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Buyer's Guide: The Best External Hard Drives

Need more storage space for your files? Looking for a portable storage solution? Check out our pick of the best 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch external hard drives.

Pierre-Jean Alzieu
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
Published: November 23, 2011

More External Hard Drive Reviews

Looking for a new hard drive? Cut to the chase with this pick of the best models currently on the market or, for more options, you can browse all our external hard drive reviews.

An external hard drive should transfer files quickly and have a sturdy casing. Here are a few things to look for when shopping for an external hard drive:

- Performances. In practice, a USB 3.0 connection is four times faster than USB 2.0. That can make a big difference if you've got lots of files to move around.

- Capacity. On a price per GB basis, it's not very economical to buy anything under 500 GB. Go for high capacity where possible.

- Build. A robust, high-quality casing is essential for keeping the fragile internal components safe.

- Size. For portable storage, look for a 2.5-inch external hard drive, as these are much smaller and easier to carry around than 3.5-inch models.

With these factors in mind, here's our pick of the best external hard drives out there right now.

Editor's Choice

Review: Transcend StoreJet 25A3 1 TB

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Amazon mark...	197.31
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The Transcend StoreJet 25A3 is small but tough. The USB 3.0 connection makes means it's a fast worker too. What more could you want?

Two Alternatives

Fast and Tough

Review: LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 500 GB

The Rugged USB 3.0 is ideal for anyone who often transports large volumes of files ... so long as your computer is equipped with the new USB 3.0 interface!