The 10 Best Pc Hard Drives Of 2024, Researched By Us

Piers Anthony By, Piers Anthony
Updated
Best Pc Hard Drives
Best Pc Hard Drives

The Rundown

1. Best Overall: Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD

Easily store and access your data with this portable hard drive. With Seagate Backup Plus software, you can create a backup of your computer and make it available on the external hard drive in no time. The data transfer is also automatic. Just connect the portable hard drive to a computer and drag and drop files onto it to set up. Read Review

2. Best Bang For The Buck: WD 5TB Elements Portable HDD

With high capacity, the WD Elements offers a fast and easy way to add extra storage. Data transfers are quick and easy with USB 3.0 technology and the plug-and-play design lets you easily access your files without any additional software. The small, lightweight design means you can take it anywhere without added bulk or weight. Read Review

3. Best Reliable: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB Internal Hard Drive HDD

With its proven reliability and storage capacity, this hard drive keeps your content safe from loss. The SATA 6 Gb/s interface on this hard drive allows for faster speeds than older technologies which means you can load games in seconds. Read Review

4. Best Adjustable: Western Digital PC Internal Hard Drive- WD20EZBX

With a storage capacity of 20 TB, this hard drive is the perfect size for everyday computing needs. The WD20EZBX is powered by Western Digital's award-winning 3D Active Balance Plus technology which provides superior power efficiency in addition to low noise levels and vibration. Read Review

5. Best Safety: WD_BLACK Portable External Hard Drive HDD

Its sleek metal top covering provides a portable form factor with fast access to your game library. The quality and reliability of this external hard drive is what make it the ideal companion for gaming. Read Review

If you’re in the market for a new hard drive, there are several things to consider. PC hardware is expensive, and upgrading from that old desktop you have will get your money’s worth. Fortunately, upgrading your storage also means upgrading your PC.

PC users spend more time using their computers than any other platform. While most people use smartphones and tablets for browsing the internet and checking email, desktop users spend most of their time on their PCs. This means we spend more time accessing our photos, videos, documents and other files than anything else. And to keep all of those files safe and accessible at all times, we need a good hard drive.

Our staff had to concentrate on studying over 21 hours to acquire such outcomes for readers. Such research depends on both customer star ratings and interviews with customers about their experience of the product.

As result, We think the best pc hard drives of 2024 is Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD. This external hard drive features a sleek design that's easy to carry around. The automatic recognition software makes it easy to get up and running, just connect the portable hard drive to a computer, drag and drop! Consider WD 5TB Elements Portable HDD as an alternative if you're still undecided. Other suggestions on this list are definitely worth considering, and we've put up a useful shopping guide to help you decide!

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD
Our Score:
9.9
Seagate

Easily store and access 5TB of content on the go with the Seagate portable drive, a USB external hard Drive

This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable

Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop

To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required

TOP Choice #2 WD 5TB Elements Portable HDD
Our Score:
9.7
Western Digital

Improve PC performance - When your internal hard drive is almost full your PC slows down. Don’t delete files. Free up space on your internal hard drive by transferring files to your WD Elements portable hard drive and get your laptop moving again.

Transfer data at maximum speed with USB 3.0; USB 2.0 compatible

Plug-and-play ready for Windows PC

Adding extra storage for your videos, music, photos, and files..Date transfer rate:5Gbps

High capacity in a small enclosure – The small, lightweight design offers up to 5TB* capacity, making WD Elements portable hard drives the ideal companion for consumers on the go.

TOP Choice #3 Seagate BarraCuda 2TB Internal Hard Drive HDD
Our Score:
9.6
Seagate

Confidently rely on internal hard drive technology backed by 20 years of innovation

Note: Graphics May Vary and Size (3.5") refer to the size of the data platters not the size of the hard drive mechanism

Build a powerhouse gaming computer or desktop setup with a variety of capacities and form factors

The go to SATA hard drive solution for nearly every PC application—from music to video to photo editing to PC gaming

Store more, compute faster, and do it confidently with the proven reliability of BarraCuda internal hard drives

4 Western Digital PC Internal Hard Drive- WD20EZBX
Our Score:
9.5
Western Digital

Free Acronis True Image WD Edition cloning software

Western Digital quality and reliability

Reliable everyday computing

2-year limited warranty

Massive capacity up to 8TB

Comes with an 18-inch (457mm) USB Type-A to Micro-B cable with SuperSpeed interface up to 5Gbps (Cable length may vary.)

Available in capacities up to 5TB that can hold up to 125 games, so that you can save old favorites and still have room for new titles (As used for storage capacity, one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment. Number of games based on a 36GB average per game. The number of games will vary based on file size, formatting, other programs, and factors.)

Compatible with Xbox Series X/S (play and store Xbox One games, archive Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S games) and PlayStation 5 (play and store PS4 games, archive PS5 games) consoles

Premium HDD with 3-year limited warranty, purpose-built for gamers based on WD_BLACK quality and reliability

Portable form factor with sleek metal top covering that provides fast access to your growing game library

WD quality inside and out

Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs

Fast data transfers

High-capacity add-on storage

The go to SATA hard drive solution for nearly every PC application from music to video to photo editing to PC gaming

Store more, compute faster, and do it confidently with the proven reliability of BarraCuda internal hard drives

Confidently rely on internal hard drive technology backed by 20 years of innovation

Enjoy long term peace of mind with the included two year limited warranty

Build a powerhouse gaming computer or desktop setup with a variety of capacities and form factors

8 Nice2MiTu USB External Floppy Disk Drive
Our Score:
8.9
Nice2MiTu

【easy to carry】High quality hard plastic enclosure, beautiful and durable,Super slim and lightweight

【Interference preventer】Floppy disk drive has a strong anti-interference ability

【Attention】In order to get enough power from floppy disk, please plug our external disk drive directly into the motherboard's rear USB port. If you connect our external hard drive via a USB hub, USB extension cable or front USB interface, your computer may fail to recognize it. If you have any questions, please kindly contact us.

【Widely applicable】External drive ideal for Desktops and Laptops, Support for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10,for Mac, Notebook,PC,for IBM Dell Acer Sony HP etc

【Plug and play】No extra driver required, Power directly from the USB port, be compatible with USB 1.1/2.0/3.0,Read/Write 1.44 MB floppy disk

Features two 7.5W USB Type-A charging ports to charge your gaming gear and accessories.

Speed up to 250 MB/s rated at 7200RPM with active cooling technology to help you stay in the game.

Extra storage to capture and collect your best in-screen game captures.

Purpose-built for gamers based on WD_Black quality and reliability.

1 Year Seller Warranty

Actual Drive might be different from the picture. Package includes a hard drive only - no screws, cables, manuals included. Please purchase mounting hardware and cables separately if necessary.

IntelliSeek: Calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise and vibration.

NoTouch Ramp Load Technology: Safely positions the recording head off the disk surface to protect your data.

Data LifeGuard: Advanced algorithms monitor your drive continuously so it stays in optimum health.

Product Images, Product Titles, Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API

What to Look For in a best pc hard drives?

You may know that best pc hard drives is a kind of product many customers are hesitant to pay for. It is not due to its quality but the fact that there are many factors you must consider. Nevertheless, all your worry is not a problem for us. Our knowledgeable staff will help you with the right decision.

Tech-evaluated and high-rated products are available in our list of eligible items. Here are some indispensable things you shouldn’t ignore:

Reliability

All hard drives eventually die, and there’s no definitive answer on when that day will come. We recommend replacing your backup drives between the third and sixth years of use, if possible. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get metrics on which hard drive models are more reliable over the long run, and even so, there will always be outliers and failures that occur sooner than expected.

Size Of The Disk

I understand that you are buying the hard disk in order to eliminate the need to delete some files when you install a new game or add modifications. Also, at a time when a single game can take up to 100GB, Call of Duty WWII is 90GB; it only makes sense that you select the hard disk that will allow you sufficient storage space.

Performance

Transfer speed is the feature that most people notice on a daily basis. We evaluated each drive with tests that replicated different real-world uses, and we focused on the drives that consistently outperformed the other contenders. Drives that did well on some tests but failed others were unreliable and not worth purchasing.

External Vs. Internal HDD

The main advantage of external hard disks is their portability. Which also makes them perfect backups in case your PC is compromised. Desktop PCs allow you room to add extra hard disks, but if you are using a laptop or other gaming device, you will have to replace your existing hard drive.

Speed

HDDs, or hard drives, contain spinning disks that read and write your data. The faster these disks spin—rated in rotations per minute (RPM)—the faster the drive can access data and transfer it to your computer.

Rotation Speed

Did you know that hard drives store information on spinning magnetic plates? The faster these plates spin, the faster the load and access time. The rotation is measured in RPM (Rotations per Minute), and although we recommend hard disks with 7200RPM, 5400RPM is still a good option.

Cache Memory

This is a cache that functions much like Computer RAM Memory. It stores important files temporarily so that it takes less time to access them on the disk. The larger the cache size, the faster the hard disk will be. However, the difference is not major, and as such, this should not be the biggest determiner.

FAQs

What is the difference between an SSD and HDD?

A Solid State Drive (SSD) is a type of storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data. An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is a type of storage device that uses spinning disks to store data. SSDs are typically faster and more reliable than HDDs, but they are also more expensive.

What is the difference between an internal and external hard drive?

An internal hard drive is installed inside the computer case, and is used for storage of files and programs. An external hard drive is a storage device that is connected to the computer via USB or other interface, and is used for additional storage or backups.

What types of hard drives are available?

There are several types of hard drives available, including mechanical hard drives, solid state drives, and hybrid drives. Mechanical hard drives use spinning disks to read and write data, while solid state drives use non-volatile memory chips to store data. Hybrid drives are a combination of both, combining the speed and performance of a solid state drive with the capacity of a mechanical hard drive.

How do I install a hard drive?

Installing a hard drive is relatively straightforward and can usually be done with a few basic tools. Depending on the type of computer and hard drive you have, the installation process can vary. Generally, though, you will need to open your computer case, mount the hard drive in the appropriate bay, and connect the appropriate cables. You may also need to set up your BIOS or UEFI settings to recognize the new hard drive.

How do I know if my hard drive is failing?

There are several signs that your hard drive may be failing, such as an inability to boot up, frequent errors when opening files, or a grinding noise when the hard drive is in use. If you experience any of these issues, it is important to back up your data as soon as possible and contact a professional for help.

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About Piers Anthony

Piers Anthony

Piers Anthony is a freelance writer and computer expert who enjoys helping others get the most out of their technology. He has written extensively about laptops, soundbars, and other computer-related topics, and he currently serves as the editor of The Audio Insights website. When he's not writing or tinkering with his gadgets, Piers can be found spending time with his wife and family.