External hard disk drives (HDDs) are a great way to expand storage without messing around with the internal hard drives of a desktop or laptop computer. MSY stocks a wide range of external HDDs to meet fixed and portable storage needs.
Choosing the best external hard drive means getting the basics right. For starters, consider capacity, interface and speed for your next portable hard drive.
Portable HDD capacities start at one terabyte (1TB) or 2TB for external hard drives. MSY also has plenty more space, like 4TB portable hard drives and 5TB external hard drives. Alternatively, opt for stacks of storage and backup with 10TB, 12TB or up to 16TB external hard drives.
These days, USB 3.0 external hard drives are the norm, and these portable hard drives are compatible with USB 2.0 ports/devices. Alternatively, go with speedier USB-C or Thunderbolt external hard drive interfaces.
When it comes to external hard drive speeds, you’ve got two options: 5400rpm or 7200rpm. Both are affordable options, but 7200rpm drives can offer faster read and write speeds.
With the basics out of the way, there are additional external hard drive factors to weigh up when choosing the best portable HDD. MSY sells popular external hard drive brands at great prices and for different uses.
Shop external hard drives from popular and trusted brands at MSY. We sell external hard drives from trusted brands like Western Digital and Seagate, plus you can also find Lacie and G-Technology hard drives here.
Buy cheap external hard drives from MSY for under $100, including 1TB USB 3.0 HDDs. Alternatively, pay up to double that price for five times the capacity, or $300 and beyond for double-digit terabytes of external HDD storage.
Most external hard drives are built to be extremely portable. Pick from slim and rugged external hard drives that don’t need external power, or choose large-capacity powered external HDDs that are best for multi-device backups.
All of our external hard drives are compatible with PC desktops and laptops. Additionally, expand the storage of PS4, PS5 or Xbox consoles with compatible external hard drives from MSY.
Check out the answers below for the most popular external hard drive questions.
Given how affordable external hard drive prices are up to around 5TB, it’s best to opt for more capacity than just the right amount. Think about what you want to store on an external hard drive, then add an extra terabyte or two as a buffer.
MSY has external hard drives from the biggest and most trusted brands, which means you have plenty of choices. Pick an external hard drive that meets your storage, interface and portability requirements.
External hard drives are still a great solution for managing storage. They can be used for backup, file sharing or storage expansion on a range of compatible devices.
The best external hard drive is the one that first meets specific device interface needs so you can actually use it. After that, consider capacity, speed, price and brand.
External hard drives are affordable ways to greatly expand storage, whereas external solid-state drives (SSDs) are more expensive. External SSDs are faster than external HDDs, though.
Nowadays, external hard drives don’t require manual installation to use. Connect an external hard drive to a compatible device and start using the extended storage.