External Hard Drive Reviews

Updated October 2011

Whether you need one to give your large multimedia files a little extra breathing room, or to provide a lifeboat for your precious data should disaster strike, external hard drives are cheaper, more reliable, and easier to use than ever. ConsumerSearch looks at expert opinions and user feedback to find the best choices, with an eye toward performance, dependability and value.

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE

Best external hard drive

$100

Estimated Price

The Western Digital My Passport Essential SE isn't the fastest USB 3.0 external hard drive available, but for those still using USB 2.0 ports, including anyone with an Apple desktop or laptop computer, you'd be hard-pressed to find a speedier option. Setup is easy -- as a portable external hard drive you don't even need a power cord. Easy-to-use backup software also draws kudos from most reviewers, though others note that the features are on the basic side. Quiet operation is another plus. Some say that the plastic case -- available in four colors -- feels a little flimsy and that it's a bit of a fingerprint magnet. A 750 GB version (*Est. $85) is also available. The Western Digital My Passport Essential is similar, but is only available in a 500 GB capacity (*Est. $75).

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Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable

Budget external hard drive

$50

Estimated Price

If your budget is tight, and you don't need quite as much external storage, experts point to the 320 GB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable as an excellent choice. Reviews praise its speed, simple design and backup software, and the way it's friendly to households with Macs and PCs; it'll work on both without reformatting. In addition to being very portable, the drive is very flexible. Though natively equipped with only a USB 2.0 connection, you can upgrade at any time to a faster port (USB 3.0, eSATA, FireWire) with the purchase of a $20 adapter. It also works with a number of other Seagate accessories for converting into a home media server and other uses. If you want the features of the FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-Portable but need more storage, capacities up to 1 TB are available.

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ioSafe SoloPro

Fireproof, waterproof external drive

$240

Estimated Price

Most external hard drives can be easily destroyed by a spilled cup of coffee, much less a flood or fire. But the ioSafe SoloPro is built to withstand a 1,550-degree Fahrenheit fire for 30 minutes or submersion in 10 feet of water for three days. It includes one year of data recovery and a three-year warranty (both can be extended to five years at an extra cost). It comes with either a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0/eSATA connection, and works well with Windows, Mac and even Linux computers. The ioSafe SoloPro is also much bigger and heavier than other external drives, at 15 pounds and nearly a foot wide.

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