Best external hard drives to buy right now?

I have a quick question for the group—I’m currently looking into picking up an external hard drive to serve as a central hub for my photos, videos, and gaming library. My main concern, however, is whether it's actually feasible to run games directly from the external drive—meaning, I’d rather launch them straight from the device itself instead of having to transfer the entire game file over to my PC's internal storage every single time I want to play.

I've been eyeing this particular model.

http://www.bestbuy.com/default.aspx?tabid=406

Does anyone actually have a handle on this? I’d love to hear some genuine perspectives.

First off, that link you posted is dead, but whatever.

Second, installing a game onto an external USB drive isn't exactly a genius move. USB 2.0 is way slower than a standard SATA connection, so you're basically looking at sluggish load times. Honestly, I'm not even sure if some games would let you install them on an external drive at all... some would probably just throw an error and quit.

The link was working fine yesterday morning, though—I suppose things just change.
So, if I understand this correctly, I should look for an external drive that connects via SATA, and that would finally get me the results I'm looking for.

I was actually eyeing this specific drive:

Product Description = empty field 🤷

How about you just type out—or even just copy—the actual name of that external drive? 🙄

Toshiba 1TB External Hard Drive (3.5") – 7200rpm with Aluminum Enclosure

Technical Specifications:
- Capacity: 1 TB
- Spindle Speed: 7200 RPM
- Cache: 16MB
- Data Transfer Rate: 480 Mbps
- Power Supply: Includes dedicated AC adapter (5V, 2A)
- Interface Type: USB Mini-B (5-pin)
- Interface Speed: USB 2.0 High Speed
- Dimensions: 4.5" W x 7.4" D x 1.4" H
- Weight: 1.19 kg (approx. 2.6 lbs)
- OS Compatibility: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 and Mac OS 9.x or later

Does anyone happen to know of a better option out there?

Look... you’d also need a motherboard with a native e-SATA controller or an expansion card to make it work... and even then, some games might just refuse to run off an external drive.

It would be a lot easier if you just told us what kind of rig you're running and what your actual goal is. If you've got a desktop, just slap another internal drive in there and call it a day. If you're on a laptop, you'd need one with e-SATA support. And if your plan was to install a game on an external drive just so you could lug it from computer to computer? Yeah, that’s not going to work. Every single program, including games, has to register itself in the Windows Registry during installation to set up permissions, configurations, and all that other junk...

As for installing games on it... well, let's just say you might want to track down someone with an eSATA interface if your heart is set on recording positions, because the installation process (for all intents and purposes) almost always defaults to the "Windows disk."

If you're looking at USB 2.0 specifically for movies or photos, it might actually be a smarter move to grab a 2.5-inch drive so you aren't constantly wrestling with external power supplies; honestly, I think Best Buy
has had plenty of those available for ages.

I’ve got this old clunker of a PC, but I’m planning to beef it up just enough to squeeze a few more years out of it for some lighter gaming—before I finally bite the bullet and buy a modern rig.

Pentium 4 2.6
512 Mb RAM
Graphics Card - Nvidia Geforce 5200, 128 mb
80 gb Hard Drive, Seagate
Motherboard: ASRock > Products > P4i65G

I'm looking at picking up an external hard drive so I can move everything over to it. Regarding games, I wanted to ask if they'll actually run okay from an external drive? Also, for music and movies, I obviously want to store them there so I don't end up cluttering up my internal storage. One more thing—in your experience, how reliable are these things? Are they actually built to last, or will they fail me after a year or two?

First off, my apologies if this has been covered before—I don’t have the bandwidth to dig through old threads since I'm just browsing on my phone right now. I could really use some quick input because I'm heading out to pick up an external hard drive in an hour or two, and I'm still on the fence about whether I actually want it.
So, here's the deal...
Do I actually need to install Windows on the drive itself just to run games? Or can I just load the games onto it?
My plan is to take my current PC, head over to a friend's place or someone else's house, and plug in my drive to see if the games will work there.
Does the external drive need its own Windows installation for that to happen, or not?
Also, if I do end up installing Windows on it, will my computer prompt me to choose which drive to boot from when I turn it on?
Thanks.

Hey everyone!
I have a question for you all. 🙂 I’m looking to pick up a 2.5" external drive to move some stuff off my computer and my old DVDs—mostly photos, books, documents, and movies. I found a couple of options with 640 GB capacity for around $167 bucks, and I was wondering if there are any specific brands or models I should definitely stay away from? Honestly, I’m just trying to find the cheapest option with the most storage space possible without buying absolute junk. I'm eyeing these two specifically, so what do you guys think?

Transcend StoreJet 25 D3 640GB Hard Drive
StoreJet 25 D3 640, 640 GB, USB, 8 MB, 2.5", 5,400 rpm
Warranty: 36 months
Gross weight: 0.450 kg
Technical specifications:
Cash price:
$169

Transcend StoreJet 25 M3 640GB Hard Drive
External Mobile HDD 640GB, 640 GB, USB, 8 MB, 2.5", 5,400 rpm, Dimensions 134x80.8x18.8mm, Weight 206g, Rubber Case-Anti-Shock, Model StoreJet 25 M3
Mobile PN: TS640GSJ25M
Warranty: 24 months
Gross weight: 0.450 kg
Cash price:
$176

Am I right in thinking the main difference is that the second one has a rubberized coating, so maybe it won't take damage as easily? Do you have any better suggestions within this price range?

Also, a quick question since I'm a total newbie here—is USB 2.0 slower than USB 3.0? And can you plug a USB 3.0 external hard drive into a laptop that only has USB 2.0 ports? If it works, does the speed just drop down to USB 2.0 levels, or does the transfer become even slower because they aren't fully compatible?

Thanks!

rustyranger6 said:3.5" External Hard Drive | 1TB Toshiba | 7200rpm | Aluminum Case | USB 2.0

That would be it. This model.Right? 😉

rustyranger6 said:I've got this old junker of a PC, but I’m going to beef it up a bit so I can squeeze a few more years out of it for gaming before we finally bite the bullet and buy a new one.

Pentium 4 2.6
512 MB of RAM.
Graphics card - Nvidia Geforce 5200, 128 MB
80 GB Seagate hard drive.
Motherboard. ASRock > Products > P4i65G

I’m looking at picking up an external drive so I can move everything over. Specifically, I wanted to know if they're actually decent for running games? As for music and movies, obviously that's the plan—I'm trying to stop clogging up my PC's internal storage. Also, does anyone know what their prices are looking like lately? Reliability., i Longevity.?

ASRock > Products > P4i65G

Take a look at this: Hard Drives - Procurement.net

Maybe you'd be better off just picking one of those WD external drives from the list. Honestly, they're actually cheaper than the Toshiba anyway. 🙂

@ Karen Ortiz83

At that price point, you're probably not going to find a cheaper 640GB external 2.5" drive. Sure, there are 500GB models out there from brands like Transcend, Toshiba, or WD, but we're all looking for the best bang for our buck here, right? 😉

I don't think this is junk either; honestly, the warranty length alone is enough proof of quality.

The later model (25M) mostly features a rubberized, shockproof casing that actually meets US military standards.

USB 3.0 is significantly faster than USB 2.0 (5 Gbps vs 480 Mbps). Even though there are still fewer devices supporting the newer standard compared to the old stuff, they are backward compatible. If your laptop only has a USB 2.0 port, the transfer speed will just match that older standard.
Take the Transcend StoreJet 25 D3 or the StoreJet 25 M3, for example—you can pick up those 500GB versions for a bit more than $167 at retailers here in the States. Check them out on http://www.amazon.com/. 🙂

That’s just not how it works. It can't be done like that.

Noah Sanchez39 said:...
USB 3.0 is way faster than USB 2.0 (we're talking 5 Gbps versus 480 Mbps), and even though there aren't quite as many devices supporting the newer standard yet compared to the older ones, they are still "backward compatible." So, if your laptop only has a USB 2.0 port, the transfer speeds will just drop down to match that older standard.
... 🙂

Thanks for such a detailed breakdown. 😉
That’s exactly my thought process—I want the most storage possible for the lowest price, but I don't want to sacrifice quality. The options out there are so varied, isn't it? It makes it really tough to judge what's actually good and what's junk. I've been browsing Amazon and a few other sites, but I figured I'd come here to get some real opinions first. 🙂
One more thing—if I end up getting a drive with USB 2.0, is that basically becoming obsolete? I tend to hold onto my tech for about 4 or 5 years. Right now, I'm using an older laptop, but if I upgrade to a new one in a year or two, am I going to have to toss this drive because everything will be USB 3.0 by then? I mean, I could still use it, right? It would just be limited by those slower speeds?

darkowl72—was your comment referring to Noah Sanchez39's point about USB 2.0 and 3.0? 🙂

Karen Ortiz83 said:Thanks for the detailed breakdown. 😉
Exactly. My goal is simple: maximum storage capacity for the lowest possible price without sacrificing quality. The options out there are all over the place right now, making it a total headache to figure out what’s actually worth buying and what’s just junk. I've been looking through everything... Procurement.com Some people aren't even using it, so I figured I’d come over here and see what everyone thinks. 🙂
One more question—if I pick up a drive with USB 2.0, isn't that tech basically obsolete already? Look, my gear usually lasts me at least four or five years. Right now, I'm rocking an older laptop, but if I upgrade to a new one in a year or two, am I just going to end up tossing this drive because everything will be USB 3.0 by then? Can I still actually use it, or will I just be stuck dealing with those sluggish speeds?

USB 2 isn't quite as "dead" as everyone thinks, especially since USB 3 still hasn't fully hit the mainstream.[Link])

If you aren't losing sleep over the lower capacity, just grab a 2.5" external hard drive (USB 3, 500GB). It’ll work fine with USB 2 right now, and by the time you actually upgrade to a new laptop, it’ll almost certainly support the USB 3 standard anyway. 😉

Check out the Transcend site here: http://www.transcendusa.com/products...c1No=&Func2No=

Noah Sanchez39 said:That would be this specific model, wouldn't it? 😉

ASRock > Products > P4i65G

Take a look over here: Hard Drives - Best Buy

Honestly, you might want to consider picking one of those Western Digital external drives from the list instead—they tend to be a bit easier on the wallet than the Toshiba options. 🙂

That’s the exact external model I was thinking of.
I've been browsing the Western Digital lineup as well—I checked at Micro Center, but their prices seemed a little steep, though I did manage to find some cheaper WD units elsewhere.
How reliable are these things, really? Is the build quality actually on par with what you'd expect from an internal hard drive?

rustyranger6 said:That's the external model.
I've been looking at WD, but they're pricey over at Best Buy; managed to find some cheaper WD options elsewhere.
How reliable are they? Are they on par with internal hard drives?

I've been running two different capacity WD internals at home for years now, both tucked inside Icy box enclosures. Both have held up fine. 👍
I assume their external versions are just as reliable and long-lasting.

I've been rocking some WD 500GB 3.5'' external drives, specifically from the Volume 2 series, for a few years now. Honestly, haven't run into any real issues with them.

Just waiting on prices to dip a bit (and for the right model to pop up), then I’ll probably grab a WD 2TB 2.5'' with USB 3.0. In my opinion, there's zero point in buying USB 2.0 anymore unless you're in a massive rush to get a huge drive.

Hey there!

I was gonna start a whole new thread but figured I’d just toss this question out here and see if anyone can help me out... So, basically, I've got this laptop (Seagate BarraCuda) and I'm looking to pick up a Hard Drive with at least 500GB capacity just so I have a spot to stash all my files... Now, full disclosure, I am totally clueless about this stuff, so if someone could point me toward what's actually better—like, should I just grab a ready-to-go external drive that comes in its own case, or would it be smarter to buy a bare hard disk plus an enclosure? Honestly, I don't care what it looks like, I just don't want something massive and clunky on my desk... though I am wondering how much money I'd actually save going the DIY route? Also, I'm completely lost when it comes to all those different ports like USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0, and I have no clue what my laptop even supports or how to check... I guess I'm just looking for the sweet spot: something with at least 500GB (maybe more!) for around $90, where the data transfer speeds aren't painfully slow... HELP (and if you have any links with prices, that would be awesome!)