By Layne Harris — Updated October 2018

Deciding on the right external hard drive for you needs can be difficult when there are so many on the market. This guide will explain the main differences between drives, when you should choose one over another, and present the best up-to-date deals on external storage! Let’s dive in. 

If you want to skip right to the best drives available today, click here. 

Whats the difference?

The technology that a storage device uses is one of the main features you should look for while shopping. Luckily there are really only two categories: a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and a Solid-State Drive (SSD).

Here’s what you need to know about how the two stack up:

Both types of drives come in varying storage sizes, with cost per GB depending on the type and drive; more on this later. Also note that even though SSD’s fail less than HDD’s, both types have been known to fail. The best way to prevent losing important data is to have proper backups! If you want to learn more about the inner workings behind these storage types, read more here.

Which do I choose?

Both types of drives do the same basic job, but SSD’s and HDD’s are both suited for a particular type of computing. The first step is recognizing your use for an external drive. From the descriptions below, choose one of the products below that best matches your need!

. . . at Work!

If your device is shared with many people for data intensive applications, such as moving large files frequently, you will absolutely want the speed and durability of an external SSD. 

If you are looking to store project data in one place to be accessed by multiple people over a network, contact us to receive a personalized storage plan tailored to you. If you are a small business or organization, you can use a consumer level network access server (NAS) to set up a simple mass storage system in your home or office. Ask about our device setup services for complete support in installing a NAS.

. . . at Home!

For office or home use where the drive will remain stationary to extend the storage of a device,  you will be fine using a HDD for a cheap cost per GB of storage. These are great for storing converted movies, an archive of documents and pictures, or any other large volume of data. Be cautious moving these drives as a bad fall can render the drive dead.

. . . on the Go!

If you are looking for a storage device to use as a travel companion, on the go or otherwise used away from a stationary locations, SSD’s. You can be sure these devices will last under the stresses of daily life. They are at least 5x faster than HDD’s, but newer M.2 SSD’s are pushing 50x faster than HDD’s
 (5Gb/s throughput). Because SSD’s also have no moving parts, they are very durable

HDD’s have been used as the most popular storage type for many years.