BestExternal Hard Drives for MaciMore2020

• Best Hard Drive For Laptop
• Best Hard Drive For Gaming

We understand that your data is important to you. Whether its personal documents, important work files, or just making sure you have everything you need to be backed up, you can never be too safe. External hard drives are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. When you take into account price, ease of use, and portability, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times.

Best Overall: Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)

If you want a reliable external hard drive that has a decent amount of storage, is super easy to carry around and has a very affordable price tag, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the best option for most people. Formatted for Windows and Mac right out of the box, it's easy to carry all your essential documents from desktop to laptop without missing a beat.

Dec 26, 2019  Best SSDs for 2020. Our editors hand-picked these products based on our tests and reviews. A new level of performance to any computers that still use a hard drive. Here then are the best external hard drives for Mac of 2020 in order of ranking. WD My Passport For Mac (Best Overall) The Western Digital 2TB My Passport For Mac is the perfect 2TB portable external hard drive for Mac users. It’s ready formatted for use on Mac, Time Machine ready and small enough to fit in your coat pocket. The SeaGate FireCuda is the best hybrid hard drive on the market. It can fit up to 2TB of data, and then its 8GB of solid state cache storage learns which data you use most, so that you can access.

The Seagate Dashboard back up system is a fantastic simple tool that can let you schedule backups to ensure you never miss any critical files you need in case something terrible happens to your computer. You can set automatic backups daily, weekly, or monthly, and change the frequency whenever you want.

Seagate also throws in a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create. This can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool, and a two-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan.

• Feb 11, 2020  To get you started in the right direction toward a solid add-on backup/storage solution for your needs, below are 10 of the best external SSD and hard drives we've tested of late, at a variety of.
• Best Mac hard drives 2020 Here are the best Mac hard drives and external storage options in 2020. Find out which hard drive can help increase your storage or safely back up your Mac.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Great backup software
• USB 3.0
• Metal enclosure

Best Overall

Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)

Reliable, portable, and affordable.

Don't worry about lengthy setups or formatting procedures. Plug in the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB, which is formatted for Mac right out of the packaging.

Best USB-C hard drive: Samsung T5 Portable SSD (1 TB)

This small compact SSD drive from Samsung comes with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A, meaning it's perfect to use with your MacBook or Mac.

Its fast 540 MB/s read and write speeds are more than enough to transfer any file. And should be able to store all your photo and video files with ease thanks to its straightforward software. Plus, if you're worried about encryption, the Samsung T5 Portable SSD has you covered with an optional password to launch the drive and AES 256-bit hardware encryption on all your files.

Pros:

• USB-C
• SSD
• Super compact
• AES 256-bit hardware encryption

Best USB-C

Samsung T5 Portable SSD (1 TB)

Fast and encrypted

With 540 MB/s read and write speeds, the Samsung T5 Portable SSD is fast enough for photographers and videographers to transport all their work.

Source: Western Digital

Compatible with Time Machine right out of the box, the 8 TB storage capacity on the Western Digital My Book is perfect for people looking for a lot of stage at a reasonable price. It's USB 3.0, meaning it's easy to take advantage of its storage speed with fast transfer speeds.

While portability is not the Western Digital My Book's strong suit and it needs a separate power source, it does offer 256-AES encryption when you download its easy-to-use security software. It ensures all your important files and documents stay private.

If you're looking for a drive that has lots of space, os you don't have to have multiple as your storage needs grow, look no further.

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Pros:

• Lots of storage
• 256-AES encryption
• Time Machine compatible

Best Capacity

Western Digital My Book (8TB)

Lots of storage for those who need it

Western Digital offers 256-AES encryption when you download its security software, meaning you can rest easy knowing your private information and personal data is safe.

Best Thunderbolt 3 Drive: LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt

LaCie hard drives have always been good for people on the go because of the rugged design. The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt can withstand some dust, dirt, and even a tiny bit of water being splashed on it.

It's 7200 RPM Hard drive keeps things running smoothly. And the included USB-C cable — which supports Thunderbolt 3 — makes it perfect for MacBook and Mac users alike!

Cons:

• Only 130MB/s

Best Thunderbolt 3 Drive

LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt

Rugged design with Thunderbolt 3

The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 3 is a favorite because it can withstand drops, dust, and even the occasional splash of water, making it easy to carry around!

Best for Legacy Hardware : G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)

While Apple has been going the way of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 for a while now, some of us still use older hardware and thus don't need hard drives that have USB-C connections. If you're still rocking USB-A or even a Thunderbolt 2 connection from your Mac, the G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB) is a perfect companion.

Its all-metal design is not only more durable than plastic hard drives, but it also looks stylish! Plus, it's 7200 RPM speed allows the G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 to achieve 195 MB/s read and write speeds. This makes it fast enough to transfer large video files quickly and efficiently.

Cons:

• Needs to be reformatted for Windows

Best for legacy hardware

G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)

Stylish and fast even on older computers

With 7200 RPM, this hard drive works hard and fast to get your files transferred quickly. Plus, it uses USB 3.0, and it even has a Thunderbolt 2 port.

Source: CalDigit

The CalDigit Tuff does the best it can to live up to its name, giving you a hard drive that isn't as delicate as most. Its official IP rating is IP57, meaning it can be submerged in 3-feet of water for 30 mins and come out the other side functional. That's not all; this Thunderbolt 3 compatible drive can also withstand falling from about 4-feet high. We still don't suggest that you purposely abuse the CalDigit Tuff. Still, it's always good to have peace of mind when you're carrying your hard drive around.

Cons:

• Only come in 2TB

Best rugged drive

CalDigit Tuff

Can withstand drops and water

Official rated IP57, the CalDigit Tuff can survive an accidental dip into the water and has a great price tag.

Source: Samsung

If you're used to dealing with giant file sizes and need a hard drive that can handle transfer data fast, the Samsung X5 is one of the fastest SSD's you'll find. Its read and write speeds are 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s, respectively, and the entire body is made of metal, making it much harder than plastic drives. Plus, The internal frame on the inside is shock resistant for drops from 2 meters.

This SSD comes with Thunderbolt 3 technology included. This you can take advantage of the fast speeds on your Mac or MacBook Pro, and it doesn't need any formatting, so it's plug and play!

Pros:

• 2,800MB/s read speed
• Shock resistant
• Thunderbolt 3

Best fast drive

Samsung X5

Incredibly fast SSD

If you need blazing fast speeds for giant files, the Samsung X5 is a monster external SSD that can handle any workload.

Bottom line

The Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times. It is formatted for both Mac and Windows right out of the box, and its easy-to-use software can automatically do backups for you as often or as little as you want.

Seagate also throws in a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create. This program can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool. A two-month membership to Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan means it's perfect for budding photographers as well.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Luke Filipowicz is an iMore staff writer who has been carrying around his Seagate Backup Plus Slim since his college days.

Lory Gil is the Managing Editor of iMore and an avid believer in having as many backups of your important files and documents as possible.

Rene Ritchie is the foremost authority on all things Apple and has insider knowledge about the goings-on at the biggest tech company in the world. When it comes to accessories for Mac, Rene has used them all.

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Want to use your USB devices with your new MacBook Air? Get one of these!

Use your USB microphone, flash drive, or even charge your older devices with these USB-C adapters.

BestExternal Hard Drives for XboxWindows Central2020

The Western Digital My Book is a worthwhile purchase for anyone looking to install a large number of games on their Xbox One, taking full advantage of a whopping 3TB of storage.

Our pick

Western Digital My Book

Boasting a large amount of storage for the price

Western Digital makes some great mechanical drives and this My Book is a great external storage solution for your Xbox console.

Who should buy this external hard drive

If you find yourself filling up the internal drive of the Xbox One and need to keep clearing games you don't play too often, adding an external storage device like this 4TB unit from Western Digital will allow you to store many more. It's also reasonably priced, so you don't need to break the bank.

Is it a good time to buy this drive?

Yes. Any time is a good time to purchase an external drive (or storage in general). The prices of many new drives are reasonable right now. It's also possible to score some excellent deals on mechanical drive-touting enclosures like this WD unit.

Reasons to buy

• From 3TB of space
• Plug and play
• Store countless more games

Reasons not to buy

• Not as fast as an SSD
• Need a spare outlet for power

Expand your Xbox One capacity

Not only are you investing in a quality storage brand in Western Digital, but the prices of the company's My Book line of external enclosures are incredibly competitive. Some purchasers have even found the drives contained within the products to be priced more as standalone units than when inside the My Book protective casing, so you know you're getting a solid deal for the Xbox One S or Xbox One X.

With games becoming more complex and sizes hitting insane amounts for downloads, it makes sense to pick up an external drive to offset some of the burdens, since the Xbox One S only comes with either 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of internal space, which simply isn't enough anymore. The Xbox One X suffers from similar storage constraints. Throw in a 4TB Western Digital My Book and you have up to 6TB of storage space.

WD has you covered with 4TB of space, ample enough for many games.

The My Book is essentially a WD drive plugged into a daughter circuit board, which then runs via USB to the Xbox One S. That's pretty much it, aside from the protective plastic casing, of course. No thrills, no cool LED lighting, but when all you require the drive to do is spin up with the Xbox and store games, that's pretty much all you could ever need in an external drive.

WD offers the My Book series in 3TB, 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 12TB and 16TB configurations. The latter two options are dual-drives, sporting larger cases with two drives inside. It all depends on how much you want to spend and how much capacity is required.

Alternatives to the WD My Book

The My Book isn't for everyone. If you demand the best speeds for load times, you'll want an SSD. Or perhaps you only require a drive, since you already have an enclosure. We rounded up some additional options to suit these needs.

Runner-up

Seagate Game Drive Hub 8TB

You'll likely never run out of space.

When you need serious capacity and are a serious Xbox One gamer, this is the drive for you. Massive storage on a single drive.

Best Hard Drive For Laptop

With a massive capacity of 8TB, this Seagate Game Drive is ideal for those who need to store a colossal library of Xbox One titles on their consoles but only wish to make use of a single drive. It's also designed to fit right in with the Xbox console itself.

Best Hard Drive For Gaming

Value pick

Western Digital My Passport

More affordable than others

Want a portable drive you can take with you to various LAN events and Xbox parties? My Passport family of drives is worth a look.

Not only is the My Password from WD great value for 1TB, but it's also perfect for taking along for the ride to LAN events and parties where your Xbox may also have an invite. While it's not designed alongside the Xbox, there are numerous colors to choose from to match your taste.

Portable SSD

Samsung T5

Don't spend too much money

Sporting transfer speeds of up to 540 MB/s, the Samsung T3 external SSD package is a great solution to expand capacity.

What makes an SSD a worthwhile purchase for an Xbox One console are the read and write speeds, making it an ideal upgrade over the mechanical drives located inside the console. Samsung makes some of the best SSDs on the market so your collection of games is in good hands.

Speedy pick

Samsung 860 Pro

Expensive, reliable and super quick

Wanting increased read and write speeds of SSDs over traditional hard drives? Samsung's 860 Pro series is among the best.

Samsung's PRO range of SSDs is incredibly fast considering they connect via slower SATA cables rather than hooking up through PCIe. This also makes them ideal for the Xbox One. All you need to do is purchase a small SSD enclosure to house this drive and manage the connection between it and your console, and you're good to go.

Bottom line

While you cannot go wrong when it comes to external hard drives, especially if you have a few units lying around and simply need to purchase an enclosure, we believe the best option for the Xbox One S and Xbox One X is the Western Digital My Book. Not only does it add an insane amount of storage to the console, but it also offers great reliability and portability.

With this external drive, it's possible to add up to 16TB of storage for your games. With console games getting larger over time, it's important to consider just how many you'll be able to save locally without having to deal with physical media, which is becoming obsolete.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Rich Edmonds is a staff reviewer at Windows Central, which means he tests out more software and hardware than he cares to remember. Joining Mobile Nations in 2010, you can usually find him inside a PC case tinkering around when not at a screen fighting with Grammarly to use British words. Hit him up on Twitter: @RichEdmonds.

Jez Corden is a full-time writer for Windows Central, focusing on Xbox, Surface, and Windows PC. He spends the vast majority of his time gaming, or writing about gaming, with a mission to provide gamers in the Microsoft ecosystem the best and most up-to-date info possible.

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