For those of us who work on computers a lot of the time (and these days that’s likely everyone you know) data needs to be readily accessible. It also piles up at horrifying speeds, and it’s never a pleasant experience to run out of space in your system. Thankfully, our Hard Disk Drives can hold obscene quantities of files these days without issues, which leaves only one problem to deal with – Portability. If you want files of several gigabytes available to you, at all the time, then I don’t think an online backup or a file host is a viable option. You may find yourself without access to the internet and be cut off from your data; And even if that’s not the case, each time you want to make changes you’ll have to download, edit, and upload it all over again. I know it’s not good. But of course, there’s a solution: “External Hard Drives” 🙂 External Drives are amazing just by virtue of their sheer simplicity, and the fact that USBs are so awesome and, uh, well, universal, is just cream on top of the cake. Just Plug in, access your files, edit all you want, eject, and disconnect; And Repeat whenever you want, wherever you want and however many times you want. Unlike internal Hard Drives, they don’t need you to screw open your computer (obviously) or need a reboot. And you can carry them around your home, your office, your car, and if you have USB-On-The-Go in your phone; Then you can also even access your hundreds of gigs of files from your smartphone. All that, we haven’t even touched upon all the modern advancements made in External Drives – such as making them shockproof, waterproof, dustproof – protecting your data wherever you take it. There are also wireless external drives available today, meaning with a compatible camera you can directly wi-fi your photographs into your drive as you take them for direct editing via a connected laptop or tablet. With all these choices out there, which one to pick? Let’s take a look. Since most people need at least 1TB of portable data for our various needs, in this article we’ve only focused on the best 1Tera Bytes drives available out there today.
So, Let’s See How Many Best 1 TB External Hard Disk Drives Are Available In The Market;
Top 4th – TOSHIBA Canvio Basics 3.0 ‘HDTB110XK3BA’
RPM: 5,400 RPM Interface: USB 3.0 Warranty: 3 Years Price Tag: Around 56.09$ (1TB) Cost Per GB: 56.09/1024 GB = Around 5¢/GB
About it: It’s no shocker that Toshiba made it to this list. Even before they became the Toshiba Corporation in 1978, they were delivering quality products as Toshiba Shibaura, which was formed in 1938; Even before which they existed as organizations founded in 189 and 1875, which merged in ’38. It’s no joke to survive two world wars and come out the other side as a world famous manufacturer of technology. So yeah, Toshiba made the cut. In other news: water, still wet. And they certainly seem to be living up to their statement of providing good security to let you relax and live life to the fullest. You know what they say – it’s not bragging if you can back it up. TOSHIBA entry in our top 4 is their Canvio Basics Portable Drive, and, like many of the products offered by the company, it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. It’s also one of the sleekest, sexiest designs we’ve ever seen; From the mat black texture to the tapered bottom with the little bulbous legs for stability, it’s a go-to example on how to make a piece of hardware aesthetically appealing.
At the small size of 4.7 x 3.1 x 0.7 in, this unassuming little black box is also small enough to sit on the palm of your hand. Compatible with both 3.0 and 2.0 USBs, it provides the plug-and-play simplicity that we’ve come to expect from USB devices and does it without hassle, and there’s no need to use a power cord. And as with all Toshiba products; It’s built with reliability in mind and guaranteed to provide the performance you need.
Top 3rd – ADATA HD720 ‘AHD720-1TU3-CBL’
RPM: 7,200 RPM Interface: USB 3.0 Warranty: 3 Years Price Tag: Around 62.77$ (1TB) Cost Per GB: 62.77/1024 GB = Around 6¢/GB
About it: Now, the feature-heavy TOSHIBA Canvio Basics model was a strong contender for the top 3rd spot, but we’re giving it to ADATA’s HD720 for three simple reasons; Small, Cheap & Tough!! There’s no other way to describe the drive. “Life is an Adventure”, says the product page, and ADATA has gone above and beyond to make sure that you can enjoy this adventure without concern for damaging the data you want to carry around with you. At first glance, the drive doesn’t look like a drive at all – it’s appearance is similar to the Walkman’s and CD-Mans that were popular about a couple of decades ago; A feeling enhanced by the wrap-around groove that goes around the drive, which holds its USB cable like a headphone around it. The device is also of a unique texture – plastic and rubber. There is a reason for all this – it can withstand pretty much any weather situation you throw at it: bury it in sand, immerse it in water, toss it on the ground; The HD720 isn’t just meant to survive these conditions, it is expected to encounter and withstand them. The designers have put it together for rough use, hence the triple-layer elastic silicone material that gives it its unique look – it’s meant for shock absorption. There is also an internal shock sensor, which will make the drive’s blue light flash red if it gets it. Once the shock is absorbed, the light will turn blue again, indicating that normal operation has resumed. Weighing at 223g and sized at 129.4 x 97.9 x 20.2 mm, it is compatible with both USB 3.0 and 2.0 and with Windows, Mac, and Linux. If you travel a lot and need your data protected at all times, the HD720 is the clear and only choice.
Top 2nd – WD My Passport Ultra ‘WDBTLG0010BGY-WESN’
RPM: 7,200 RPM Interface: USB 2.0, USB 3.0 Warranty: 2 Years Price Tag: Around 54.99$ (1TB) Cost Per GB: 54.99/1024 GB = Around 5¢/GB
About it: It’s no shocker that WD made it to this list. This brand has a long history in the electronics industry as an integrated circuit maker and a storage products company. The WD My Passport Ultra is similar in dimensions to its previous version ‘WD My Passport’, but it has several bonus features that make it stand out from the crowd. Firstly, it comes with a brand new look which looks ultimate. An NTFS driver for Mac, which means it is plug-and-play for both Windows and Macintosh platforms, giving you instant access to your data from both, and, if you’re like us, you’ll love how easy this makes to transfer files from your PC to your Mac; Even without formatting it.
The drive also comes with a pre-loaded, trademarked backup software called “WD Backup” which makes creating backup a breeze, “WD Security’” for security, and ‘WD Discovery’ for social media and cloud storage import. Files, folders, full-system-backup, recovery, all of it, in one beautiful package. Your data is safeguarded by an internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology to keep it safe, so you don’t have to worry about the odd bump and tumble messing up its insides. The My Passport Ultra comes in two metallic colors which ‘Black and Grey’ or ‘White and Gold’ and both looks gorgeous. While we don’t generally go for this kind of thing, it’s a good way to make your drive stand out from the crowd. There’s also cloud storage made available to you for free with each purchase – and that’s backup for your backups, which is just cool.
Top 1st – WD MY PASSPORT WIRELESS PRO ‘WDBVPL0010BBK-NESN’
RPM: 5,400 RPM Interface: SD Card Slot, USB 3.0, Wi-Fi Warranty: 2 Years Price Tag: Around 137$ (1TB) Cost Per GB: 137/1024 GB = Around 13¢/GB
About it: And WD strike again! Let’s skip over all the usual stuff we already mentioned about the WD My Passport ultra drive – all of which are present in the My Passport Wireless Pro – with 30-day money-back guarantee, the reliability of the hardware, the USB 3.0 and 2.0 support – and jump straight to the things you get on top of that. As the name indicates, its wireless, that’s not to say that you can’t use it as a normal wired USB drive, because you can; But that would be a gross, criminal Under-Utilization of this amazing piece of tech. To start with, it’s not just a storage device – it’s also a charging hub for all your devices too. A 6,400 mAh power bank exists inside the drive, and it can charge your smartphone, your DSLR, your tablet, or any other device with a USB interface. It is also integrated with Plex – a client/server media player system, which allows you to wirelessly stream media to your TV, your smartphone or any other devices with Plex compatibility. Your smartphone and other compatible devices can also access the entire drive wirelessly with the My Cloud Mobile App. It can also be connected to the Adobe Creative Cloud, which can wirelessly move photos from your camera to your drive and also to your Cloud, enabling instant image and video editing through the Adobe software. Any media that you capture can also be shared via wireless streaming to multiple devices, allowing you to show off your footage and pics to entire groups at a time. The feature that was a real kick in the nuts, though, is the fact that you can connect other external storage devices like external drives and USB sticks, and this will make the data in the second drive available wirelessly, too. And the media in that drive can also be accessible through the My Cloud App in smartphones, which means it is essentially a USB-On-The-Go for your mobile devices. With all this wireless connectivity, WD wants to ensure that the data within is protected, so they’ve thrown in Wi-Fi password protection and even a Drive Lock feature which can cut off unauthorized access to your drive’s contents even if it is lost or stolen. Now, you’d think all that combined would be enough, but nope, WD isn’t done yet; The My Passport Wireless Pro is also a Wi-fi Hotspot too, which can act as a hub and share its internet connection with up to 8 separate devices. Now that’s just showing off. What next, is there a button to make the thing sprout legs, crack open an egg and make you an omelet? Crap, we better not give them ideas… Though not as aesthetically pleasing in appearance as their other entry on this list, WD has offset this with enough bonus features to make your head spin. And that’s our top picks among the 1TB drives available in the market – will you pick the HD720 for its adamantium-level strength, or the WD Wireless Passport Pro for the features?
Happy Shopping!!!
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