Prime Day 2020 is done and dusted, and as shoppers pick over the leftover batch of Prime Day deals that is still available, it’s a good time to remind our readers that the “cloud” is not the only data storage solution — nor is it usually the best one. The cloud (which, let’s be frank, is really just someone else’s computer) can be a pain to deal with at the best of times and is only useful when you have unfettered online access to it. That’s often not the case.
That’s why many techies will always prefer external hard drives. There are plenty of reasons for that: Ease of transfer, faster upload/download speeds, security, and the knowledge that you have physical control over your own data are just a few that spring to mind. There are more than a few remaining Prime Day external hard drive deals up for grabs, too, but you’ll have to move quickly. Whether you want a backup for your backup, faster USB transfer speeds, or just a physical alternative to the cloud, there’s still a chance to save big on some new storage before the sale’s over.
Today’s best Prime Day external hard drive deals
- PNY Elite 480GB USB 3.0 Portable SSD — $59, was $150
- Western Digital Elements 4TB External Hard Drive — $90, was $100
- Western Digital Easystore 4TB External Portable Hard Drive — $90, was $150
- WD 1TB My Passport External SSD — $150, was $230
- Western Digital Elements 12TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive — $220, was $250
- Samsung T5 SSD (2TB) — $250, was $290
- Samsung T7 Portable 2TB SSD — $291, was $370
WD 1TB My Passport External SSD
$150
Western Digital Elements 4TB External Hard Drive
$90
PNY Elite 480GB USB 3.0 Portable SSD
$59
Western Digital Easystore 4TB External Portable Hard Drive
$90
Western Digital Elements 12TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
$220
Seagate Backup Plus Hub 10TB External Hard Drive
$190
Western Digital My Passport 4TB External Hard Drive for Macs
$120
WD Black 5TB P10 External Hard Drive for PS4/Xbox One/PC/Mac USB 3.2
$130
Samsung T7 Portable 2TB SSD
$291
G-Technology G-DRIVE 4TB External Hard Drive
$140
Seagate 10TB Expansion Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
$170
G-Technology G-DRIVE 10TB External Hard Drive
$315
Western Digital My Passport 5TB External Hard Drive
$110
SAMSUNG T7 Touch Portable 1TB SSD
$190
Seagate External Hard Drive 8TB HDD Expansion
$135
WD Black 500GB P50 Game Drive Portable External SSD
$130
G-Technology G-DRIVE Mobile 4TB External Hard Drive
$140
Seagate Game Drive 2TB External Hard Drive for PS4
$80
Samsung T5 2TB Portable External SSD
$230
Seagate Expansion Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive
$135
Samsung T5 SSD (2TB)
$250
Western Digital 2TB Gaming External Hard Drive Drive for PS4
$70
WD Black 2TB P10 Game Drive Portable External Gaming Hard Drive
$70How to choose an external hard drive
There is a multitude of external hard drives brands, fabrications, and sizes to choose from when browsing Prime Day external hard drive deals. So many, in fact, that the choice can be overwhelming. To help you find the right external hard drive for you, let’s take a look at the major features — storage capacity, SSD vs. HDD, transfer speed, portability and durability, security, compatibility, and extra features — to make sure you get the right one.
The first thing we should look at is storage capacity. Ask yourself: How big a hard drive do you really need? Look at what you’ve got saved on your computer, and in the cloud and measure accordingly, taking into account your future needs, and how many devices you’re going to back up on this external hard drive, which can range from 64GB to several TB, which is quite a difference. Then consider SSD versus an HDD. We go deep on the difference here, but, basically, SSDs have no moving parts (HDDs do), making SSD drives much faster, less easily damaged, and more expensive. We usually recommend SSDs, with budget considerations in mind, of course. Older drives will have USB 2.0, as a standard, and it’s pretty slow, reaching only 480Mbps. Newer drives will have USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen1, or USB 3.2 Gen1 as standard (they’re similar) with speeds of up to 5Gbps. Then there’s USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB 3.2 Gen2 (again, similar), providing 10Gbps transfers. At the top of the USB 3 pile is USB 3.2, or 3.2 2×2, with 20Gbps. Up from there is the Thunderbolt 3 protocol with up to 40Gbps in transfer speed.
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One of the main reasons to choose an external hard drive over, or in addition to, the cloud is its portability. Lots of great drives are meant to stay at your home or your office, but if you’re looking for one to take with you where you go, there are some things to consider. External hard drives can vary greatly in size and weight; the smaller ones with the most capacity tend to be, you guessed it, the most expensive. Part of this consideration is durability; no drive lasts forever, and lots of contemporary drives come with rugged casings to protect them against damage. SSDs, without those moving parts, tends to stand up better to impact damage than HDD.
Another consideration is security. How sensitive is the data you are backing up and transferring? If the answer to this question is anything but “not very” you’ll want to consider encryption, either through software or the device’s hardware. You can get software that’s compatible with most drives, but if you want to step up your security, get a drive with hardware encryption. If security is a top concern, you can even look at drives with physical security systems.
Finally, but not least important, is compatibility and features. Hard drives often come formatted for a specific operating system. So ask yourself before buying, ‘Do I have Windows or MacOS and will this change any time soon?’ You can always reformat an external hard drive, or partition it, but you probably want to avoid that challenge by making sure your external drive is compatible with the target operating system. Look at the features too: Consider what kind of warranty is offered; look at your machine and note whether you’re going to need to buy extra cables; some come with Wi-Fi — is this important to you?
When you’re exploring Prime Day external hard drive deals, make sure to get the external hard drive that’s right for you.
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