Top 10 External Hard Drives

External hard drives aren't as fast as internal models, but they are great for backups and are easy to install. Ratings and rankings can change due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info.

Edited by Melissa J. Perenson

Dec 31, 2008 4:45 am

Last Rated: December 24, 2008	BEST BUY! 1. CMS Products Velocity2 Drive size (GB): 1000GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.18, Bottom Line: This top-flight performer provides a software/hardware combination for creating a bootable backup drive. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	2. SimpleTech Duo Pro Drive Drive size (GB): 1000GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.28, Bottom Line: Terrific design, speedy performance, and versatile backup software make this drive a strong choice. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	3. Apricorn 500GB EZ Bus DTS SATA/USB External Storage System Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 8, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.26, Bottom Line: This fast, cheap drive comes with three basic backup, file-copy, and encryption utilities. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	4. LaCie d2 Quadra External 500GB Hard Drive (USB 2.0/SATA-150/FireWire 400/FireWire 800, 7,200 RPM, 16MB) Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-150, USB 2.0, FireWire 800/400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.34, Bottom Line: For a slight price premium, you get the flexibility of USB, SATA, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800 data interfaces. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	5. Western Digital External MyBook Drive size (GB): 1000GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.21, Bottom Line: Reasonably priced for a single 1TB drive, this model lacks the performance oomph of some of its competitors. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	6. WiebeTech ToughTech FS 500GB Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.41, Bottom Line: Fast drive comes in a sleek, accessible (via tools) chassis, but lacks bundled software. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	7. SimpleTech (re) drive Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 5400, Buffer Size (MB): 8, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.28, Bottom Line: Elegant, original, and ecologically-friendly design inside and out highlight this external hard drive. Test Report
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	8. Seagate Maxtor One-Touch IV Plus Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.3, Bottom Line: Slow performer lacks an eSATA interface; its integrated backup software makes one-touch backups easy. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	9. CMS Products 1.5TB Velocity2 2-drive RAID Backup System Drive size (GB): 1500GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.47, Bottom Line: This large-capacity drive has multiple RAID options but costs a lot for good but not exceptional performance. Test Report • Check latest prices
Last Rated: December 24, 2008	10. Hammer Morespace Drive size (GB): 1000GB, Supported Interface(s): USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.12, Bottom Line: Basic hard drive has unattractive, boxy design; but, it includes a power switch. Test Report • Check latest prices