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Top 10 Cheap External Hard Drives!

Wondershare Recoverit Authors

Jan 15, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

External Hard drives are a convenient and easy way to store large data such as .jpg files and important official documents. These also help to organize and share digital information like media files and other important files. Hard disk drives were introduced in the year 1956, for data storage and real-time transaction processing computers. Using hard drive devices, one can easily store official and personal data for future use. Various performance characteristics are there that you must know before making a final purchase like storage capacity, seek time, data transfer rate, latency, power consumption, shock resistance, audible noise, and price.

In the post, reviews and price for top 10 cheap external hard drives are for your reference. Hope after reading the article, you have your idea of buying the external hard disk that you want.

Picking from the Best and Cheap External Hard Drives

1 Seagate Expansion

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Expansion hard drive is one of the best-suited data storage programs. The portable device comes with a wide range of data storage capacity that varies from 1 TB to 4 TB. The staid designed portable hard drive has sheer space to store data and it is highly compatible with USB 2.0. Seagate Expansion devices come with 3 years of guarantee and easily compatible with the Windows Operating system and are a favorite for the ones looking for a large hard drive.(Click the link to Recover data from Seagate Hard Drive.)

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Fast and Easy Access, portable device, additional data storage, and quickly copies files from the internal drive.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $54.98 for 1 TB and $83.33 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

2 Samsung M3

Company: Samsung

Specs: Samsung M3 comes with advanced intuitive software that offers easy plug and plays operation with Windows. It is one of the best USB powered drives in the portable segment. Opting this device, one can easily manage the drive security as it features secured password protection. Generally, 1 TB and 2 TB Samsung M3 are available that deliver handy portable storage for important files and documents. It is compatible with USB 3.0 and can be easily connected to a laptop or tablet, making it a useful large external hard drive.

Samsung External Hard Drive

Reviews: Fast data transfer, excellent performance, additional data storage, personal backup solution, and safety key protection.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $62.99 for 1 TB as listed on Amazon.

3 Toshiba Canvio Basics

Company: Toshiba

Specs: Toshiba Canvio Basics drive features an internal shock sensor and 5400 RPM speed. The portable device is highly compatible with Windows, DOS, and Linux. The device has 5 gigabits/second data transfer rate and a 12ms average seek time.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Cheap and best external hard drive, additional data storage capacity, USB 3.0 interface, complete data protection, lightweight and small in size.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $49.99 for 1 TB and $77.99 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

4 WD My Passport Ultra

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: WD My Passport Ultra features an auto backup software and hardware encryption for the best storage value. The device is durable, reliable, shock tolerant and comes with high capacity compact data storage capacity. WD My passport ultra device is compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 port and it secures your files from unauthorized access with password protection.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Ultra-fast backup storage, Password Protection, double safe drive, and additional storage capacity.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $59 for 1 TB and $87.60 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

5 WD My Passport for Mac

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: WD My Passport for Mac offers up to 2 TB data storage and a USB 3.0 interface for the ultra-fast data transfer. For the MacBook users, the drive is an ideal companion as it offers fast and easy access to the users and saves files in blazing speed.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Sleek and compact design, additional storage for videos, images and files, WD security, and massive data storage capacity.

Media Site which recommends it: CNET

Price: $59.99 for 1 TB and $97.99 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

6 Transcend 1TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance

Company: Transcend

Specs: Transcend 1 TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance drive has additional features like Shock resistance and one-touch backup feature. It is specifically designed with a Silicon shell on the outer surface, standard casing, and damper tech to meet drop test standards.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Easy plug and play operation, anti-shock rubber case, and maximum data transfer speed.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $54 for 1 TB as listed on Amazon.

7 Seagate Expansion Portable

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Expansion Portable hard drive offers maximum data storage capacity for digital data like photos, videos, DVD films, and music. The drive features 5000mbps data transfer speed, which is pretty fast when compared to other cheap external hard drives.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Sleek Design, Excellent performance, no need for external supply, durable, competitive price, and easy to access.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $67 for 1 TB and $83.33 for 2 TB as listed on Amazon.

8 Seagate Wireless Plus

Company: Seagate

Specs: Seagate Wireless Plus is one of the best hard drive programs as it offers fast access to Windows and Mac users. It provides a start guide to first-time users. Opting the advanced storage program, you can easily transfer the files without wires or the internet. It adds 1 TB storage space to multiple devices.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Portable hard drive, wireless network, impressive performance, compatible with multiple devices like Android, iOS, and Windows.

Media Site which recommends it: PCMag

Price: $139.99 for 1 TB and $199.99 for 2TB as listed on Amazon.

9 Samsung D3 Station External Desktop Hard Drive

Company: Samsung

Specs: For those who want to expand data storage space, Samsung D3 Station External Desktop hard drive is one of the brilliant options as it comes with a wide range of storage capacity that varies from 2 TB to 6 TB, thus making it a favorite among those seeking cheap external hard drives.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Streamline shape, massive data storage capacity, USB 3.0 Interface, and portable version.

Media Site which recommends it: GeekDaily

Price: $65.98 for 2 TB, $118.88 for 4 BT and $136 for 5 TB as listed on Amazon.

10 Western Digital My Passport Wireless

Company: Western Digital Company

Specs: Western Digital My Passport Wireless is an excellent data storage solution for laptops and desktop computers. The drive is equipped with a rechargeable battery that can last up to six hours and comes in handy while choosing from many cheap external hard drives.

Cheap External Hard Drives

Reviews: Wireless connection with mobile devices and USB 3.0 port for fast data transfer.

Media Site which recommends it: TechRadar

Price: $ 153.90 for WD 1 TB and $195.81 for WD 2 TB as listed on Amazon.


What is an External Hard Drive?

External Hard Drive is a device that allows easy and fast access to store important data like documents, media files, photos, and other files for future use. External hard drives are the best alternatives for data backup and come in a wide range of data storage capacities and sizes. Certain facts that you must know external USB devices are performance, design, and storage capacity. Performance determines the overall operations of the hard drives including data transfer speed and storage capacity. When the files are transferred from a computer internal drive to an external drive, then the data transfer rate is measured in terms of megabits per second or gigabits per second. Look for the devices that quickly transfer data without any loss, additional storage capacity, and provide easy access.

With numerous options to choose from in the market, the technology that drives cheap external hard drives is consistently progressing, thus leaving the user happy. For the ones looking to expand their digital library, this list offers more than just a few names, as it complies with the cheap external hard drives that are ruling the world market currently.


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FAQs

What external hard drive is most reliable?

There is currently a very wide range of reliable external hard drives. In terms of physical security, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive comes with a very shock-resistant case and in terms of data security, there are several external hard drives that already come with encryption such as the Western-Digital My Passport Ultra.

How do I choose an external hard drive?

It depends a lot on what you are going to use your device for and what matters most to you. External hard drives work in the same way as a traditional HDD. However, these are fixed inside a case that serves mainly as protection. To choose an external hard drive you should consider the space, the design, the writing speeds and the reading speeds.

Is WD better than Seagate?

Western Digital and Seagate are two of the most popular brands when it comes to hard drives. According to Blackblaze, both companies provide high quality to their products, however Seagate has had certain defective batches so WD would be more reliable. Still Seagate is a company that continues to grow and will surely continue in the elite of hard drive sales.

Why are hard drives so cheap?

Basically, the production of hard drives has been economized because their materials are affordable for manufacturers, in addition, the demand has been progressively decreasing and this has made prices more affordable. On the other hand, they do not require a large amount of memory circuits like other devices in which more economic resources must be invested.

Should I buy 1TB or 2TB external?

This answer depends on what you need. Theoretically, it would be better to buy the 2TB one because that way you will not have to worry about saving space; however, if you are not a person who is used to installing such as video games or design apps and you dedicate, for example, to work with Office, an external hard drive of 1TB will be more than enough to store your information without limitations.

Recoverit author

Theo Lucia

chief Editor

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