Best external hard drives to buy right now?

goldencrane72 said:I was wondering if I pick up an external hard drive with USB 3.0, would it actually work on an older computer that only has USB 2.0 ports? My thought process is that I might as well invest in one now since I’ll likely be upgrading to a newer machine with USB 3.0 in a year or two anyway.

Yeah, you can absolutely run it on a 2.0 port; I’m actually in the exact same situation myself.
The one I picked up works perfectly fine, and I've been quite happy with it so far. 🙂

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/external-hard-drives/
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-S2-U.../dp/B003UT2QTQ

darkowl72 said:you can grab basically any drive... just make sure the enclosure actually has an e-SATA port, otherwise you’re just wasting your time... if you're sticking with USB, honestly, the WD solutions are way more reliable...

and if your PC doesn't have e-SATA, you can bridge that gap using this and that...

Am I reading this right? If I'm bouncing an external drive between different setups—including some older rigs—and I don't want to spend my entire afternoon waiting for files to crawl over—these cables will give me faster transfer speeds?
Is the speed boost actually noticeable?
Also, any recommendations for a 500GB drive paired with a decent enclosure for this kind of setup?
The other option people around here seem to swear by is the WD ELEMENTS SE PORTABLE 500GB.
Would switching to SATA cables really make a massive difference?

It’s backward compatible with USB 2.0, sure, but if your computer doesn't actually have a USB 3.0 port, you’re essentially stuck recording at those ancient, glacial speeds of the older standard. In other words, prepare to sit there and wait.
As far as the SanDisk Extreme Portable goes, you really can't go wrong there. That said, internal SATA communication is obviously going to be faster.

SanDisk Extreme Portable or WD My Passport? 🙂

Look, I’ve laid out the comparison right here for you. We are talking about essentially the exact same drives, just housed in different shells. Though, looking closer, I see the second one actually comes with a USB 3.0 upgrade. Honestly, for a measly fifty bucks difference, it’s a total no-brainer to go with the upgrade.

Hmm, looks like I'm shouting into the void here—nobody's replied yet. Honestly, I'm starting to think it’s not because everyone's clueless, but maybe I just phrased the question like an idiot.
So, here's the deal: can a coaxial cable - eSATA bracket ($10) and
$10 a coaxial cable - eSATA ($13) actually speed up data transfers on computers that don't have a native SATA port?
My gut feeling says no, but let's be real—my technical knowledge is pretty thin on this stuff, which is why I'm asking.
If the answer is actually yes, would we see a noticeable boost in real-world speeds, or is it just one of those things that looks good on a spec sheet?

Paul Cox52 said:Well, I haven't heard back from anyone yet. I’m starting to suspect it isn't necessarily a lack of knowledge—though that's always a possibility—but rather that I might have just phrased my question poorly. It's easy to overlook the details when you're typing things out quickly, isn't it?
So, I was wondering—does anyone here have experience with using a SATA to eSATA bracket? I've been looking into it lately—mostly because I'm trying to figure out the best way to expand my storage setup without making a complete mess of my desktop tower. It seems like one of those small hardware tweaks that could either be a total lifesaver or just an unnecessary headache, depending on how you approach it.$10It looks like your message was cut short! If you have a specific post or some text you need me to rework, just paste it here. I’m ready to dive in and give it that polished, authentic American feel—keeping things detailed, conversational, and perfectly tailored to the persona. Just send it over whenever you're ready!
$10 eSATA Cable - eSATA ($13Is there any way to speed up data transfers on computers that don't have an available SATA port?
I suspect that might not be the case—but then again, my own expertise in this area is pretty limited, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.
If that’s the case, I have to wonder—is there an actual, measurable difference we can point to, or is it all just theoretical? It feels like one of those situations where someone makes a bold claim on paper, but when you actually put it to the test, the real-world impact is practically nonexistent.

I have to be honest—I’m a little lost as to what you're actually asking me here.
If your computer features available SATA ports, you can easily pick up an eSATA bracket to connect external drives—it’s a pretty straightforward fix. However, if you're working with an older machine that lacks SATA ports entirely, an eSATA bracket won't do much for you—it acts merely as a connector, not a controller, so it can't magically create connectivity where none exists. To actually add SATA support to those legacy systems, you’ll need to look into something like a dedicated expansion card... ovoga.

Casey Long2 said:I gotta be honest, I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at here.
If your rig has SATA ports, you can just grab an eSATA bracket to hook up drives externally. But if there aren't any SATA ports at all—like on those really old motherboards—then an eSATA bracket won't do you any good since it’s just a connector, not a controller. To actually get SATA working on a machine that doesn't have it, you'd need something like this.

But hey, you hit the nail on the head. My actual question was whether there's a way to speed up the data transfer itself—meaning, looking at the controller side of things, not just the physical plug. It wouldn't break the bank, but I figured it might not even work, and honestly, who knows how much of a speed boost you'd actually see?
Anyway, it all seemed like too much of a headache, so I just went ahead and picked up a Seagate One Touch.

Hey everyone!
I was wondering if it's feasible to use an external hard drive while I'm ingesting and editing video footage straight from a digital camera. Specifically, I'm curious if USB 2.0 is going to be too much of a bottleneck for that kind of workflow??
Thanks!

You can always use it....
I think it's too slow, but hey, maybe it isn't for you? If you can breeze through everything you need to do without a hitch, then go for it. Try it out and see. If it crawls, it sucks. If not, then it works for your workflow. 👍

Quick question—I’m looking to pick up a new external drive specifically to play movies off of (I plug it directly into my Apple TV 4K), mostly just .mkv files at 1080p or 720p.

Right now, I’ve been using a 1TB Seagate Expansion Desktop via USB 2.0, and honestly, it’s been great.

I noticed that the 1.5 TB Seagate Expansion desktop is actually pretty cheap ($197), which would make it a better deal than grabbing a new Basic model.

What I really want to know is—does it have the same data transfer speeds (since I'm running it through the USB on my Medical device)? What’s the actual difference between those two drives?

The Seagate Expansion usually sports a beefier, more rugged chassis—plus, they typically pack faster drives in there with higher cache levels—but honestly, once you plug it into a USB port, those specs don't really move the needle for you. If your Seagate Expansion Desktop is doing the job right now, then an Expansion should be perfectly fine too.

Greetings, everyone! I am considering purchasing a 1 TB Seagate Expansion Desktop... so I was wondering if anyone here has any firsthand experience with this specific external hard drive and the software bundled with it—specifically that Smartware utility?

Hey everyone! I'm circling back to this old thread. 🙂
Since I didn't end up buying an external hard drive a few months ago, I've been keeping an eye on prices—and I just stumbled upon this:

Seagate Expansion 750GB, USB 2.0 ADATA
ADATA offers the ultra-slim NH92 portable hard drive. At only 12 millimeters thick and weighing just 152 grams, it's actually one of the thinnest and lightest aluminum portable drives out there. It even comes with a custom leather pouch, which might appeal to those who care about aesthetics. It’s available in three pretty colors: light silver, cherry pink, and ocean blue.
Manufacturer: ADATA
Model: HDD 750GB Seagate Expansion
PN: ANH92-750GU-CSV
Warranty: 36 months
Gross weight: 0.333 kg

Technical specifications:
HDD 750GB Seagate Expansion, 750 GB, USB 2.0, 8 MB, 2.5", 5,400 rpm
Credit card price:
$185

Cash price:
$174

It seems like a decent deal for 750 GB. It doesn't have any rubber coating or extra drop protection, though I suppose the little pouch should offer at least some basic shielding. What do you all think? I don't know much about ADATA outside of their memory cards, so I'm really not sure what their drive quality is like.

http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=8437
I’d much rather go with this one—it’s got 1 TB and runs at 7,200 rpm.

James Fisher11 said:http://www.amazon.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=8437
I'd personally go with this one—it’s got 1 TB and a faster 7,200 rpm speed.

That one looks great, really, but it's a 3.5" drive. I'm actually hunting for a 2.5" model since weight and size are pretty huge factors for me here.

Well, look, maybe try finding one with USB 3.0 support—assuming your motherboard even supports that option, if not, then you're out of luck. I can't seem to track down a decent 2.5'' drive that actually hits 7200 rpm.


If you don't have USB 3.0 but you're dead set on a 2.5'' model, just grab this Seagate drive.

James Fisher11 said:Well, maybe try looking for one with USB 3.0—assuming your motherboard even supports that, otherwise you're out of luck. I can't seem to find a decent 2.5'' drive that hits 7200 rpm.
http://www.bestbuy.com/products/detail...2urd640a/40972
http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=9230
If you don't have USB 3.0 but really want a 2.5'' size, just grab that Seagate expansion.

Hehe, I definitely want the 2.5''. That single inch makes such a huge difference—mobility is everything to me.

I don't have 3.0; I'm rocking an old Dell Latitude 4. 🙂I figure by the time I buy a new laptop in a year or two, they'll either have plenty of internal storage built-in—meaning I won't need massive external capacity for a while—or I'll finally have the cash for a better hard drive with 3.0. 🙂

In about three years—actually, probably sooner than 😁—USB 3.0 will be a total relic of the past, completely phased out by Thunderbolt 🙂 honestly, just grab some 2.0 gear while it's still cheap, like a Seagate Expansion

And besides, what on earth is the point of having a 7,200 RPM drive if you're bottlenecking it all through a USB 2.0 connection anyway?

So, I just bought something on eBay... an external drive, or at least that's what I thought. Turns out, I wasn't reading the fine print very carefully, and all I actually ordered was the empty enclosure—just the protective box for a 2.5" SATA drive. My mistake, I suppose. Now I'm sitting here wondering what the best move is. Does anyone know what kind of internal drive I should buy to slide into this thing so I can actually have a working external hard drive? I do have a standard internal hard drive lying around somewhere... do you think I could somehow hook that up to create a USB output? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.