USB-C is certainly the port of the future, so grabbing a USB-C hard drive for your MacBook or MacBook Pro is the best way to take all of your files, music, photos, and more with you wherever you go without clogging up your Mac's own hard drive.
Sponsored Links Should you wish to get the best in the business, you would be hard pressed to find a better USB-C hard drive than Samsung T5. What stands out T5 is the beastly performance. The read-write speeds of up to 540 MB/s make it a top-notch pick. Advanced AES 256-bit hardware encryption ensures your data has the maximum shield to remain secure. With the solid metal design, it’s readied to endure wear and tear. Lastly, T5 is backed by a three-year warranty and comes in four storage variants such as 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB (starting price: $79.99.) USP: Read-write speeds of up to 540 MB/s.
Sponsored Links #2. My Passport Ultra from Western Digital If you want to have a more affordable yet exceptionally functional Mac hard drive, Western Digital’s My Passport Ultra would be a fine option. WD is made of high-grade metal and sports matte finish.
The pretty light and compact design make it pocket-friendly. You can use its software to connect with cloud services and social media to import your photos or files. 256-bit AES hardware encryption ensures your data has the needed safeguard. It lets you create a strong password to enable hardware encryption. Additionally, My Passport Ultra comes in four storage variants like 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, and 4TB (starting price: $59.99.). Sponsored Links Thanks to the smooth, the hard drive can easily slip into your pocket.
Lastly, G-Technology provides a limited three-year warranty. USP: Highly efficient #4. G-Technology R-Series Yet another hard drive from G-Technology. But the R-Series has packed in with more power that makes it at par with the best. The highlight of SSD R-Series hard drive for Mac is the blazing fast transfer rates up to 560MB/s.
That means you will be able to manage your files efficiently. Aside from the rapid transfer speed, the external hard drive sports a rugged design that can help it survive up to three feet drops. IP67 water-resistance further boosts its longevity.
Even better, G-Technology provides a reliable five-year warranty on R-Series. USP: Rapid transfer rate plus IP67 water-resistance #5. Silicon Power At $99.91, Silicon Power Armor A85M (4TB) seems to be a steal. The HFS+ format and Time Machine support makes it fully capable of handling your files. With a ton of storage in the offing, you will have desired luxury to manage your large files. Talking about design, A85M features impressive unibody. Due mainly to the strong aluminum casing, it’s shockproof (military-grade certified).
That’s not all, this USB-C hard drive is IP68 waterproof and backed by a three-year warranty. USP: Impressive unibody (Military-grade certified) #6.
SanDisk SanDisk knows how to produce the finest SSD. And this one sits right at the top along with the likes of T5 and even R-Series. The prime reason why I rate it so highly is the wicked speed (up to 550MB/s).
Courtesy the lightning fast speed, you will have complete control over to heavy videos, photos, and files. Moving beyond the rapid transfer rate, the hard drive has received IP55 that does seem to be the downside. But in most cases, it should be sufficient to survive the low impact. Moreover, SanDisk SSD comes in four capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB with price starting at $83.74. USP: Fast and secure #7. LaCie Porsche Design LaCie Porsche Design promises to be a smart pick. There are three qualities that I would like to highlight.
First and foremost, the hard drive is one of the most affordable options with the 2TB variant is priced at just $89.99. Plus, it’s available in up to 8 storage capacities like 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB, 6TB, and 8TB. The second, 5 GB/s speed is more than good enough to take control of large files. Regarding design, the aluminum enclosure looks adorable and can also withstand shock. Besides, you will choose your SSD in three nice-looking colors such as silver, gold, and rose gold. USP: Competitive price/multiple storage capacities #8.
LaCie d2 Professional Never want the storage capacity to hit rock bottom? You should keep LaCie d2 Professional in mind. When I first had an interaction with d2 Professional, the one thing that caught my attention instantly was the massive 10TB storage capacity ($399.94) option. If you want to offer a safe haven to your tons of data, this one should be a great pick. Aside from the 10TB variant, it also comes in 4TB ($199.94) and 6TB ($249.94) models.
240MB/s speed should be more than sufficient to handle your large files. Regarding design, the aluminum unibody gives it a pro look and also boosts the longevity. Moreover, the company offers a reliable data recovery service for five years with this hard drive. USP: 10TB storage capacity option #9.
LaCie Rugged This is the third USB-C hard drive from LaCie in this roundup. Looking at the profile, I don’t think many of you would question its inclusion. The highlight of this external hard drive is the rugged design that can fight out bumps effortlessly. But that doesn’t mean it looks bulky or less pocket-friendly. It comes in only 4TB storage capacity that should be abundant for your truckload of data.
5Gb/s interface means you won’t have to encounter lagging while transfer files. Besides, the $159.94 price tag seems to be reasonable against what you get in return. USP: Impact-resistant design/5Gb/s interface #10. Seagate Fast SSD Seagate’s “Fast SSD” may have been placed at the 10th position but don’t go by the ranking as it’s one of the finest USB-C hard drives for Mac. Starting from the storage capacity, Fast SSD comes in four models such as 250GB, 500GB, 1B, and 2TB. So, you have multiple options to pick from.
As for price, it’s reasonable (starting price $84.99). As far as performance is concerned, the 540MB/s transfer speed puts it in the elite league. Thus, you would be able to take control of high-resolution videos and photos immaculately. Plus, the folder syncing feature makes it a bit easier to handle files. USP: Folder syncing feature That’s pretty much it!
This sums up our roundup of the most efficient hard drives for macOS device. Your top bet? I guess your boatload of data has finally got a safe haven. Which one is it? Share the qualities that you have found appreciable in it.
And yes, tell us about the one should have been included in the above list. You may also like:. Give a to stay in sync with all-things-Apple and follow us on as well as to keep track our latest posts with ease.
REVIEWS FROM OUR LAB The Best External Hard Drives for 2019 Last updated October 5th, 2018 1:00PM EST Laptop running out of storage space? Need to back up your photos and videos? From straightforward desktop drives to wireless SSDs that can offload footage from a drone camera, external storage is faster, cheaper, more versatile, and more stylish than ever. We've outlined everything you should consider when adding storage along with the top drives we've tested, both flash- and platter-based. PCMag has been testing external hard drives since before consumer SSDs were even a thing.
Our top picks are based not only on results from our rigorous benchmark tests, but also on our examinations of software features, drive durability, and overall value. We get it, you're rough on your equipment. Sometimes you break your $99 budget external hard drives before you've paid off the credit card you used to buy them. The 2TB CalDigit Tuff ($179.99) is hardy enough to survive the slings and arrows of business travel, even if you're a wildlife photographer or a foreman on a construction site. It's able to take a hit, it's waterproof and dust-proof, and it's very affordable given the amount of storage you get. Put this all together, and it's enough for the Tuff to earn our latest Editors' Choice award for rugged hard drives.
Pros: Rated to survive 4-foot drops. Certified waterproof and dustproof. Comes with USB 3.0 and USB-C cables. Cons: Warranty limited to two years. SSD option is still unreleased. Bottom Line: Not only is the CalDigit Tuff a rugged hard drive designed to survive extreme conditions, it's also a terrific value. If you're addicted to downloading videos and snapping up every game you can find online, chances are you need inexpensive, voluminous storage to house it all.
The 8TB version of the Western Digital My Book ($249.99) can hold thousands of hours of video, or millions of MP3s or photos. It's backward-compatible with current and older Macs and Windows PCs, a plus right now as USB standards are changing. With a good mix of capacity, pricing, and performance, it's a shoo-in as our latest Editors' Choice for desktop external hard drives.
Pros: Comes in a variety of large capacities. Three-year warranty. Cons: Requires external power adapter. Bottom Line: With a full 8TB for less than $250, the 8TB version of the Western Digital My Book is a deep well of affordable storage for your photos, music, videos, and more. Solid state drives like the 2TB Samsung Portable SSD T5 ($799.99) buck the 2.5-inch form factor of their portable hard drive predecessors. Since don't need to house a spinning platter, they're a whole lot smaller and easier to slip into a small pocket. While our capacious 2-terabyte test drive may be too expensive if you simply want to back up files from your laptop, its speed and capacity are suited to well-heeled digital packrats and graphics professionals.
Pros: Excellent performance. Includes USB 3.0 and USB-C cables. Android-, Mac-, and Windows-compatible. Cons: While a comparable good per-gigabyte value, the drive itself is expensive. Bottom Line: Samsung's Portable SSD T5 drive has a speedy USB-C interface and plenty of reliable storage.
It takes up about as much room in your pocket as a short stack of credit cards. Rugged, portable, and trendy, are the obvious path these days to netting fast extra storage for your PC or Mac. And although it's not nearly the household name that SSD giant Samsung is, ADATA offers external drives that compete with the storage big-leaguers at aggressive prices. A refresh of the we reviewed two years ago, the ADATA SE730H ($149.99 for the 512GB version we tested) introduces USB-C-to-USB-C data transfers with a potential ceiling of 10Gbps, over a USB 3.1 Gen 2 connection.
It's compact, it's waterproof, and—best of all—it's fast, if not much faster than your typical external SSD. And, for the amount of storage space you're getting, it costs less than the 500GB version of our Editors' Choice, the ($164.99). Pros: Spiffy look. Pocket-size, all-metal shell.
USB Type-C interface at both ends of cable. Fast performance. Resists water, dirt, and dust. Cons: Storage space tops out at 512GB. Not appreciably faster than USB 3.1 Gen 1 external SSDs. Bottom Line: The chic, compact ADATA SE730H External SSD delivers speedy data transfers over USB Type-C-and you can dunk it or drop it as much as you like. The sheer variety of ports on the Akitio Thunder3 RAID Station ($369.99) means that you can use this external hard drive not only to store mountains of data, but also to connect nearly any peripheral you might have or want to buy in the future.
This versatility joins several other selling points, including easily configurable RAID modes, the ability to disable the cooling fan, and a sturdy, well-designed enclosure to make it one of the best external RAID enclosures you can buy as long as you don't need screaming data-transfer speeds. Pros: Excellent connectivity options and transfer speeds.
Solid build quality and attractive aluminum finish. Easy disassembly.
Cooling fan can be disabled. No software required for Macs. Hardware RAID controller. Cons: Expensive. SATA interface limits read/write speeds. Only 27W of power delivery.
Bottom Line: With its wealth of ports, the Akitio Thunder3 RAID Station is both a connectivity hub and a capacious external hard drive for multimedia content creators. Your business data is likely the most important thing you carry with you, and your backups need protection, too. The 1TB Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC ($129.99) will protect your data physically and electronically, since it's a rugged hard drive with 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and hardware-based Near-Field Communication (NFC) security features. It's worth considering if you're paranoid about your data and hard on your equipment.
Pros: Built-in USB cable. Dust and water resistant. Hardware encryption.
Mac and PC format utility. Cons: NFC card is easy to lose.
Doesn't unlock via smartphones. Bottom Line: The 1-terabyte Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC has a built-in cable you can't lose, a rugged chassis that will survive a rough daily commute, and an NFC card and reader add some security to this portable hard drive. The LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive ($149.95 for 2TB) has style in spades. With a slim, all-aluminum body, this is an attractive external hard drive that's also capable of super-fast transfer speeds.
That being said, looks aren't everything. On a per-gigabyte basis, this drive won't give you the best bang for your buck, and is pretty minimalist in terms of extra features—two major reasons why the 4TB remains our Editors' Choice for external hard drives.
Pros: Sleek design and lightweight aluminum body. Good performance. 256-bit AES encryption.
Includes both USB 3.0 and USB-C cables. Cons: A little pricey. Few extra features. Bottom Line: The 2TB LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive is a thin and super-fast portable hard drive that is not only attractive, but also USB-C compatible. If you store all your data in the cloud, it might be hard to fathom an external hard drive doing double duty as a status symbol. That's exactly what the sleek, wildly fast, and eye-wateringly expensive Samsung Portable SSD X5 ($699 for 1TB) is, though. Following in the footsteps of both Samsung's own flagship external drives like the and design-forward works of hard drive art from LaCie and others, the X5 offers copious amounts of solid-state storage at extreme speeds, thanks to its use of the cutting-edge Thunderbolt 3 and PCI Express NVMe interfaces.
It would make a killer gift for Mac-bound video editors who shoot in 4K or photographers who work in RAW, but it's overkill for pretty much anyone else. Pros: Extremely fast data transfer speeds, thanks to Thunderbolt 3 and PCIe NVMe interfaces. Multiple capacity options. Sleek design.
Cons: Expensive. No USB support. Difficult to connect to Windows PCs. Bottom Line: The sleek, expensive Samsung Portable SSD X5 offers the fastest single-drive external storage money can buy, but it's suited mainly to well-heeled content-creation pros using late-model Macs. The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim ($99.99 for 2TB) is a travel-friendly portable hard drive with a high storage capacity.
While extras are limited, the cost per gigabyte, thin design, and transfer speeds are highly appealing. The 4TB hard drive has more features and double the storage for $50 more, but if portability is your main concern, this drive is a straightforward and affordable way to have more than enough space for your files and media on the road. Pros: Good storage capacity, transfer speeds, and value. Stylish, thin design. NTFS driver for Mac included.
Includes 200GB of OneDrive cloud storage for 2 years. Cons: Basic feature set. No rubber feet for grip. Bottom Line: The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim is an external hard drive that provides 2TB of storage space, quick data transfer speeds, and a sharp, super-slim design for just $100. A collection of spinning drives configured with a RAID level designed for faster access can approximate the speeds of an SSD, while you should consider a drive with support for RAID levels 1, 5, or 10 if you're storing really important data that you can't afford to lose.
Hit the link above for explanation of the strengths of each RAID level. What Interface Should You Look For? How an external drive connects to your PC or Mac is second only to the type of storage mechanism it uses in determining how fast you'll be able to access data. Unfortunately, these connection types are constantly changing, and the internet is littered with outdated references to legacy interface types such as eSATA and FireWire. Right now, the fastest mainstream connection type is Thunderbolt 3, which is handy assuming you have a newer laptop or desktop with a Thunderbolt 3 port.
All late-model Apple laptops have them, but they're much scarcer on Windows machines. This interface uses a USB Type-C connector and offers blazing throughput of 40GBps. As an added bonus, a desktop drive that supports Thunderbolt 3 might also come with additional DisplayPort and USB connections that allow you to use the drive box as a hub for your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and other peripherals. You'll really only see the speed benefits of Thunderbolt 3, however, if you have a drive that's SSD-based, or a RAID array.
If you'd rather save money than time transferring your data, if you're buying a desktop drive with a single platter-based mechanism inside, or if you have a PC that lacks Thunderbolt 3, you'll want to make sure your drive has a USB 3.0 connection. Nearly every recent drive we reviewed supports USB 3.0, and the same goes for laptops and desktops. Do You Need to Go Rugged?
If you carry your drive around frequently, you'll want to pay attention to how rugged the drive is. Some models include plastic bumpers, and some even meet for shock and dust protection. (Look for support for specifications such as IP67 or IP68; see.) And of course, if you're carrying your drive around with you, you want it to look nice. Some, like the Samsung T5, come in multiple colors, while others, like the, are super-slim and ready to be tossed in a pocket. Perhaps the only thing you don't need to pay much attention to is the warranty. If your drive breaks because you damaged it, the warranty likely won't cover it.
Even if the drive fails because of a manufacturing defect, most warranties simply replace the drive and don't cover the cost of recovery services that attempt to rescue your data from the broken drive. Let's Look at the Top Models We've Tested. Also know that you can find external drives that do way more than just store your data. Some include SD card readers to offload footage from a camera or drone in the field, while others have built-in Wi-Fi and can double as an all-in-one home media server. (.) Some of that kind even come with extra-large batteries that can charge your smartphone while you're on the go. To get you started in the right direction toward the right add-on backup/storage solution, below are 10 of the best drives we've tested of late, at a variety of prices and capacities.
Some are SSD-based, while others are platter. For more options, also take a look at our guides to the, the we've tested, and, for PC builders and upgraders, the.