Comparison of the reliability of hard drives from major manufacturers. Interesting information regarding the reliability of hard drives Which external hard drive is best to buy

We have selected for you the six best external hard drives different manufacturers in three capacity categories: 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB. Among the selection criteria, we also used speed qualities, comfort of use, design and size.

The best external HDDs with a capacity of 1 TB

This volume, in our opinion, is the most optimal as a portable data storage for both backups from a home PC and a smartphone. In addition, you can easily connect such a disk to your TV and home media center to watch movies, TV series and home photo albums copied to it. We have selected two of the best external hard drives capacity 1 TB. In addition, in this volume with a higher price, but also better speed performance, you can choose from 2019 models.

ADATA HD710 Pro 1TB

This disc is interesting because, along with small in size, has good protection against shock, vibration and moisture. In addition, the manufacturer has provided this model with a convenient holder for the interface USB cable 3.0-USB 3.1. The device has good performance in both writing and reading speeds - according to tests in CrystalMark, about 110 MB/s for reading and 108 MB/s for writing. Different body colors are available - black, red, blue, yellow and even camouflage to make it easier to lose in the grass).

Seagate STEA1000400 1TB

The external drive from Seagate has an attractive design, where the top cover effectively shimmers with the edges of pyramids. But otherwise, it is an ordinary briquette with a thin line indicating the disk status in the upper part of the front side. This model is mainly attracted by its low price and good speed performance. According to tests in CrystalMark, the drive is capable of speeds of about 132 MB/s for reading and 132 MB/s for writing.

The best external HDDs with a capacity of 2 TB

Wondering what external HDD It’s better to buy in 2019; first of all, you should focus on a capacity of 2 TB. This good decision to create backup copies of data from laptop, desktop PC and smartphone. On the one hand, this is a sufficient volume for regular backup, including your photo collection, and on the other hand, with such a capacity, portable drives also use proven data recording technologies that ensure low density on the plates, which means fewer read/write errors and higher reliability, which is important for long-term storage. In addition, you can always relatively quickly find a spare disk for such a volume at a low cost.

Western Digital My Passport WDBUAX0020B 2TB

This model It is interesting, first of all, for its design, in which the manufacturer tried to please not only aesthetic qualities, but also practical ones. The body is, as it were, divided into two halves - one is completely glossy with the WD logo, and the second with a relief in the form of oblique waves. The latter quality makes it possible for the device not to slip in your hands. And, although the case here is not shockproof, it is equipped on the back with special rubber feet that dampen vibration well. The speed of the disk is at an average level and in the CrystalMark test it was about 125 MB/s for reading and 115 MB/s for writing. Minus of this device One can name a very high price - about 5,000 rubles.

Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB (HDTB320EK3CA)

External hard Toshiba drive has best ratio prices and quality. Thanks to USB interface 3.0 data is transferred quite quickly, which is confirmed by the speeds measured during testing. When reading, we registered 128.7 MB/s, while when writing - 117.3 MB/s. The data access time during recording turned out to be short - 7.7 ms. Data access time when reading, on the contrary, turned out to be below average - 18.3 ms. The case has very compact dimensions, but no additional protection the design does not provide for shock protection.

The best external HDDs with a capacity of 4 TB

In this category, it is the capacity of the hard drive that comes to the fore. Such devices may be in demand for short-term storage large areas data. These can be downloaded movies and backups systems. You should trust such disks with your photo collection and other important files with caution. High data density leaves its mark on recording technology, and it also has its own operational features. Those. If the disk fails, then all 4 TB of data can be lost at once. And there will be nowhere to quickly copy them. In any case, it is advisable to make backups on two different external drive. Our website will help you choose the best external hard drive.

Seagate Maxtor M3 Portable 4TB

A 4 TB disk will allow you to always keep not only all your educational files, but also your media files at hand. Thanks to the USB 3.0 interface, data is written and read at ultra-high speeds. We recorded 125.3 MB/s reading, while 118.2 MB/s writing. The data access time during recording turned out to be short - 7.7 ms. SafetyKey technology will protect them from unauthorized access using a strong password. The cost of the device is about 7,200 rubles.

Western Digital WD Elements Portable 4 TB

An external hard drive from WD can be called the optimal and fairly reliable option for use as storage for quick backups and everyday data. The device is small in size, with a non-standard almost square shape. The good speed qualities are also pleasantly pleasing: in the CrystalMark test they were about 130 MB/s for reading and 125 MB/s for writing. The cost of a portable disk is 7,500 rubles.

Choosing when purchasing computer hard disk, people most often do not think about its reliability. Capacity, price and recording speeds - these characteristics are given importance, and the service life of the device is measured only by the duration of the warranty. As it turned out, in vain. The fault tolerance of hard drives varies greatly depending on the manufacturer. At similar prices and capacities, drives from one company can serve well for more than 3.5 years, while another company is highly likely to fail in the first 1.5 years. And if for home computer it’s not so painful - at most the archive of photos from last year’s tour will “burn out”, then the hard drive will be dead corporate server will paralyze the work of the entire company and “present” problems for several months ahead. Even if the company defends itself backup data, then it’s all the same, buying short-lived hard disks, it will incur losses associated with their frequent replacement and downtime for repairs. The information recovery laboratory Storelab.ru decided to determine whose hard drives usually last the longest.

Durability measure

Most hard drives are produced by 6 suppliers: Fujitsu/Toshiba, Hitachi, Samsung, Seagate and Western Digital. To determine who produces the most reliable devices, we analyzed the statistics on the receipt of failed hard drives. More than 4,000 devices were reviewed: from personal computers(3.5" format to laptops (2.5").

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The data from the analysis was compared with the market shares of the companies. Obviously, the more hard drives of a certain brand were sold, the higher the percentage of those that failed. Popular models are sent to the information recovery laboratory more often than rare ones. And only a significant difference in revenue volumes and market share can indicate a relatively high or low level reliability.

It turned out that the two groups of data correlated only partially. The main difference is that the percentage of failed devices at market leader Seagate is almost 2 times higher than its share: 56.1% versus 31%. You can make an allowance for Russian specifics: according to Seagate’s own data, its share in the domestic market is more than 40%. But this fact does not fundamentally change the situation: the percentage of receipts of “dead” disks is significantly higher than the market share. This indicates the lower reliability of Seagate hard drives compared to other manufacturers. All other vendors have revenue share below market share, with Western Digital and Hitachi having a difference of nearly 11%. Thus, the devices of these companies are characterized by higher fault tolerance.

The second important indicator is the average age of hard drives at the time of failure. It, again, differs depending on the disc manufacturer and often depends on the “success” of the model. At the development stage, it is difficult to determine the durability of a hard drive. Having developed a device, the company can only conduct laboratory tests: temperature, pressure, vibration, etc. But this study, as a rule, does not show all design defects. The real test of durability is time. Shortcomings become obvious within a year and a half. If the majority of a manufacturer's hard drives survive this milestone, the product can be considered reliable.

The last time we tested hard drives of this size was in December last year. Then we managed to assemble nine drives for various purposes - for desktop computers, for home network drives, for servers and NAS operating in a telecommunications rack. Since then, several new HDDs have arrived at the test laboratory: two Western Digital enterprise-class drives - Re and Red Pro - and a seven-thousander Toshiba DT01ACA200 desktop. Three other drives belong to a previously non-existent class - drives for video surveillance systems: WD Purple and Toshiba MD03ACA200V and Seagate Video 3.5 HDD.

Some devices are still missing to complete the picture. In particular, we were unable to obtain Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD, Surveillance HDD and Enterprise NAS HDD with a capacity of 2 TB. Western Digital products are most widely represented: only WD AV, similar in purpose to Seagate Video 3.5 HDD, is missing. Unfortunately, this article does not include a single HGST device, among which corporate Ultrastar hard drives and client Deskstar hard drives with a spindle speed of 7200 or 5400 rpm have a suitable capacity. However, the wait for test samples from manufacturers is already being indecently delayed, so after the results of 15 devices had accumulated, it was decided to call it a day and finally release the second part of the article.

Since December, 3DNews has introduced a new method of testing hard drives, first tested in a comparative review of drives for the SAS interface. It most fully reveals various aspects of HDD performance and at the same time gives more clear results compared to the old one, so all 15 devices, including 9 that were already tested, were re-run through updated tests. Because of this, we could not simply add the results of an additional six HDDs to the article published in December, as we had already done with other group tests. The entire empirical part of the review is written with clean slate, and the conclusion has been adjusted in accordance with new data.

By the way, if you're interested, you can open the 2TB HDD comparison test we released in 2011 and see how desktop hard drives have changed since then. The range of companies producing drives of this type has narrowed. Seagate bought the corresponding division from Samsung, and then Western Digital from Hitachi, although HGST (as the former Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is now called) retains a large degree of independence within the WD holding. Seagate and Toshiba remain their competitors in the desktop storage market.

Buyers, of course, are concerned about other issues. For example, the fact that in recent years manufacturers have come up with so many previously unknown names of hard drives that it’s dizzying. On the other hand, brands like Caviar or Barracuda in the assortment of the two most popular retail companies have been replaced by more understandable names that reflect the purpose of the device. For WD - through color labels (Blue, Green, Black), for Seagate - in plain text (Desktop HDD, NAS HDD, and so on).

WITH technical point Hard drives have come a long way since 2011. The magnetic recording density has almost doubled: then for the 3.5-inch format platters with a capacity of 500-667 MB were the standard, and today the best HDD samples reach a volume of 1-1.2 TB per platter at spindle speeds of up to 7200 rpm (although WD still has dinosaurs with a characteristic of 600 MB per platter - in small-volume corporate models). But prices for storage devices in Russia have only increased due to the high dollar exchange rate. Actually, this is one of the reasons to pay attention to the HDD, which is quite modest in volume by modern standards - 2 TB. If even the most unassuming drives cost 5-6 thousand rubles, and the most expensive ones are sold for almost 10 thousand, it’s time to ask yourself the question - is additional volume over 2 GB needed?

Test participants

So, let's list all 15 participants in today's test:

• Seagate Desktop HDD 2 TB (ST2000DM001);
• Seagate Desktop SSHD 2 TB (ST2000DX001);
• Seagate NAS HDD 2 TB (ST2000VN000);
• Seagate Video 3.5 HDD 2 TB (ST2000VM003);
• Toshiba 2 TB (DT01ACA200);
• Toshiba 2 TB (MC04ACA200E);
• Toshiba 2 TB (MD03ACA200V);
• Toshiba 2 TB (MG04ACA200E);
• WD Black 2 TB (WD2003FZEX);
• WD Green 2 TB (WD20EZRX);
• WD Purple 2 TB (WD20PURX);
• WD Re 2 TB (WD2000FYYZ);
• WD Red 2 TB (WD20EFRX);
• WD Red Pro 2 TB (WD2001FFSX);
• WD Se 2 TB (WD2000F9YZ);

Manufacturer	Seagate	Seagate	Seagate	Seagate	Toshiba	Toshiba	Toshiba	Toshiba
Series	Desktop HDD	Desktop SSHD	NAS HDD	Video 3.5 HDD	DT01ACA***	MC04ACA***E	MD03ACA***V	MG04ACA****
Model number	ST2000DM001	ST2000DX001	ST2000VN000	ST2000VM003	DT01ACA200	MC04ACA200E	MD03ACA200V	MG04ACA200E
Form factor	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″
Interface	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gb/s
Capacity, GB	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
Configuration
	7200	7200	5900	5900	7200	7200	7200	7200
	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	600	1000
Number of plates/heads	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4	4/8	2/4
Buffer volume, MB	64	64	64	64	64	128	64	128
Sector size, bytes	4096	4096	4096	4096	4096	4096	512	4096
Performance
	210	210	159	ND	ND	140	ND	175
	210	210	159	ND	ND	140	ND	175
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
	<8,5/<9,5	<9,5/<9,5	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	8,5/9,5
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Reliability
	ND	ND	1 000 000	ND	ND	800 000	1 000 000	ND
	ND	<1%	ND	0,55%	ND	ND	ND	ND
	300 000	300 000	600 000	300 000	ND	ND	ND	ND
physical characteristics
	5,4/8,0	4,5/6,7	3,0/4,3	3,74/5,05	5,2/6,4	6,0/11,3	6,0/11,3	6,0/11,3
	ND	ND	19/21 dB	23/25 dB	27/28 dB	ND	31/31 dB	ND/31 dBA
	60/70	60/70	70/70	70/75	60/70	55/70	70/70	55/70
	ND	ND	80 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	80 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	70 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)
	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1
Weight, g	626	535	535	535	680	720	720	720
Warranty period, years	2	3	3	3	2	5	3	5
	5 581	6 650	5 841	5 670	5 290	5 980	6 216	8 056

Manufacturer	Western Digital	Western Digital	Western Digital	Western Digital	Western Digital	Western Digital	Western Digital
Series	Black	Green	Purple	Re	Red	Red Pro	Se
Model number	WD2003FZEX	WD20EZRX	WD20PURX	WD2000FYYZ	WD20EFRX	WD2001FFSX	WD2000F9YZ
Form factor	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″	3.5″
Interface	SATA 6 Gb/s	SATA 6 Gbit/s	SATA 6 Gb/s	SATA 6 Gb/s	SATA 6 Gb/s	SATA 6 Gb/s	SATA 6 Gb/s
Capacity, GB	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000	2000
Configuration
Spindle rotation speed, rpm	7200	~5400	~5400	7200	~5400	7200	7200
Data recording density, GB/plate	667(750)/ 1000	1000	600	1000	600	600
Number of plates/heads	3/6	3/6 or 2/4	2/4	4/8	2/4	4/8	4/8
Buffer volume, MB	64	64	64	64	64	64	64
Sector size, bytes	4096	4096	4096	512	4096	4096	4096
Performance
Max. sustained sequential read speed, MB/s	164	147	145	164	147	164	164
Max. sustainable sequential write speed, MB/s	164	147	145	164	147	164	164
Burst rate, read/write, MB/s	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Internal data transfer rate, MB/s	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Average seek time: read/write, ms	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Track-to-track seek time: read/write, ms	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Full stroke seek time: read/write, ms	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
Reliability
MTBF (mean time between failures), h	ND	ND	ND	1 200 000	1 000 000	1 000 000	1,000,000 (1,200,000 in NAS for 1-5 disks)
AFR (annualized failure rate), %	ND	ND	ND	0,73%	ND	ND	ND
Number of head parking cycles	300 000	300 000	300 000	600 000	600 000	600 000	300 000
physical characteristics
Power consumption: idle/read-write, W	8,1/9,5	3,0/4,1	4,1/4,4	6,2/9,1	2,7/4,1	4,9/6,5	5,9/7,3
Typical Noise Level: Idle/Searching	29/34 dBA	23/27 dBA	23/24 dBA	31/34 dBA	23/24 dBA	31/34 dBA	31/34 dBA
Maximum temperature, °C: disk on/disk off	55/70	60/70	65/70	55/70	65/70	60/70	55/70
Shock resistance: disk on (read) / disk off	65 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	65 g (2 ms) / 250 g (1 ms)	65 g (2 ms) / 250 g (2 ms)	65 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	65 g (2 ms) / 250 g (2 ms)	65 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)	65 g (2 ms) / 300 g (2 ms)
Overall dimensions: LxHxD, mm	147 × 101.6 x25.4	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1	147 × 101.6 × 26.1
Weight, g	600	600	640	700	600	700	700
Warranty period, years	5	2	3	5	3	5	5
Average retail price, rub.*	9 090	6 395	6 779	8 590	7 340	9 890	8 436

*Prices according to Yandex.Market as of July 22, 2014.

Seagate Desktop HDD 2 TB (ST2000DM001)

After the Barracuda Green brand was closed, Seagate was left with one series of classic desktop HDDs plus a slightly hybridized Desktop SSHD.

The Seagate Desktop HDD is based on 1000 GB platters with a rotation speed of 7200 rpm - the best combination currently available in a commercial 3.5-inch drive. In addition, the Desktop HDD uses a so-called nano-actuator. This is basically the same as the two-stage actuator in Western Digital drives. Actuator - an arrow carrying read and write heads. In the design of Seagate and WD, the heads are placed on an additional movable segment, due to which the accuracy of positioning of the heads on the disk track increases, and, consequently, both reliability and performance during random read/write operations.

These characteristics make the Seagate Desktop HDD a strong candidate for performance leadership. The only disadvantage of this line is that the warranty period is short by the standards of hard drives - only two years.

Seagate Desktop HDD 2 TB (ST2000DM001)

Seagate Desktop SSHD 2 TB (ST2000DX001)

This hybrid is based on exactly the same drive as the Seagate Desktop HDD, but supplemented with 8 GB of flash memory. In theory, a hybrid drive has nothing to do with classic hard drives in the same test, but an exception can be made for the Seagate Desktop SHDD simply because the hybrid is very so-so. Flash memory is used as a non-volatile cache, where the controller places the most needed data after a certain training period, and the maximum access speed to the cache contents is still far from the scale of full-fledged SSDs. The Seagate Desktop SSHD should be considered a hard drive with a bonus - nothing more. Its mechanical part is made at the highest level, and the price is no more than that of other classic HDDs.

Note: In tests with Iometer, the hybrid's non-volatile cache does not work, so they reflect the performance of the “can” itself. PCMark 7 gives a mid-range score between cached and uncached workloads.

Seagate Desktop SSHD 2 TB (ST2000DX001)

Seagate NAS HDD 2 TB (ST2000VN001)

Seagate's "green" drives have been revived in the form of hard drives for small NAS (from 1 to 8 slots). Key specifications: 1 TB platters, 5900 rpm spindle speed. The linear access speed compared to seven-thousanders with the same platters is not amazing, but the Seagate NAS HDD has other advantages: guaranteed 24/7 operation and increased fault tolerance compared to desktop drives. In addition, the disk has a permissible temperature of 70 °C in operating mode, and not 55-60 °C, like its desktop counterparts. The spindle with magnetic plates is balanced in two planes to reduce vibrations.

Seagate NAS HDD 2 TB (ST2000VN001)

The first of three drives in this review, whose purpose is related to recording and playback of streaming video content. All such products are positioned based on support for the ATA Streaming Feature Set, an extension of the ATA protocol that ensures read/write commands are executed at predictable intervals. For streaming, and even more so for continuous video recording, this is more important than data integrity (you can read more about this in the review of WD Purple drives).

ATA Streaming Feature Set support is not an exclusive feature of drives in this category. But manufacturers of highly specialized products such as the Seagate Video 3.5 HDD claim that the firmware of the latter is further optimized for maximum reliable continuous operation when recording and playing multiple video streams. Such disks are initially designed for continuous operation 24/7 with high levels of fault tolerance (time between failures, annual failure rate, etc. - for desktop HDDs these parameters are not even disclosed).

Seagate Video 3.5 HDD is positioned as an entry-level solution. The disc is characterized by a low spindle speed (5900 rpm) and guarantees simultaneous recording of up to 16 HD video streams and 20 SD format streams. Disks from a higher-level series, not represented in this test - Seagate Surveillance HDD - support up to 64 threads.

Seagate Video 3.5 HDD 2 TB (ST2000VM003)

Toshiba 2 TB (DT01ACA200)

A universal drive for desktop computers with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm and platters with a capacity of 1 TB. Unlike WD and Seagate, Toshiba does not strive to organize its products into a marketing line (this can be seen, for example, by the strict name of the model), so any other technical features of the device remained unknown.

Toshiba 2 TB (DT01ACA200)

Toshiba 2 TB (MC04ACA200E)

Here are the heavyweights among 3.5-inch HDDs - server-class drives. The MC series uses 1 TB platters with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, a larger buffer than the drives from other companies in this test - 128 MB. There are no other important details on the Toshiba website, but since the drive is server-based, 24/7 operation is guaranteed. The maximum sustainable sequential read/write speed of 140 MB/s indicated by the manufacturer clearly does not correspond to the real capabilities of the disk - but we will see this in tests.

Toshiba 2 TB (MC04ACA200E)

Toshiba 2 TB (MD03ACA200V)

Another drive designed specifically for installation in video surveillance systems - accordingly, the Toshiba MD03ACA200V is adapted for 24/7 operation and supports ATA Streaming Feature Set. The manufacturer does not report the number of recording streams for which the disk is designed. The 2 TB model from this series, participating in the review, is built on an old platform with 600 MB platters. However, given its narrow specialization, the increased performance characteristic of HDDs with a higher recording density is not required here (it is only important to guarantee continuous operation without unpredictable delays).

Toshiba 2 TB (MD03ACA200V)

Toshiba 2 TB (MG04ACA200E)

An advanced relative of the MC04ACA200E model, designed for a more intense load - the same terabyte plates and 7200 rpm. These drives are distinguished from the MC series by Toshiba Persistent Write Cache technology. Judging by information from third-party sources, the latter works as follows: in the event of a power failure, the disk controller stores the data of the unfinished sector in non-volatile memory. In the standard version, the disk simply manages to add data to the platter using the residual rotation of the spindle, but it is possible that the Toshiba method is more reliable. In addition, Persistent Write Cache somehow improves performance, although there are no more details on this issue.

In addition to models with 512-bit sector emulation, standard for HDDs with 4 KB sectors (Advanced Format), the MG line includes drives with native addressing of 4 KB sectors.

Toshiba 2 TB (MG04ACA200E)

WD Black 2 TB (WD2003FZEX)

Western Digital is cautiously introducing 1TB platters into high-performance 7200 RPM HDDs. This combination is found in the WD Blue, Black and Se series for drives with a capacity of no more than a terabyte. Accordingly, the two-terabyte WD Black is built on three 800 GB platters. The internal areas of the plates that carry excess volume are not used (this is called short-stroked). Yes, if you are wondering whether it is possible to get an additional 400 GB of capacity from such an HDD: no, such a possibility does not exist.

Although, due to the relatively low recording density, the WD Black series is not currently in the best shape to compete with competitors, from a technological (or marketing) point of view, the drives are very interesting. WD Black is equipped with the famous two-stage actuator (see above in the section about Seagate Desktop HDD). Measures have been taken to reduce vibration: the spindle is fixed in the housing at both ends, and there is a mechanism for active compensation of vibrations penetrating from outside.

Among desktop winesters, WD Black has the highest price and the longest warranty period - 5 years.

WD Black 2 TB (WD2003FZEX)

WD Green 2 TB (WD20EZRX)

You need to be careful when purchasing this disc. Under the same name, there are varieties with a recording density of 1000 or 667-750 GB per platter. They can be distinguished by the second part of the identifier: the characters DC0 in the line WD20EZR-00DC0B0 indicate terabyte plates, D8P (in WD20EZR-00D8PB0) - vice versa. This is exactly what we received for testing, so be careful: there is a real chance of running into a disk with an outdated configuration.

Regardless of the recording density, this is a simple and cheap (compared to seven-thousanders) disk with a spindle speed of about 5400 rpm (the specific speed is selected individually for each copy). It can be placed in a desktop PC or home NAS to store rarely used files, but a constant load for WD Green is not a good idea. No one guarantees reliable operation 24/7; the disk runs the risk of exhausting the head parking resource, and the warranty is only two years.

WD Green 2 TB (WD20EZRX)

WD Purple 2 TB (WD20PURX)

The third and final hard drive in this review, designed for video surveillance systems. We once dedicated the Purple line. These drives are similar in hardware to the well-known WD Red drives. In particular, both series use 1 TB platters, rotating at a speed of about 5400 rpm (the exact value varies between copies). The fault tolerance characteristics differ: WD Red officially withstands 600 thousand head parking cycles, and WD Purple - 300 thousand. In addition, the list of advantages of WD Purple on the manufacturer’s website does not indicate balancing of the platter block, which all WD Red drives undergo.

Both Red and Purple have support for the ATA Streaming Feature Set, but the Purple drives have firmware specifically optimized for continuous recording of streaming video. Simultaneous recording of up to 32 streams is guaranteed for one disc.

WD Purple 2 TB (WD20PURX)

In the WD Re and WD Se lines, 2 and 3 TB drives are equipped with 600 GB platters, which, even at a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, does not promise high sequential read/write speeds.

Since this is a server HDD designed to work in a telecommunications rack, WD technologies are fully present here to ensure reliable data storage: spindle mounting at both ends, a two-stage actuator, active compensation for externally induced vibrations, TLER (Time Limited Error Recovery - “reduced time error correction"), as well as a shock sensor and something else amazing: dynamic correction of the flight height of the heads and the surface of the plate. Unlike the Toshiba enterprise drives participating in testing, the WD Re line includes models with built-in encryption and a SAS interface.

WD Re 2 TB (WD20FYYZ)

WD Red 2 TB (WD20EFRX)

Like the Seagate Enterprise NAS HDD, the WD Red series drives are designed to work in network drives for home and small offices (up to 8 drives in one NAS). According to the main characteristics, these are energy-efficient disks with platters with a capacity of 1 TB and a spindle speed of around 5400 rpm. But the scope of application determines a number of hardware and software features of WD Red that distinguish it from desktop drives of the WD Green series. The block of magnetic plates is balanced in two planes to prevent vibrations, ensuring high fault tolerance and 24/7 operation.

The firmware parameters are configured to ensure that the disk is always ready to provide the requested data and does not waste its durability resource in vain: heads do not park and the HDD motor does not stop when idle. The error correction timeout (TLER) has been reduced, which prevents RAID destruction that can occur if a drive takes too long to respond to the host controller while attempting to retrieve data from a bad sector. WD Red drives also support the ATA Streaming Feature Set (unlike WD Re and Se).

WD Red 2 TB (WD20EFRX)

WD Red Pro 2TB (WD20FFSX)

WD drives for larger NAS up to 16 bays in size are built on a common platform with Re/Se drives. However, it is not known whether WD Red Pro has all the hardware technologies inherent in Re/Se. At least on the Western Digital website only compensation for vibrations penetrating from outside is indicated.

Due to its relationship with WD Se, the 2TB Red Pro model has a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, but is equipped with platters with a capacity of only 600 MB, so the difference in linear read/write speed between Red and Red Pro is small. Failure tolerance indicators do not differ, but the Red Pro warranty is two years longer - 5 years.

WD Red Pro 2TB (WD20FFSX)

WD Se 2 TB (WD2000F9YZ)

From a hardware point of view, server drives of the WD Se series are similar to WD Re drives, but are designed for a lower load, which results in lower fault tolerance indicators (mean time between failures, number of head parking cycles). In addition, the Se series does not have models with a SAS interface and encryption.

Quite strangely, this 2 TB model is equipped with platters with a 4 KB sector size, while the similar WD Re uses the old 512-byte partition.

External hard drives are designed for convenient data storage without purchasing an expensive laptop. It is enough to buy a laptop with a 120 GB drive under the system, and everything else can be stored on a removable drive.

The main criteria when choosing a disk are:

• Volume. Depends on your preferences and requests. For ordinary text documents, a flash drive is sufficient. For films, electronic cards and other “heavy” projects, it is advisable to have a disk with a capacity of at least 1 TB.
• Connection interface. The old USB0 is quickly being replaced by 3.0 and 3.1 Gen variants. USB Type-C provides fast data transfer along with them.
• Buffer volume. Often when it is mentioned, an analogy is drawn with the processor cache memory. The buffer stores the most frequently used data.
• Frame. It is desirable to have metal and rubberized inserts or their complete inclusion in all elements. With their help, damage resistance and durability are guaranteed.
• Weight. The lighter the better. SSDs are naturally lighter due to the circuitry. In general, there is no big difference in weight between a 1 TB or 4 TB HDD.

We have selected for you the top 20 best external hard drives.

Best 500GB External Hard Drives

The most budget category. A 500 GB disk is enough to store 300-400 low-quality films. This is an excellent choice for owners who need to reinstall the operating system and retain work data.

5 SSD SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500 GB

Unusual shape
Country: USA
Average price: 9120 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

The product is made of a protected rubber-plastic case, its weight and dimensions are very small - 93x50x9 mm and weighing 39 grams. In appearance, the disk more closely resembles a flash drive that can be carried in your pocket. It really has protection; the device can withstand immersion in liquid. The only unprotected place remains the weak USB port of the Type-C format. Thus, you will need to independently search for and purchase a plug if you plan to operate it in extreme conditions. The cell at the top right attracts more attention when you first meet it, that is, the disc could potentially play the role of a bracelet on your keys.

The device has one significant drawback, it lies in USB 3.1 Gen 2, the speed of which is limited by SATA. It is worth giving the manufacturer his due - he does not mess with the characteristics and does not attribute unnecessary things.

4 SSD Samsung Portable SSD T5 500 GB

Best external SSD
Country: South Korea
Average price: 7490 rub.
Rating (2019): 5.0

The best external SSD from Samsung. Made in the best spirit of the South Korean company. This lightweight, compact and fast drive connects via USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Type-C, which is why the package includes 2 cables at once. In order to distinguish the product from many competitors, Samsung will decide to give its product a blue color. Due to the chips, which are the highest quality in the world, the disc weighs only 51 grams.

Of the minuses, the first thing that catches your eye is the price. Almost twice the cost compared to the most expensive external HDDs makes the purchase somewhat unprofitable. When copying a large amount of data, the device becomes very hot. Another unique feature of the disk lies in the ability to encode the drive for reading, that is, no one except you will be able to use the posted information.

3 HDD Seagate Expansion Portable Drive 500 GB

Cheapest and lightest
Country: USA
Average price: 2997 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.6

The category opens with a hard drive from Seagate, which pleases customers with several parameters. The first is cost. The company does not chase the ruble and sets reasonable price tags for its products. The second is lightness. The weight of 170 grams is undoubtedly pleasing. There are no complaints about the design either, because the top edge is covered with something like a geometric pattern, combined with an unobtrusive load indicator. Everything else is made of matte plastic and there is nothing else on the drive except the USB 3.0 port.

Inside the case there is a 2.5-inch disk with a rotation speed of approximately 5400 rpm. The rest of the indicators are also average, and the buyers themselves in the reviews rate the durability of use as a plus and speak negatively about the short included cable.

2 TOSHIBA CANVIO BASICS 500GB

The most practical case
Country: Japan
Average price: 3100 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.6

Another representative of the budget segment of the rating, but from the Japanese. In addition to the standard set of characteristics, the device has a stylish and modern design. The case with rounded corners is durable, despite the matte plastic. At the factory it is specially made rough so that during transportation it does not fall out of your hands or slide on the table.

During operation, the disk operates on an “install and use” system, which means there are no requirements for drivers and other data. Despite the default USB 3.0 connection interface, the external drive also supports the previous generation channel, but the data transfer speed in this case will drop. Among the positive features of the model, buyers in reviews note the practicality and ergonomics of the case, as well as the durable cable for connection.

Flash drives (familiar “flash drives”) and external hard drives are completely different classes of devices. Their only similarity is information storage. But let’s look at the differences in a comparative table.

Comparison criterion	"Flash drive"	External hard drive
	The most capacious model currently holds 2 TB	Portable models up to 4 TB, stationary network drives (NAS) can accommodate up to 12 hard drives. The most capacious disks are 10 TB, i.e. in total we get about 120 TB!
Price	The same flash drive with a capacity of 2 TB costs 58 thousand rubles. For 4,000 rubles you can buy a 128 GB model	A 1 TB disk costs about 4 thousand rubles, 2 TB – 6 thousand
Operation speed	High-quality models provide writing speeds of at least 80 MB/s, reading speeds from 140 MB.	The best representatives: write – 90-95 MB/s, read – 100-110 MB/s
	Compact
Protection from external influences	Flash drives withstand shaking better, but there are protected models in both classes
	Flash drives have a significantly smaller resource, but for the vast majority of users this will be enough

1 TRANSCEND TS500GSJ25M3

Powered by two USB. Protected housing
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 4025 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

The leader of the rating category was the product of Transcend. Its distinctive feature was the additional power connector. The disk turned out to be quite energy-intensive, so another power source would not be superfluous. In addition, not all laptops and power supplies are able to provide sufficient energy to powerful removable drives.

The entire Store Jet M series, to which the disc belongs, has received awards for impact resistance. In particular, our hero is not afraid of falling, and the combination of green and black colors gives the case a modern look. According to customer reviews, the main advantages of the drive are shock protection, an additional power connector and a separate button for backing up files.

Best 1TB External Hard Drives

5 SSD ADATA SD700 1.024 TB

Optimal copy speed
Country: USA
Average price: 10190 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

To copy data without significant losses in speed, we recommend the ADATA SD700 1.024 TB SSD. In terms of compactness, the drive can be classified as medium, since it has smooth corners and a square shape. It has one body color – black, which is framed by a bumper trim of the same color. If you find it boring, you can choose an acid yellow color option. The coating can withstand splashes of water and immersion, you just need to remember to close the plug with the port.

Buyers in the reviews note that after 3-4 months the disk begins to malfunction, which is why it is necessary to format it. The connector itself is also weak, constantly loosening when connected and disconnected.

4 SSD Samsung Portable SSD T5 1 TB

Increased compactness
Country: South Korea
Average price: 13279 rub.
Rating (2019): 5.0

A tiny disk by modern standards, even larger than a Magic Mouse. Data transfer speeds via USB Type-C vary between 455/510 Mb/s.

But what’s really not very good here is the original cable. The disk itself is very small and light, and the cable is so rigid and thick that the disk will stand on its side, but not lie on the table. You can solve the problem by ordering a new cable, but finding a more convenient alternative is very difficult. By the way, the package includes 2 adapter cables: USB Type-C - USB 3.1 Type A Male and USB Type-C - USB Type-C. As for the appearance, there is nothing interesting here - the classic black case with inscriptions and the rounded shape for carrying in a pocket are already commonplace.

3 Lacie STFD1000400

Best design. Type-C connector
Country: France
Average price: 4850 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

The rating continues with the most advanced hard drive. First of all, attention is drawn to the appearance of the device. It’s not for nothing that the Porsche Design inscription is emblazoned on the top edge. The case is minimalistic, metal. No patterns or textured surfaces - flat, pleasant to the touch and great-looking aluminum everywhere. The thickness is also pleasing - only 10 mm - even hard drives with a capacity of 500 GB are thicker. Another advantage is the use of USB Type-C, a promising connector that is now used in smartphones, laptops, and many other devices. In short, using this connector allows you to carry just one cable with you, which is suitable for both charging devices and connecting an external hard drive.

Everything is much simpler inside. A regular 2.5' disk with a capacity of 1 TB is used. Write and read speeds are approximately the same and amount to 118-122 MB/sec. According to users, this is enough to edit 4K video directly on the hard drive.

The model has one drawback – cost. For a beautiful design and a modern port, the buyer will have to pay about one and a half thousand rubles.

Advantages:

• Great design
• USB Type-C
• Decent read and write speeds

Flaws:

• Expensive

2 ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 1TB

The most durable case
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 3639 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 1TB took second place in the rating category. Among its obvious trump cards, buyers highlight the stylish and modern design. It is especially recommended for use by young people, since the bright main color (red or blue) goes well with the insert in the middle disguised as carbon. The appearance successfully combines both decorative and practical functions to protect vital modules from damage.

The device is quickly recognized by the computer, and the large memory capacity makes it possible to store many files.

Thanks to reliability, important information will always remain safe and secure. From several color options, you can choose the one that suits your taste. Men will appreciate the black color scheme, while women will love the elegant and glamorous design in pink. The small size allows you to easily carry the hard drive in your pocket or purse.

The main disadvantages, according to reviews from real customers, include the insufficient length of the USB cable and a weak connector on the disk itself, which becomes loose over time, which can lead to contact breakage.

1 Western Digital My Passport 1 TB (WDBBEX0010B)

The optimum ratio of price and quality
Country: USA
Average price: 3860 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

Western Digital is one of the most famous and respected companies in the information storage industry. The 1TB model in question is sold in a huge number of stores, which means you'll almost certainly find it at your local electronics store. The design is typical for the “My Passport” series - the body is entirely made of glossy plastic, but is texturedly divided into two parts: smooth and corrugated. The plastic, unfortunately, is easily soiled and does not resist scratches well. But there are a lot of colors - there are both classic (black, white) and bright (yellow, blue, red, etc.) colors. There are rubber feet at the bottom to prevent slipping on the table. The weight is small - only 170 grams. With ports, everything is traditional - one USB 3.0 connector.

Inside, like most other participants, there is nothing remarkable. A 1 TB HDD with a rotation speed of 5400 rpm is used. Average read/write speed on par with competitors is 110-120 MB/sec. Note that WD has specialized software that allows you to easily make backups to an external hard drive, check the performance of the disk, protect data with a password, etc.

Advantages:

• High reliability
• Useful proprietary software
• Good speed performance

Best 2TB External Hard Drives

2 TB is already quite an impressive volume. It is still represented by both types of drives, but HDD are already beginning to outweigh. This volume is good for storing 4K movies, which on average occupy 30-70 GB. Thus, they are ideal for those buyers who want to have their own large storage. Concerning SSD , then due to their novelty and volume, their purchase becomes unprofitable.

5 SSD SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 2 TB

Popular analogue for Samsung
Country: USA
Average price: 26990 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.9

Remember, in our rating we looked at the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500 GB? So, this is the same thing, only with a capacity of 2 TB. It costs 300 rubles cheaper than its South Korean counterpart, but its reading speed is higher - 550 MB/sec versus 540. An interesting fact is that there are no reviews or customer reviews for it - just because of the low demand, since for that kind of money You can purchase a full-fledged laptop with an SSD drive and headphones.

In general, this drive has inherited all the features of its “bigger” brother with a capacity of 500 GB. Its body is still resistant to damage and can act as a keychain.

4 SSD Samsung Portable SSD T5 2 TB

Top SSD
Country: South Korea
Average price: 27260 rub.
Rating (2019): 5.0

The highest quality SSD on the market and at the same time extremely expensive. This is due to the difficulty of placing a sufficient number of chips on a small board area. The attempt of Samsung engineers to create a top-end drive was successful, and it works at the stated speed, consistently squeezing 593 MB/sec. By the way, with a “gentle” mode of use at speeds from 120 to 300 Mb/sec, it hardly heats up and can serve as storage for games. At maximum loads, heating begins to be felt.

According to customer reviews, they did not find any significant shortcomings in the product. They all like data encryption, both for computer operating systems and mobile devices. The only nitpick concerns the warranty period, which for regular drives is 5 years, but for an external drive it is only 3 years.

3 Transcend TS2TSJ25M3

Military standard protection. Powered by two USB
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 5670 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.6

Some people use external hard drives as large home file storage, but many more people transport them regularly. It is very important for them to keep their data safe. Yes, information can be encrypted, but encryption will not save the hard drive from simply falling or drowning. But a protected case, like that of the bronze medalist in the rating, will save you. It meets the military standard MIL-STD-810F 516.5, which means it will survive drops, shocks and submersion. But the connectors are not covered with plugs. And users complain that over time they become loose, which is why contact is lost.

The speed of work is also frustrating. The average read speed is about 32 MB/s, which is a little strange considering the presence of a USB 3.0 interface. Power is supplied via two USB ports for greater stability. The only pity is that the cost is the highest among the top three.

Advantages:

• Military standard security
• Powered by two USB

Flaws:

• Loose connector
• Low speed
• Highest cost

2 Seagate STDR2000200

The most compact and lightest
Country: USA
Average price: 5386 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

Once again, Seagate products earn the title of lightest and most compact. It’s not for nothing that the model is included in the Slim line - the thickness of the 2 TB disk is only 12.1 mm. Most competitors are at least 20mm thick! Small and weight - 159 grams versus 250 for the leader of the rating. But don’t think that this is a Chinese product – numerous tests and user reviews indicate high reliability. The case is combined: metal on top, glossy plastic on the sides, durable matte plastic on the bottom.

Everything inside is standard. Read/write speeds may vary between instances. In reviews, users talk about 110-112 Mb/s, tests of profile resources are 120-125 Mb/s. In any case, these speeds will be enough for most users. Already from the factory there is about 500 MB of data on the disk. This is a proprietary Seagate Dashboard utility for backing up data, warranty terms and other useful information.

Advantages:

• Thin and light body
• High reliability
• Availability of proprietary software

Flaws:

• As with the entire line, the cable is short and stiff

1 Western Digital My Passport 2 TB (WDBUAX0020B)

The most reliable
Country: USA
Average price: 5390 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

Western Digital is one of the recognized leaders in the production of data storage systems. The WD My Passport 2 TB external hard drive differs little from its competitors in terms of technical characteristics. Reading speed is about 100-110 MB/s. The interface, of course, is USB 3.0.

Judging by the reviews, there are no complaints about the device. The build quality is excellent, the materials are nice. Except that the gloss very quickly becomes covered with scratches, taking on an untidy appearance. The hard drive itself does not suffer from bad sectors. Reliability is simply excellent. The manufacturer himself is confident in this, and therefore offers a 3-year warranty.

Advantages:

• Good technical characteristics
• Excellent reliability
• 3 year warranty
• Excellent branded software

Flaws:

• Glossy body, susceptible to scratches

The best 4TB external hard drives

4 or more terabyte drives are used in server systems. For the average buyer, they are pointless unless you are a 4K movie collector. This segment does not have SSD drives, since their price would be prohibitive, and the demand for such models on the market is extremely low.

5 HDD Toshiba Canvio Advance 4 TB

Japanese quality
Country: Japan
Average price: 7742 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.5

Toshiba have once again proven that they know how to make equipment and components. The buyer is offered a choice of 4 colors. There are both classic black and white, as well as dark blue and red options. The appearance combines the company's signature efficiency and elegance, as well as low heat generation during operation.

The 4 TB capacity was placed in an elegant case without any protection from external influences. This product is the epitome of safe use, build quality and durability in use. The scope of delivery is extremely modest and includes only a connection cable. Additionally, the buyer receives a two-year warranty on the product. The only LED indicator is located at the top right in the form of a circle.

4 HDD Seagate Backup Plus Hub 4 TB

Vertical storage
Country: USA
Average price: 6860 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.5

While most external HDDs are produced in 2.5 format, Seagate decided not to deviate from the classics and released their product in 3.5 format. The form of positioning is also different; this option is located vertically rather than horizontally. There are also connection ports, the role of which is taken by 2 USB versions 3.0. When operating at maximum loads it makes almost no noise, but at medium and low loads it is not audible at all. There is an indicator of the device's operating status on the front panel.

Thanks to it, backup copies of any type of file will be created with high speed and reliability, thanks to the device’s support for various platforms. The monolithic plastic case is non-separable, the surface is non-marking, matte.

3 HDD Lacie Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C 4 TB

Highest speed. Protected housing
Country: France
Average price: 17940 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.6

In 3rd place in the top is a product from the not very popular company Lacie. It costs significantly more than its competitors due to its reliability and the use of advanced technologies. The seemingly massive body is made of aluminum, enclosed in a rubber shell, which absorbs part of the impact when dropped. There is also IP54 water protection, which prevents you from “bathing” the disc in water, but saves you from splashes and rain (if you get caught in it).

The interfaces and the speed they provide perform well. USB Type-C and Thunderbolt are used for connection. For different testers, write and read readings ranged from a modest 50 MB/sec to an unattainable 250 MB/sec for most competitors. According to customer reviews, the drive is well protected, works quickly and has two up-to-date connection interfaces. The only negative is the very high price.

2 HDD Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive 4 TB

Best price
Country: USA
Average price: 8249 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.7

The external hard drive from Seagate is a solid mid-ranger. The case is as minimalistic as possible - just a small block of matte plastic with small glossy inserts. Practical and looks good at the same time. The operating speed is slightly lower than that of the leader in the rating, but still decent. Average write speed is about 85 MB/s. USB 3.0 interface. And the hard drive would not start via the old USB 2.0. There are no complaints about vibration, noise or high temperatures - all indicators are within reason. But the reliability is mediocre. Quite often you come across defective models, so be prepared for the fact that you will have to go to a service center.

Advantages:

• Lowest cost
• Practical body
• Good speed performance
• Minimal vibration, noise and heat

Flaws:

• Defective hard drives found

1 Western Digital My Passport 4 TB (WDBUAX0040B)

Best speed and reliability
Country: USA
Average price: 8069 rub.
Rating (2019): 4.8

Once again, the first line of the rating is occupied by the propeller from WD. This model is a copy of the leader of the previous category. The body is the same, including dimensions. Accordingly, the problems remain the same - it gets scratched. But a 4 TB hard drive is installed inside. The recording speed is slightly higher - about 115 MB/s, USB 3.0 interface. Heating is moderate. The only drawback identified by customers is vibration. Due to the small legs, it is transferred to the table, which is not very pleasant. But there are no problems with reliability - after all, Western Digital are deservedly considered leaders.

The disk comes pre-installed with several useful utilities. WD Backup lets you set up automatic backups of important files to an external hard drive. WD Security – protects your data from unauthorized access using a password. You can also provide your information so that if the disk is lost, the finder can find you.

Advantages:

• High speed
• Better reliability
• Useful proprietary utilities

Flaws:

• The glossy body is scratched