An external hard disk is one of the most important computer investments you can make outside of, you know, actually buying a laptop or desktop computer.
The main purpose of external hard drives is to give your computer an extra place to store files to take some of the storage pressure off of your computer’s internal hard drive.
It’s almost like renting a storage unit. And if you’ve ever rented a storage unit, you know that not all units are made the same. Some are large, while others are small. Some ventilate well. Others make you feel like you’re opening an Egyptian tomb.
The same is true of your computer’s external hard drive. Not all external hard drives are created equal, and some are definitely better than others.
A storage unit gives you a detached space to store your stuff, for good or for better. If your house burns down, any valuables kept in your storage unit would be spared.
An external hard drive offers the same kind of insurance for your computer files, providing an extra measure of safety and ensuring your files will be safe and sound even if your computer crashes and burns.
In fact, your important files should ideally be located in three places: your laptop or desktop PC, the cloud, to save hard drive space, and a portable hard disk.
So what are the best external hard drives for storage purposes? Let’s dive into some of our favorite models on the market, so you can select the right external hard drive for your needs.
What’s an external hard disk?
Every computer has an internal hard drive. An internal drive (not to be confused with your own personal willpower) stores all of your computer’s memory - your documents, your pictures, your videos, your software.
Just as your body can’t function without a heart, your computer can’t function without an internal hard drive. As the name implies, an internal drive is located within the laptop or desktop unit. It’s never meant to see the light of day [1].
An external drive, on the other hand, is what we might call a digital outdoorsman. It sits separate from your computer and has a very durable shell that makes it both portable and perfect for a desktop workspace.
You can think of an external hard disk as a regular, internal hard drive that has been removed from your computer, given its own lovely casing, and attached to a port.
Unlike an internal drive, an external drive is not needed for your computer to function. Instead, it serves as a supplement to the internal drive, and your computer will work with or without the external drive plugged in.
This device is an add-on, and it supplements storage, providing extra space for files that no longer fit on your internal drive. If you’re a power PC user, or if you’ve just had your computer for a long time, your internal hard drive is bound to run out of storage space.
All those documents and pictures and software that you’ve been accumulating over the years will eventually take up too much of your hard drive space. An external drive is an additional storage space where you can store your files to free up important space for your internal drive.
External drives are available in varying storage capacities, but all can be connected to a computer either by USB, eSATA, FireWire, or wirelessly through Bluetooth.
Do I only need a portable hard disk if my internal drive is full?
An external drive can provide more benefits than you might imagine, and isn’t only useful when your internal drive is full. You can also use an external hard drive to:
- Make backups of your hard drive in case something happens to your computer: Computer crashes are an unfortunate fact of digital life, so make sure your important files are backed up on an external drive to ensure that important information is never permanently lost.
- Organize your files: This point is especially relevant if you’re a businessperson or creative professional. You can use an external drive to separate work files and creative files from your personal files. Your computer will be far better organized. And, besides, creative files are typically very large and take up a ton of space on your internal drive, so in many cases it’s better to store them on an external drive.
- Take files on-the-go: External drives are easy to transport, so they can provide you with a large amount of extra storage whenever and wherever you need it. They can prove very valuable for traveling professionals who need to transport information from boardroom to boardroom without lugging around a particular computer.
HDD versus SSD
HDD explained
There are two kinds of hard drives: a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid-state drive (SSD).
The HDD came first, and it’s the standard hard drive that’s used in most desktop computers. There’s a real disk in an HDD; what’s called a “platter” in computer terms. There’s also a needle. The whole thing looks like a vinyl record player, except that there are actually layers of disks underneath the top, visible one.
Basically, the disks spin into position, and the needle uses electromagnetism to write data onto the platter. Ever heard those mysterious “whirring” and “spinning” noises going on inside your tower desktop? Those are the HDD disks doing their business and writing data [2].
SSD explained
A solid-state drive has no moving parts - hence the name.
An SSD records data through semiconductors. Because an SSD has no moving parts, it’s much quieter than an HDD and doesn’t overheat as easily. It also tends to be much faster. An HDD can’t write data as quickly because it has to wait for the disks and needle to align [3].
While SSDs have speed and power advantages over HDDs, an HDD might actually be better suited for storage. An HDD is larger for the money than an SSD, so you can afford more storage space. HDDs are also more durable, so long as they aren’t dropped or banged around [4].
If you need an external hard drive to assist with intensive applications, for instance, if you’re a designer or video professional doing video rendering, then an SSD might be the better option for you because it offers faster performance.
However, for the purpose of this article, we’re focusing on the best external drives for storage purposes. This means volume is more of a priority than speed, so nearly all of the storage devices on this list are HDDs. Let’s dive in and take a look at your external drive options.
