What is a hard disk drive?

The basic non-volatile storage drive that is used for storing and retrieving digital content such as documents, images, videos, applications, etc. is known as a Hard disk drive (HDD). HDD has spinning platters coated with magnetic material with reading/write heads. HDDs are generally found in PCs, laptops, consumer electronics, and enterprise storage systems. The reading and writing of the hard disk are controlled by hard disk drives that offer data storage. Advanced technology attachment (ATA), serial ATA, Parallel ATA, and small computer system interface (SCSI) connections are used to connect hard drives to the motherboard.

The best external hard drives of 2022

WD My Book (WDBBGB, USB 3.0, 4TB)

WD My Book is one of the best external hard drives with a storage capacity of 3TB to 18TB. It’s an inexpensive and fast hard disk drive that includes backup software. It weighs around 2.2 pounds with 6.7 x 5.5 x 1.9 inches in size. It has a Blackmagic disk speed of 177.3 MBps write, 171.5 MBps read. Moreover, it offers encryption functionality as well.  The Cost per gigabyte of this hard drive is $0.03.

G-Technology ArmorATD

G-Technology ArmorATD is a great portable hard drive with a storage capacity of 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB. The G-technology ArmorATD portable hard drive offers protection against water, dust, and crushing (up to 1,000 pounds). It has a USB 3.1 and Gen 1 Type-C interface. The 2TB and 4TB variants are both small enough to carry along and come with a USB Type-A adaptor for use with the USB Type-C interface, so they should work with almost any computer.

WD My Cloud Home 8TB external hard drive

WD My Cloud Home is an external hard drive that is best for personal cloud storage. Now you can keep your data safe without the fear of losing it with the help of this hard drive. It offers a storage capacity of a maximum of 8TB. It supports android, iOS, Mac, and windows. You can also plug in other external drives with this one since it has a USB port available. It features a fascinating and stylish design with white and some textured silver at the bottom. The ample vents at the top and bottom of this HDD provide great internal airflow. You can simply set up this HDD by connecting the network cable to the RJ45 socket and to your broadband route. Moreover, it also comes with a two-year worldwide warranty.

 Aegis Desktop encrypted external hard drive

For those looking to purchase an external hard drive for security purposes, then Aegis Desktop external hard drive is an ideal choice. The unbeatable encryption and anti-hacking features make it one of the best external hard drives for data encryption and security. The maximum storage capacity of this hard drive is up to 18TB. It comes with a thick solid aluminum enclosure casing of 4.5”x7.2” and 1.5”. It gets locked if you unplugged it from USB. At the top of this hard drive, you’ll find a padlock button panel that looks like a cashpoint or ATM layout with 0-9 digits. The indicator lights clearly show the status of the hard drive such as red for locked, green for unlocked, and blue for admin mode.

Seagate backup plus external hard drive

Seagate backup plus external hard drive comes with the capacity of 1TB, 2TB, and 5TB with a USB 3.0 interface. The dimension of this HDD is 7.62 x 11.43 x 1.9cm and it weighs 0.58lbs (265g). It offers fast speed, portability, and compatibility. This small storage device is very affordable that can easily be fit in your pocket. Whether you’re traveling to the workplace or planning to go outstation, this is your way to go HDD. In addition, you’ll also get a one-year data recovery warranty on this hard drive.

SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD 

SanDisk Extreme Pro portable SSD is one of the best portable SSD that includes encryption and backup functionality. It offers a storage capacity between 500GB to 2TB. The cost per gigabyte of this hard drive is $0.18. It has a USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface and 906.1 MBps write, 857.7 MBps read Blackmagic disk speed. This hard drive offers a superb balance of speed. Moreover, the USB 3.1 version of this portable drive is rated for sequential reads of 1,050MBps. It routinely came out as one of the top-rated SSD. The SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD application applies general encryption, too.

Also Read: Computer Hardware Platforms

SanDisk G-Drive Professional external hard drive

SanDisk G-Drive Professional external hard drive is best suited for Mac laptops. It offers a storage capacity of 4TB, 6TB, 12TB, and 18TB with a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (x1) Thunderbolt 3 (USB-powered) interface. It has a dimension of 13 x 21 x 4.55cm and weight of 2.6lb (1.18kg). SanDisk G-Drive employs a thunderbolt with a daisy chain up to six units. It comes with an AC power adapter and a fast 7200 RPM disc. When you purchase this drive you’ll get a generous five-year warranty.

WD Elements external hard drive

WD hard drives is amongst the storage devices that provide storage space capacity of 3TB, 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 10TB, 12TB, 14TB, 18TB. The dimension of this HDD is 4.80 x 13.49 x 16.58cm and it weighs 1.92lbs (0.87kg). The sober vertical format enclosure of this drive looks great on any desk while saving the space of the desk too.

ADATA HD710 PRO external hard drive

ADATA HD710 PRO is a fast-speed external hard drive that comes with a strong rugged silicon case and good cable management. It offers a storage capacity of up to 5TB with a USB 3.0 interface. ADATA HD710 PRO external hard drive has dimension of 9.6 x 13.21 x 2.56cm and weight 0.86lb (0.39kg). The vibration sensing technology of this HDD can withstand falls from 1.5m.

Buffalo ministation extreme external hard drive

Buffalo ministation extreme external hard drive offers the best wireless security because it has a unique NFC-based wireless lock and unlocks feature. It enables users to lock and unlock the drive easily with just a single tap from their smartphones. Buffalo ministation offers a storage capacity of 1TB and 2TB. This Buffalo encrypted portable hardware drive comes with a three-year warranty.

WD BLACK P10 Game external hard drive

WD BLACK 5TB P10 is one of the latest gaming hard drives that is compatible with all game consoles.  WD BLACK 5TB P10 has a storage capacity of 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB with a USB 3.0 interface. It offers ample storage as it comes pre-formatted with the ExFAT file system. It’s a good option for long-term multimedia storage when linked to a PC or a Sony or Samsung large-screen smart TV.

Final words

The computer storage devices such as hard drives and solid-state drives play a vital role in the storage of digital content such as documents, music, videos, pictures, programs, and applications. External HDDs work well and offer a great storage capacity. You can also select one of the hard drives from the above-mentioned list of external hard drives. Review the specifications and features that you’re looking for a hard drive. The specification of each hard drive varies from one hard drive to another. It all depends upon your storage requirements and needs.

Author Bio:

Mohammad Asif is a Digital Marketer at Get IT Equip, who loves to write content on the latest topics, including Application development, Programming, Computer hardware, Blockchain, B2B business models, and much more.