Best External Hard Drives and SSDs for 2025

First launched in 2022, the WD Black P40 has come down in value and is now fairly reasonably priced. It is an ultrafast SSD that is extra geared towards current Home windows PCs outfitted with USB 3.2 Gen2x2 dual-lane structure that enables for a theoretical 20Gbps knowledge switch charge. It may also be used with consoles and Macs. It is able to speeds as much as 2,000MB/s.

Rated for surviving drops of as much as 2 meters, the drive is sturdy and has an RGB lighting aspect that may be personalized with a Home windows PC.

You do pay a little bit of a premium over the WD Black D30 (see beneath), which comes with a stand and is extra geared to sport consoles. This drive is extra future-proof as PCs are more and more outfitted with USB 3.2 Gen2x2. Kingston’s XS2000 has related specs for round $10 much less for the 1TB mannequin, however some customers have famous this drive provides barely higher write speeds.

For higher or worse, there’s at the moment just one approach to broaden the storage in your Xbox Collection X/S for next-gen Collection X/S video games: the Seagate Growth Card. Much like the storage scenario with the PS5, you may plug in any exterior SSD or onerous drive to broaden the storage for normal Xbox video games (previous-gen), however you may retailer solely native Xbox Collection X/S video games on the sport console’s inside reminiscence or the Seagate Growth Card.

It plugs right into a proprietary slot on the again of the Xbox Collection X/S and “replicates the Xbox Velocity Structure” (Microsoft’s inside NVMe SSD tech) with peak speeds of as much as 2.4GBps of uncooked I/O throughput. Microsoft says that is greater than 40x the throughput of the Xbox One.

The enlargement card is available in 1TB ($150) and 2TB ($250) variations.

That is SanDisk’s entry-level SSD, and whereas it does not have fairly the identical speedy efficiency because the step-up Excessive mannequin, it nonetheless has stable efficiency only a step or two behind with 800MB/s speeds in contrast with 1,050MB/s (that is about 1GB per second). The Excessive mannequin can also be ruggedized, whereas this one is not. SanDisk says it is drop-tested to 2 meters. To get the 1TB SSD capability model prices round $85, whereas the 2TB goes for round $140. They provide greater than sufficient velocity for common use (by that I imply people who aren’t shifting round lots of of gigs of video recordsdata).

You possibly can broaden storage for PS4 video games in your PS5 by including a typical exterior SSD as a result of you may play PS4 video games straight from an exterior SSD. That is not the case for PS5 video games, which take up a ton of house and will be performed solely from the PS5’s inside drive or an M.2 SSD that you simply set up in a particular enlargement bay inside your PS5. 

Whereas the Seagate FireCuda 530 technically is not an exterior SSD, it is not so completely different from Seagate’s Storage Growth Card for the Xbox Collection X/S in that it is an NVMe SSD with a really excessive switch velocity (as much as 7,300MB/s, in response to Seagate, although my PS5 listed the highest charge at 6,800MB/s).

A number of M.2 SSDs will work with the PS5 (see our complete list) however ideally, you need one with an built-in heatsink. In any other case, you will have so as to add one. 

The Seagate FireCuda 530 with heatsink begins round $67 for the 500GB model and jumps to roughly $140 for the 1TB model (hottest). The 2TB goes for round $200, whereas the 4TB sells for round $600.

Learn extra: Here’s How to Boost Your PlayStation 5 Storage

As its identify implies, Kingston’s XS2000 is able to speeds as much as 2,000MB/s. Just like the WD Black P40 Sport Drive and SanDisk Excessive Professional (see beneath), it is an ultrafast SSD that is extra geared towards current Home windows PCs outfitted with USB 3.2 Gen2x2 dual-lane structure that enables for a theoretical 20Gbps knowledge switch charge. It may also be used with consoles and Macs. (Be aware that the XS2000 is silver, whereas its predecessor is black).

Its design is a bit more plain than some SSDs on this listing, however the XS2000 is compact (it is about half the scale of a harmonica), light-weight and comes with a rubber sleeve that is presupposed to make the gadget water-, shock- and dust-resistant, though it does not have an IP ranking. It is a respectable worth at roughly $105 for the 1TB mannequin.

In case you’re in search of a high-capacity exterior drive on your Xbox One, the WD Black P10 2TB moveable onerous drive is an efficient worth at round $75 (the 5TB model is about $150). It offers you moveable storage on your coveted sport assortment. This exterior drive additionally comes with a digital code that provides you one month of Microsoft’s Sport Move Final in case you’re a brand new subscriber. There’s additionally a typical model of the moveable onerous drive, which additionally works with PCs and the PS4 for barely much less (it is lacking the Xbox branding however is in any other case the identical drive). The moveable drive can ship speeds as much as 130MBps.

Whereas this drive works with each the PS4 and PS5, it may solely retailer PS4 video games in case you’re utilizing it with a PS5 (you may play PS4 video games with out lag straight from the moveable onerous drive). The 5TB model is $148.

Be aware that Seagate makes an SSD Game Drive For Xbox however not PS4. The storage drive prices round $200 for 1TB.

SanDisk makes the Excessive Transportable SSD (see above) that delivers speeds as much as 1,050MB per second switch charges. In case you’re a photographer or videographer in search of an excellent sooner SSD drive on your PC or Mac, the Excessive Professional Transportable SSD is the way in which to go for additional space for storing. The most recent model can ship as much as 2,000MBps (2GBps) learn/write speeds in case you pair it with the suitable tools. To get the utmost velocity, you want a bunch system that helps USB Gen 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds.

Suitable with Macs and Home windows PCs, it is technically ruggedized with an IP65 ranking, that means it may face up to a sustained spray of water and is dust-resistant. It is also shock-resistant (3-meter drop safety) and is supplied with a cast aluminum chassis that acts as a heatsink. It has a USB-C interface and consists of each USB-C-to-USB-C and USB-A-to-USB-C cables. The 1TB model is round $130 whereas the 2TB has dipped to round $220.

Be aware: Some customers say they’ve encountered reliability points with this drive and even had recordsdata mysteriously erased. SanDisk has acknowledged some firmware issues with sure drives. It is unclear if these points have been resolved or not, however we did not encounter any issues with the take a look at drive we had been utilizing.

SanDisk’s flagship Professional-G40 SSD begins at round $180 for a 1TB drive, whereas the 1TB model of Different World Computing’s Envoy Professional FX goes for $280. Each supply top-end speeds (the Envoy Professional FX will get as much as a 2,800MB/s switch velocity whereas the Professional-G40 tops out barely larger at as much as 3,000MB/s). Whereas the drive will work simply effective with Home windows and Linux computer systems, OWC has lengthy catered to the Mac market, and this exterior SSD definitely performs effectively with Macs.

Sure, it prices greater than the Professional-G40, nevertheless it appears very effectively constructed with an aluminum chassis that does job dissipating warmth (it does not warmth up an excessive amount of). Alas, it does not include some form of carrying case, nevertheless it’s a formidable drive in case you can afford it and are in search of ultrafast switch velocity.

Sure, even drive makers like Seagate are beginning to incorporate recycled supplies into their merchandise. The Extremely Contact is available in 4TB and 5TB storage capacities (we tried the 5TB) and other than the eco angle, it is a fairly customary mechanical drive that options USB-C connectivity (sure, it is suitable with a wide range of gadgets, together with Macs, Home windows machines and Chromebooks). It weighs in at 267g or 0.589 kilos.

This drive provides related specs to the SanDisk Excessive SSD, with as much as 1,050MB learn/write speeds, nevertheless it does not have a ruggedized exterior. I’ve used one often and it is held up effectively and provides a comparatively quick efficiency. I’ve included it right here as a result of the 2TB is healthier priced than some comparable 2TB fashions.

The WD My Ebook desktop drive is offered in as much as a 24TB configuration. This drive has been round for some time and is geared towards individuals who want a variety of storage however do not wish to pay a ransom to get it.

After Seagate acquired LaCie a number of years in the past, LaCie turned the corporate’s premium model, and this exterior HDD 5TB mannequin will be discovered on a variety of video editors’ desks (together with lots at CNET). This rugged onerous disk drive makes use of a USB-C interface, is suitable with Mac and Home windows PCs and is water- and shock-resistant. A 4TB Thunderbolt with USB-C model is offered for Thunderbolt-equipped Macs for about $260.

Essential’s X6 exterior SSD is taken into account entry-level as a result of it is simply not as quick as higher-end fashions, which might supply learn/write speeds which might be twice and even 4 instances as quick (the Essential X8 is the step-up mannequin). Even so, the X6 is about 4x sooner than a drive that is not solid-state, with a switch velocity of as much as 540MB per second for the 1TB and 2TB variations and as much as 800MB/s for the brand new 4TB model, which has one of many lowest costs for a 4TB SSD at round $280.

Comparatively, the 4TB SanDisk Excessive SSD, which has a switch velocity ranking of as much as 1,050MB/s, prices $300. So that you’re mainly a $20 financial savings in case you’re keen to take a little bit of a small velocity hit (once more, no less than the 4GB model of the Essential X6 has been bumped as much as 800MB/s from 540MB/s).

You should utilize any SSD along with your PlayStation PS4/PS5 or Xbox One, Xbox One Collection X or Collection S to retailer PS4 and Xbox One video games and different content material and decide up a pleasant velocity bump when loading video games in contrast with a typical exterior onerous drive just like the WD Black P10 above. Be aware that with the Xbox Collection X, you may solely archive Xbox Collection X and S video games to this drive, you may’t retailer full video games on it (the Seagate Storage Expansion Card is required for that). The PS5 has the identical restriction — you may solely retailer full PS4 video games on exterior drives.

On its floor, then, the WD Black D30 sport drive is not all that particular. It has as much as a 900MBps switch charge, which is mainly what a console’s USB 3.1 connection caps out at. It is the design that units it aside. It is thicker and extra rugged-looking than your typical SSD or flash drive and features a removable stand with rubber toes to maintain it from shifting round wherever you place it. That is an NVMe SSD (Non-Risky Reminiscence Specific) that gives glorious efficiency and interoperability. It primarily seems to be like a mini onerous drive, which is sort of cool. 

The usual model works with PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and One X and S consoles, in addition to PCs. The Xbox model proven within the picture merely consists of an Xbox brand and a month of Sport Move Final, a $15 worth, for $20 extra. Alas, solely new subscribers can use the included code, so if you have already got a Sport Move Final subscription, you are paying the additional $20 for the brand.

The 1TB model is $150 or much less when on sale.