Unless otherwise indicated, all the PC drives mentioned here are compatible with Windows but can be formatted for a Mac. But a lot of the time they'll be designated as working with a specific platform out of the box and sometimes come with backup software that's platform-specific. Most of the options on this list of the best external hard drive models will work across platforms - whether you have a Windows PC, Mac computer, PlayStation or Xbox - so long as the drives are correctly formatted for the right platform. A solid-state drive doesn't have moving parts and the external SSD drive has up to four times faster read and write speed, but it costs a lot more per gigabyte. Prices have dropped significantly in the last few years, with even the high-capacity, state of the art, all-around best external hard drive models tipping the scales at 5TB but costing just over $100.

External storage is a great way to maximize performance without maxing out the budget.Ī traditional hard drive or mechanical drive that uses 'old' hard drive technology (mechanical platters and a moving read-write head to access data) is adequate for the majority of users, thanks to speedier USB-C and USB 3.0 (as well as 3.1/3.2) interfaces. One way to manage it all is to find the best external hard drive and solid-state drive for your needs. And most new computers don't come with much internal hard drive storage space unless you're splurging on a high-end model - they usually have 256GB or 512GB.

Game consoles today usually come with 1TB drives (equivalent to approximately 1,000GB of hard drive storage), but the drives get full quickly if you aren't good about taking games off the drive as you add more.

Portable hard drive for both mac and pc