes formatted for Windows users, a little more expensive Mac-ready version is also available.

Capacity – 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 5 TB/ 6 TB
Interface – USB 3.0

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#9. Seagate FireCuda Mobile

The Seagate FireCuda Mobile performs better than a standard HDD. The reliable external hard drive has 64 MB cache and a maximum rpm of 5400. The external hard drive can offer data transfer speeds up to 6 Gbps thanks to its eSATA interface. The 2.5-inch FireCuda Hybrid external drive gives a significant storage boost of 8 GB of flash storage along with an option between 1 TB and 2 TB of storage. The external hard drive is backed by a 5-year warranty.

Capacity – 1 TB + 8 GB/2 TB + 8 GB
Interface – eSATA

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#10. Seagate IronWolf NAS

RAID-ready, Seagate IronWolf NAS external hard drive is available in a range of capacities, varying from 2 TB to 14 TB. The NAS optimization along with a maximum spinning capacity of 7200 rpm makes the IronWolf NAS one of the most affordable and reliable drives to opt for.

Capacity – 2 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB/ 12 TB/ 14 TB
Interface – eSATA

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#11. WD Blue Desktop

Western Digital offers an affordable external hard drive option in the form of the Blue Desktop series. Available in 2 TB, 4 TB, and 6 TB versions, WD Blue Desktop is compatible with most desktops and laptops. These external hard drives offer high reliability. For those requiring speedier drives, the WD Blue Desktop external hard drives are also available in 7200 RPM variants. These are much costlier than their 5400 RPM counterparts.

Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB
Interface – eSATA

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#12. WD My Book

The WD My Book external hard drive offers a perfect balance of storage capacity and price-effectiveness. It is an excellent option for storing and transferring all your games. The external hard drive is available in a multitude of storage capacities, including a 10 TB hard drive. Supporting USB 3.0 doesn’t offer as much speed as offered by some internal drives. Nonetheless, it offers humongous storage and high reliability at an inexpensive price.

Capacity – 3 TB/ 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 10 TB
Interface – USB 3.0

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#13. WD My Book Duo

A combination of two hard drives, WD My Book Duo offers a humongous storage capacity of 4 TB. The external hard drive is backed by a 2-year warranty. In order to protect against data loss, you can set up a backup of the drive using the pre-packaged WD SmartWare Pro software.

WD My Book Duo comes with a multitude of features, including being a complete NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. In order to use the reliable external hard drive as a NAS device, all you require is a router with USB 3.0 support.

Capacity – 4 TB/ 6 TB/ 8 TB/ 12 TB/ 16 TB
Interface – USB 3.0

The high-reliability external drive comes pre-formatted for Windows (NTFS). In addition to supporting 256-AES hardware encryption, WD My Book Duo comes with an enclosure that is fully serviceable.

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#14. Western Digital My Passport

Available in a range of storage capacities, the latest range of the Western Digital My Passport is here. The reliable hard drive comes with 256-AES encryption, cloud storage support, and WD’s backup software.

Western Digital My Passport hard drives offer excellent data transfer speeds, easily beating out several names on the hard drive market.

• Capacity – 1 TB/ 2 TB/ 3 TB/ 4 TB
• Interface – USB 3.0

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#15. Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro

The My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive from Western Digital comes with a complete design overhaul. The premium external hard drive resembles an external DVD drive but flaunts an onboard SD card slot, which makes it a lucrative buy for ardent photographers.

The most outstanding feature of the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive is its ability to transfer data wirelessly. It comes with a big 6400 mAh battery that allows the hard drive to be used without any wires over 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels.

• Capacity – 2 TB
• Interface – USB 3.0/Wi-Fi

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When wired, My Passport Wireless Pro relies on USB 3.0 for transferring data. The reliable hard drive, obviously, is expensive. However, it is an essential gadget for any tech-savvy professional requiring an external hard drive that is capable to transfer data without dealing with wires.

Some FAQs Regarding Hard Drives

Following are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding external hard drives:

Q: How reliable are the hard drives?
A: Different manufacturers offer different reliability rates for external hard drives. Nonetheless, most of them are highly reliable devices that can provide uninterrupted operation for several years to come.

Q: What are SATA, USB, and Thunderbolt interfaces? What are the maximum data transfer speeds?
A: SATA, USB, and Thunderbolt are the various forms by which an external hard drive is able to exchange data with compatible devices. Hence, they are called interfaces.

Each of them offers different speeds. There are several factors that restrict the external hard drives for achieving maximum rated speed. Maximum data transfer speeds for some of the most popular interface are:

• eSATA – up to 6 Gbps
• USB 2.0 – up to 480 Mbps
• USB 3.0 – up to 5 Gbps
• USB 3.1 – up to 10 Gbps
• USB Type-C – 5 Gbps
• Thunderbolt – up to 20 Gbps
• Thunderbolt – up to 40 Gbps

Q: How many years an external hard drive can last?
A: An external hard drive can last for several years. Manufacturers offer warranties for these gadgets, ranging from 1-year to 5-year, and even more in some scenarios. Typically, a hard drive can last for about 5 to 10 years. Though it can survive even further, it’s a desirable idea to replace a decade-old hard drive with a newer one.

Q: Are external hard drives portable?
A: Yes, this is one of the main reasons why people prefer to use them. Any external hard drive weighs a few hundreds of grams and is about a few inches long. Hence, it can be taken along from one place to another.

Have any queries regarding external hard drives? Please ask them via comments. We’ll be more than happy to answer back.

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Backblaze has released its data set for the full year 2018 and there are some surprises in it this time around. Annual failure rates for drives have fallen sharply in comparison with previous years as smaller-capacity HDDs have been replaced by higher-capacity counterparts. This isn’t automatically what you’d expect.

The Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) has fallen every year since 2016, from 1.95 percent to 1.25 percent. That’s a significant decline. Importantly, while this trend doesn’t hold true for every drive family, there are multiple HDDs that show lower AFRs in 2018 than in 2016. Seagate’s 10TB drive family has been particularly good, with a 0.33 percent AFR for 2018, improving on the already-low 0.89 percent AFR for 2017.

For those of you wanting an AFR comparison that stretches back farther than 2016, Backblaze has provided that data as well. The following is the AFR rating for HDDs from 4/20/2013 through 12/31/2018 for all drives still active as of 12/31/2018.

HGST drives continue to impress as far as overall AFR rates and this isn’t the first year that’s been true. Overall, these are some of the most reliable drives over time that Backblaze has tested. The complete AFR rate over all five years is 1.68 percent — higher than the 2018 data alone, but still within a very reasonable window.

External Hard Drive Reviews

The Caveats

I’ve written a version of this for every Backblaze post we do, so here’s the latest. Backblaze’s data set is not perfect. The company uses consumer drives in a decidedly enterprise context, which doesn’t remotely reflect the usage patterns these drives would receive if they were being used by an ordinary customer. It constructs and maintains its own storage pods and has iterated on these designs over time, often with improvements intended to reduce vibration or noise. This could also theoretically have an impact on drive reliability. As the video below illustrates, hard drives don’t like it when you scream at them. Always make certain to communicate with your spinning media in a thoughtful, calm voice.

Most Reliable External Hard Drive Review

The reason we continue to discuss and feature Backblaze’s data set is the same reason we refer to the Steam Hardware Survey. We know the data sets are imperfect — the SHS’s list of video cards doesn’t include multiple AMD GPUs like Vega 56 or 64 and only added the RX 570 last month. The total number of “Other” GPUs listed is 10.92 percent — more than enough to meaningfully impact the AMD versus Nvidia split listed at the top level of the page. But while these data sets are imperfect, they’re also the best window we have into an important question. HDD manufacturers do not release the kind of reliability information that HDD consumers often want and the handful of third-party studies on the topic frequently don’t identify drive vendors or models.

Most Reliable External Hard Drive

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