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. Solid-state drives (SSDs) have fewer moving parts than traditional hard drives, and they offer the speediest access to your data.

Hard drives may get you more capacity for your dollar by far, but first you need to consider a major difference in external storage these days: the hard drive versus the SSD. Our article concludes with a detailed spec breakout of our top choices.īuying Guide: The Best External Hard Drives for 2023 Read on for our labs-tested favorites, followed by the buying basics you should know when buying an external drive. This guide will help you make sense of these and many more questions that arise while you're shopping for an external hard drive.įirst off: We've outlined below our top picks among external hard drives we've tested. 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. The drive capacity is the most important factor to consider, and it can increase or decrease the cost dramatically depending on your needs. For about $50, you can add a terabyte of extra storage to your laptop or desktop by just plugging in a USB cable.Ĭhoosing an external drive isn't as simple as buying the most expensive one you can afford, however.

They're ever more capacious for the money, too. But modern ones are faster, more stylish, and often more durable than their counterparts from a few years ago. In an era when many gigabytes of cloud storage storage cost a mere few dollars per month, and trim, slim external SSDs are getting cheaper, external hard drives, based on spinning platter disks, might appear less essential than they once were. Read our editorial mission (Opens in a new window) & see how we test (Opens in a new window). Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions.

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