Best external hard drives to buy right now?

Alright, look, I'm planning on picking up an external drive sometime down the road, but there's one thing bugging me. My current laptop doesn't even have a USB 3.0 port, and honestly, I don't see myself upgrading anytime soon. So, it feels like a total waste of cash to spring for an external HDD with a USB 3.0 connection if it costs more, you know? What I really want to know is: how much of a standard is USB 3.0 on new computers being sold right now? I mean, who knows—maybe this old laptop of mine finally kicks the bucket, or I stumble upon a killer deal on a new rig, or something else entirely happens. Since I plan on using this external drive for a long time, I need to be smart about it.

One more thing—what's the deal with Adata when it comes to actual quality? I can't help but notice they're way cheaper than Western Digital, Transcend, or Seagate. Like, you get way more storage space for less money, which looks tempting. As for the others, from what I've gathered, Transcend gets all the praise, and while WD used to be the gold standard, they haven't seemed to hold that reputation lately.

Keith Rodriguez27 said:So, I'm planning on picking up an external drive sometime down the road, and there's this one thing on my mind. My current laptop doesn't actually have a USB 3.0 port, and honestly, I don't really have any immediate plans to upgrade to a new machine, so it feels like a waste of money to pay extra for an external HDD with a USB 3.0 connection if I can't take advantage of it right away. Basically, I was wondering how much of a "standard" USB 3.0 port is on all the new computers you see in stores today. Because, you know, life happens—maybe this laptop of mine (which isn't exactly cutting edge) finally gives up the ghost, or maybe I stumble upon a great deal on a new computer, or something else entirely happens, and since I plan on using this external drive for a pretty long time, I guess I should be thinking ahead.

And another thing—regarding brand quality, what's the deal with Adata? I couldn't help but notice their prices are significantly lower compared to WD, Transcend, or Seagate, to the point where you actually get more storage space for less cash. As for the others, from what I've gathered, Transcend gets a lot of praise, and while WD used to have a stellar reputation, I feel like that hasn't been quite as true lately.

A standard 1TB USB 3.0 HDD is sitting at about $283 right now—that's what I shelled out for my Western Digital. Some people might argue that it doesn't really matter which type of drive you go with, I suppose.

A buddy of mine uses an HDD Apollo drive, which isn't exactly a household name, and it's got a USB 2.0 port. He couldn't even save a certain video clip, apparently because the file was too big—around 4 GB—even though he had about 100 GB of free space left, whereas my drive just swallowed it up without any issues.

If you're even remotely considering swapping out your laptop later on, it’s probably smarter to grab something with a USB 3.0 port, mostly because the transfer speeds are basically twice as fast when time is the factor; if you only have USB 2.0 ports, the USB 3.0 drive will just scale back and run at those slower USB 2.0 speeds anyway.

I ended up going with Western Digital, mainly because so many people claim they're still the top tier, based on some research from back in 2012.

http://external-hard-drive-review.toptenreviews.com/

http://askville.amazon.com/brand-ext...uestId=5021334

@Well, more than 200 companies have churned out hard disk drives over the years. But with all the recent industry consolidation, most production has narrowed down to just three major players: Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_di...movable_drives

Keith Rodriguez27 said:So, I’m planning on picking up an external drive sometime soon—nothing immediate—and there's one thing bugging me. My current laptop doesn't have a USB 3.0 port, and honestly, I don't have any plans to upgrade my machine anytime soon, so it feels like a waste of cash to pay extra for a USB 3.0 external HDD if I can't actually use the speed. Basically, I wanted to ask how much of a "standard" USB 3.0 port is on new computers you find in stores today. You never know—maybe this old laptop of mine finally bites the dust, or maybe I'll stumble upon a great deal on a new PC, or something else entirely—but I intend to use this external drive for quite a while.

Also, one more thing regarding brand quality—what's the deal with Adata? I couldn't help but notice their prices are noticeably lower than Western Digital, Transcend, or Seagate, and you even get more storage space for less money. As for the others, from what I've gathered, Transcend gets a lot of praise, and while Western Digital used to be the gold standard, I feel like their reputation hasn't been quite the same lately.

Look, USB 3.0 is the standard now and it's fully compatible with USB 2.0 anyway—it won't really change the price of the drive much, so just grab the USB 3.0 version regardless of whether your computer supports it or not.

Adata drives are solid, and having that 3-year warranty is a nice little bonus.

Benjamin King2 said:USB 3.0 is the industry standard and it works perfectly fine with USB 2.0. It barely adds anything to the price tag anyway, so just grab the USB 3.0 version regardless of whether your PC even supports it or not.

Adata drives are solid, and honestly, having that 3-year warranty is a huge plus.

Yeah, once I actually did some digging, I realized the price gap is basically nothing. I'm definitely going with the 3.0 version.

Alright, thanks. 👍

I’m planning on picking up another external hard drive pretty soon myself.
Right now, I’ve got a Toshiba Store art v3 (that black and red one) with USB 2.0, and honestly, it’s been a workhorse—I’m more than happy with it. Ideally, I’d love to grab the newer Toshiba Store art v4 with USB 3.0, but I can't seem to find it anywhere in the States. I even did a deep dive on Amazon and other international sites, but it looks like it's totally unavailable everywhere. Does anyone have any clue why that is?
When I'm hunting for an external drive, I have a very specific checklist I need to hit:
- Budget should be around $110
- Needs to be USB 3.0
- 2.5" format, ideally as small and portable as possible
- Single USB cable connection to my PC or laptop
- Shock resistant and preferably has some rubberized coating
- Reliable and just plain easy to use

After doing some digging to see what fits that description, everything seems to boil down to either Adata or Transcend StoreJet drives.
I'm currently torn between these two options:
Adata:
http://www.amazon.com/example-adata-drive
Transcend StoreJet (though I noticed they have a 750GB version too)
http://www.amazon.com/example-transcend-storejet

I’d really appreciate any suggestions on which would be the absolute best buy in terms of price, quality, and performance. If there’s another model out there that checks all my boxes, please don't hesitate to throw it my way.
PS.
At the end of the day, nothing beats a recommendation from someone who actually uses the thing. Real-world experience is the only way to know the true pros and cons.

If I were picking between those two, I’d definitely go with the Adata—it’s a newer model, and honestly, compared to that Storejet, it feels like an absolute tank. You can check out this deep dive review if you want the full breakdown: http://www.kitguru.net/components/ha...le-hdd-review/

Honestly, I was leaning towards the Adata option too—especially after stumbling upon a tip somewhere that they actually pack Toshiba drives inside them. It definitely makes them feel like a safer bet.
I just have a few lingering questions about this Adata drive before I pull the trigger:
1. Does the USB 3.0 standard play nice with the older USB 2.0 ports I’ve currently got on my desktop and laptop? I assume it works, just at much slower speeds, right?
2. If I go ahead and format the thing using NTFS, will it actually work with my Strong 8203 DVB tuner, or am I better off sticking with FAT32 if my main goal is watching movies through the tuner?
3. From what I could tell, the cable included with this drive looks like a standard USB cable, rather than that Y-shaped USB cable you see with the Transcend StoreJet drives. I’m asking because if it isn't that specific setup, I'm not sure how I'll even get it hooked up to the tuner.

Thanks in advance for helping me clear this up.

1. Exactly.
2. Look, you really ought to know this—don't you have a manual for that tuner somewhere? Borrow a drive from a friend or something and just test it out.
3. If the manufacturer thinks the enclosure needs a Y-cable, they’re going to include one. Period. Usually, if a drive comes with a Y-cable, it's because the thing pulls more juice than a single USB port can actually provide—so the real question is whether your receiver can handle that power draw. Does your receiver even have two USB ports that you need to plug both into? Or what's the actual issue here?

1. That’s exactly what I figured.
2. I'll just have to test it out in the real world.
3. This whole cable situation is actually a big deal for me because my digital tuner only has one USB port. I think it's probably best if I head down to a Best Buy or something and check exactly which cable comes in the box before I pull the trigger on a purchase.

While I was killing time browsing online, I stumbled across this IBM drive:

Price-wise and spec-wise, it’s pretty much in the same ballpark as the Seagate option. The only catch is it isn't rubberized or shockproof, so I’d have to pick up a padded carrying case to go with it. Since I’ve had good luck with my current IBM drive, I’m definitely considering this one—plus, I know for a fact it’s reliable and uses a single-cable setup.
Now I just need to hunt down a decent, deep-dive review.
I'm still debating if it's even worth shelling out the extra cash for the 750GB version.

Since I noticed the Seagate CH11 and NH13 series come in both 500GB and 1TB versions, it really feels like it'll just come down to tiny technical nuances or maybe just gut feeling at this point.

Thanks again for all the help and for clearing things up for me.

I wasn't really part of the actual discussion, but based on all the feedback and Benjamin King2's recommendation yesterday, I ended up picking up an Adata DashDrive HD710.
(In the mix were both Adata and Western Digital drives; the last Western Digital WD Caviar I bought actually died just ten days after the warranty expired, so that one was definitely out of the running.)
It might be a little early to start singing its praises, but my first impression of the Adata is honestly really great!

- The drive casing has this rubberized finish that makes it shockproof and water-resistant, yet somehow it doesn't feel overly bulky or clunky. If you value reliability and portability over having a flashy, high-end look, I don't think there's a better option out there right now. Plus, I really like how they tucked the USB cable right into the housing frame—it's a nice little touch for portability.

- The USB 3.0 works perfectly fine even when plugged into a USB 2.0 port. Naturally, your transfer speeds are going to depend on which port you're using, but in my case, even the slower 2.0 connection feels plenty fast enough.

- Adata includes their HDDtoGO software, which offers a few different features like syncing data between your main hard drive and this portable one, or even locking the drive. You can certainly use it if you want, but it's totally optional.

- And last but certainly not least, it comes with a 3-year warranty...

Benjamin King2, thanks so much for the suggestion!

No problem at all—honestly, it should probably serve you better than that Western Digital drive anyway. 🙂

Hey everyone,

I’ve been scrolling through the last few pages of this thread—it’s quite a read!—and honestly, I am feeling totally torn about what to pick.
So, here's the deal: I need to grab an external hard drive. When I first started browsing online, I was leaning heavily toward a 1 TB Western Digital, but after reading some of the posts in here, I’m starting to have second thoughts about going with WD. Now I'm wondering... what is actually the absolute best move here? $333(And, obviously, I’m looking for the best bang for my buck—you know how it is!) I also can't help but wonder if it's actually possible to find something truly high-quality, like that ADATA-in model everyone seems to be talking about. Originally, I was aiming for something in the 750GB to 1TB range, but now I'm even considering a 500GB drive—though only if it turns out to be an absolute steal. If anyone could suggest a solid 750-1000 GB option, I’d really appreciate it. From what I can gather, the specs seem pretty much identical across the board, unless there's some sort of major difference in the bundled software—which, if I'm being honest, I don't quite understand myself.

Honestly, you can't beat Hitachi—it’s basically a total steal. It’s got a snappy 7200 rpm drive, plus their backup software is easily the best I’ve ever laid eyes on.

I'm looking to pick up an external drive mostly to stash away some data—mostly movies, music, games, and stuff like that. Maybe I'll even plug it into my TV here and there to watch a movie from my collection. 😁 I used to have a 500GB one, but I guess that filled up way faster than I expected.
My main goal is to get the most storage possible for the money. I’ve got about $150 on hand, though I suppose $200 might be $467 my absolute limit if I really need to stretch it.

So, what do you guys think about this one:

Is it actually any good?
Are there any risks with picking something like this?
Do you have any other suggestions since my needs are pretty basic?

Larry Taylor3 said:I just care about getting the most bang for my buck when it comes to capacity.

Well, if that's the case, you aren't really making a choice—you're just following the path of least resistance. Once you decide you need anything larger than a 1 TB Western Digital, your hands are basically tied. You won't find any other brands offering 2 or 3 TB drives available at any local big-box retailer here in the States.

Benjamin King2,

Could you walk me through what exactly you suggested for data security?

Why is this the best way to go—and what is it, really?

Think about Network Attached Storage (NAS)—you basically just plug it into your router via an Ethernet cable and call it a day. If you throw four drives into a RAID 5 setup, you’re pretty much set when it comes to backups—even if one of those disks decides to kick the bucket, you just swap it out and keep moving. You end up with three drives worth of actual storage space, while the fourth one handles the redundancy.

I just got back from vacation and haven't even had a chance to pick up a new hard drive yet.
I was originally leaning toward the Adat Nobility NH13, but now I've got my eye on the Adata Superior SH12 (which Benjamin King2 was vouching for).
Since we're talking about Adate, wearyotter11, what's your take on the Adata DashDrive HD710? Is it still holding up alright?
By the way, what's the deal with the cable for connecting to the PC—does it need extra juice from two USB ports, or is one enough? I'm assuming all Adate drives follow that same setup.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Hey everyone. I’ve been scouring the web trying to track down an LG XD5 somewhere, but at this point, it’s looking pretty hopeless... It’s actually kind of hilarious—when I reached out to LG support, they basically told me they had no clue where I could even buy their own products, lol.
Does anyone have a bright idea on where to look?

That specific model isn't being manufactured anymore—it’s officially off the assembly line.