Test the best hard drives for a computer. The best external hard drives for secure data storage

Every time we have to start annual results for hard drives on a pessimistic note. It's no secret that solid-state drives are inexorably pushing their magnetic predecessors out of the market. This process is happening most rapidly in the area of ​​client devices - mobile and desktop PCs, as well as mission-critical corporate storage. On the other hand, hard drives have been and in the foreseeable future will remain in demand as a means of recording large amounts of data that do not require such high access speeds as SSDs provide. In the consumer sphere, these are home NAS, and in the corporate sphere, these are the lower echelons of storage systems with solid-state cache, cold data storage, and intermediate options, referred to as nearline.

However, throughout 2017, contrary to the historical trend, the demand for HDDs practically did not decrease compared to record lows in mid-2016, and at the end it was already significantly higher. Supplies hard drives kept afloat by high prices for NAND Flash memory, and at the same time three survivors HDD manufacturer(Seagate, Toshiba and WD) presented a lot of new models.

3.5-inch hard drives with a capacity of 10-12 TB, originally from the corporate sector, have spread to the market for devices for PCs and NAS, and server models have already conquered the capacity of 14 TB. Together WD and HGST, which were the driving force behind HDD development in last years, Toshiba was very active, releasing a wide range of models for NAS and server racks. In addition to the traditional growth in storage capacity, 2017 was distinguished by related technological advances. Sealed hard drives filled with helium can now hold up to nine platters, and 10 TB HDDs, as it turns out, can be produced without helium. A galaxy of revolutionary technologies looms on the horizon for hard drives, some of which, as manufacturers once again promise, are ready for implementation in the near future.

⇡ ServerHDDform factor 3.5 inches

The record of 12 TB of capacity for a single 3.5-inch hard drive was set by HGST in 2016, but only a few months later the company began mass shipments of the Ultrastar He12 series. Subsequently, this model, deprived of a number of functions, appeared in the catalog Western Digital under the WD Gold brand. Speed sequential access data consumption in these devices reaches 255 MB/s.

Unlike the Ultrastar He12, WD Gold is available exclusively with the SATA interface and does not support internal encryption, native access to 4 KB sectors and Media Cache technology, which allows the use of areas distributed over the surface of the platters as buffer zones. Both drives contain eight platters with a usable capacity of 1.5 TB in a sealed housing. And by the way, WD Gold remained the only nearline model in the WD catalog, since the WD Re series went into retirement.

HGST reached its next milestone, 14 TB, with tiled magnetic recording (SMR). SMR itself is no longer considered as the main way to increase recording density, but in the new Ultrastar Hs14 model it was possible to to a large extent compensate for the inherent disadvantages of this technology. In HGST's previous SMR experiment, the Ultrastar Ha10, the drive's priority was reliability, so after each series of writes, the drive performed a test read of all tracks that overlapped those tracks whose data had been modified. Ultrastar Hs14 only does this if there are write errors. Thanks to this change and increased recording density (the disk contains eight 1.75 TB platters), the Hs14 managed to radically increase the write speed compared to the Ha10 and achieve linear performance of 233 MB/s. The implementation of SMR in Ultrastar Hs14 is host-managed. This means that the operating system is tasked with organizing I/O commands in such a way that the number of RMW (read-modify-write) operations that are inevitable when rewriting data on a tiled plate is minimized, and therefore the hard drive runs on peak performance. On this moment None of the widely distributed operating systems has such functions, so HGST is ready to ship Ultrastar Hs14 drives only at the request of selected customers.

Seagate also launched a 12 TB server HDD under the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD brand, which was then renamed Exos 12. Like the competing product from HGST, this drive comes in configurations with a SATA or SAS interface. In the latter case, full-disk encryption is supported with the function quick cleaning data and native access to 4K markup. In drives of this class, Seagate uses a complex write buffering model - Advanced Write Caching. It includes Media Cache - sections of spare sectors distributed over the surface of the platters, data duplication in DRAM and non-volatile memory for emergency recording in the event of a power failure. The linear performance of the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD 12 TB is 261 MB/s.

Seagate has so far slowed down the development of hard drives with SMR technology. The only similar model in its catalog is the Archive HDD with a capacity of up to 8 TB, renamed Exos 5E8 as part of a rebranding campaign for Seagate enterprise products. Unlike the HGST Ultrastar Hs14, the SMR implementation in Exos 5E8 is drive-managed: the hard drive independently reorganizes data writing commands and, as a result, runs any common OS.

In recent years, Toshiba has not sought to increase the capacity of its hard drives as actively as other manufacturers, and has refrained from using helium. In particular, at the time of summing up, the company could offer only 6 TB of capacity - among both consumer and corporate HDDs. But in the time since then, Toshiba has not only eliminated the technological gap from its rivals, but has also become a leader. First, the MG05ACA series of nearline drives with a SATA interface appeared, the older model of which uses six platters with a usable capacity of 1.33 TB (total volume 8 TB), and then the MG06ACA series, which increased the volume to 10 TB using seven platters of 1 ,43 TB. The sequential data access speed of the MG05ACA and MG06ACA reaches 230 and 249 MB/s, respectively. Like Seagate's enterprise drives, Toshiba equips these models with a Flash memory chip that is used to rescue data in the event of a power failure (PWC, Persistent Write Cache).

It is noteworthy that, while other companies supply 10-terabyte HDDs exclusively in sealed cases filled with helium, Toshiba made do with a standard design with a ventilated case. As you can see, helium is no longer a prerequisite for such a high density of plates, although before the introduction of helium, manufacturers did not dare to pack more than five pieces into a case.

Toshiba AMG07AC 14 TB

The successes of Toshiba's HDD division in 2017 did not end at the 10 TB mark. It is this company that has the honor of introducing the industry's first 14 TB hard drive. The older model MG07ACA with such a capacity contains nine 1.55 TB platters, and in this case the manufacturer still had to resort to “laughing gas”. In addition, Toshiba used Showa Denko magnetic plates, the thickness of which has been reduced from 0.8 to 0.635 mm compared to the previous generation, and a two-stage actuator with new TDK heads. The plate spacing in the MG07ACA is only 1.58mm. The series also includes a 12 TB model based on eight platters, and the disk speed is 250 and 260 MB/s for linear data reading/writing. The only interface option for connecting the MG07ACA to the host controller is SATA. PWC technology is provided to protect data in case of power loss. Commercial supplies drives of this family will begin in the 1st-2nd quarters of 2018.

⇡ ServerHDDform factor 2.5 inches (SFF)

The prospects for SFF (Small Form Factor) hard drives with rotation speeds of 10-15 thousand rpm look gloomy in comparison widespread implementation solid-state memory in mission-critical storage, but ultimately the fastest of magnetic storage devices continue to go on sale, and manufacturers are releasing new models in this category.

Seagate introduced the ninth generation of Enterprise Performance 10K HDDs under the Exos 10E2400 brand with a spindle speed of 10 thousand rpm. The volume in this series reaches 2.4 TB, and linear read/write performance is 279 MB/s. The Enterprise Performance 15K HDD v6 series of drives (capacity up to 900 GB, linear read/write speed up to 300 MB/s), which Seagate updated in 2016, remains in service and now bears the name Exos 15E900.

Seagate Exos 10E2400 2.4 TB

To speed up write operations in SFF form factor drives, Seagate uses Advanced Write Caching technology, which combines caching areas on the surface of the platters and a DRAM buffer with data redundancy in solid-state memory. In addition, Flash memory is also used here to service read operations by caching frequently repeated requests.

Toshiba has brought the volumes of its SFF models to the Seagate level: 2.4 TB for ten-thousanders and 900 GB for HDDs with a spindle speed of 15 thousand rpm. The AL15SEB series achieves a performance of 260 MB/s (at a non-standard speed of 10.5 thousand rpm), and the AL14SXB achieves 290 MB/s. All of these drives feature Flash-based PWC (Persistent Write Cache) to back up data in case of power failure.

HGST continues to supply Ultrastar C10K1800 and Ultrastar C15K600 series hard drives with a maximum capacity of 1800/900 GB respectively and Media Cache technology.

HDDfor desktop PCs andNAS

In 2016, Seagate and WD adapted developments using helium to produce hard drives for desktop PCs and NAS. Since then, Western Digital has increased the capacity of drives in the , Red Pro and Purple families from 8 TB to 10 TB with seven platters with a usable capacity of 1.43 TB. Among these models, only Red Pro has a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, while the others are content with 5400 rpm. WD Blue and WD Black series drives still do not exceed 6 TB in capacity.

The second half of the Western Digital holding, HGST, introduced a new Deskstar NAS model, similar in characteristics to the Red Pro, as part of a boxed set for retail sale. In contrast, regular Deskstar series drives for desktop PCs have long stopped at the 4 TB mark.

Seagate once again offers the highest capacity drives of any hard drive manufacturer for network storage. Introduced in 2016, the BarraCuda Pro, IronWolf and IronWolf Pro series were replenished with 12 TB models based on eight 1.5 TB platters. IronWolf drives with a capacity of 6 TB or more, as well as all IronWolf Pro and BarraCuda Pro, are characterized by a spindle speed of 7200 rpm, the rest - 5900 rpm.

Seagate BarraCuda, IronWolf, IronWolf Pro 12 TB

FireCuda hybrid HDDs still do not exceed 8 TB in volume, and drives for SkyHawk video surveillance systems are 10 TB, but Seagate has introduced an additional SkyHawk AI model with a capacity of up to 12 TB. Now even hard drive manufacturers are getting behind the hype. machine learning, because the peculiarity of the SkyHawk AI firmware is that, in addition to continuous video recording from 64 surveillance cameras using ATA Streaming Feature Set commands, the disk provides sufficient speed for 16 reading threads, which can be used by a neural network that analyzes the data. Unlike standard models SkyHawk, in discs marked AI, the spindle speed is increased from 5900 to 7200 rpm.

Toshiba N300 8 TB

Toshiba has released analogues of its nearline disks with a capacity of 8 and 10 TB with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm in the consumer HDD category. The series, with a maximum capacity of 8 TB (no helium, six 1.33 TB platters) is intended for NAS, and its sister X300 is for desktop PCs. The MD06ACA-V family of drives is aimed at video surveillance systems and contains up to seven 1.43-terabyte platters with a total capacity of 10 terabytes. Unlike enterprise models, Toshiba client drives do not support PWC (Persistent Write Cache).

2.5-inchHDDwith interfaceSATA

The maximum capacity of a 2.5-inch HDD in a 7mm mobile chassis remains 2TB with SMR technology, while a 15mm HDD capacity of 5TB is possible. At the moment, the only drives with this set of characteristics are Seagate BarraCuda and hybrid model FireCuda. By the way, FireCuda is the only mobile “hybrid” that has survived on the market, since WD has stopped producing such devices.

The highest achievement of traditional perpendicular magnetic recording (PRM) technology in a 2.5-inch hard drive with a SATA interface remains 3 TB - such a drive with a case thickness of 15 mm based on four 750 GB platters is available from Toshiba (MQ03ABB series). There are also 4-terabyte models, but they are used exclusively as part of portable drives and are not sold separately.

Other manufacturers, besides Seagate and Toshiba, are only willing to offer 2 TB in a 15mm case (this is new for 2017 in the WD Blue series). The maximum capacity of thin disks (7 and 9.5 mm) remains 1 TB. The only hard drive for NAS in a compact form factor is WD Red.

As for drives in ultra-thin cases (5 mm), they officially ceased to exist after WD discontinued the corresponding WD Blue model.

⇡ Plans for the near future

In the next year or two, the capacity of 3.5-inch hard drives using traditional perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology will continue to grow. This can occur by increasing data density while maintaining the existing “standard” for the number of wafer. Then Seagate and WD will release 14 TB nearline drives based on eight platters with a usable capacity of 1.8 TB. An alternative is to tightly pack the existing 1.55TB wafer packs of 9 into sealed helium-filled cases, as Toshiba has already done. It is also possible to combine both approaches, which will create hard drives with a capacity of 16 TB.

A further increase in recording density faces the limit of PRM technology in its “pure” form. T.n. The superparamagnetic limit dictates the minimum size of an individual grain from the several hundred grains that make up the magnetic domain on the surface of the wafer. For a grain corresponding to the superparamagnetic limit, the difference in the energy of the “zero” and “one” states is already comparable to the energy of temperature fluctuations, which entails an increased risk of charge changes. As part of the HAMR technology, instead of cobalt alloys (as now), other materials (for example, an alloy of iron and platinum or gold-based alloys) with an increased ability to retain charge (and, as a result, resist its change) will be used in magnetic plates. And in order to temporarily make the material more receptive to recording, it is proposed to heat it with a laser or microwave radiation source (MAMR) as it passes the recording head. The theoretical limit for recording density when using HAMR is estimated at 50 Tbit/in2, which gives a capacity of 80 TB per 3.5-inch hard drive platter.

Seagate promised to begin trial shipments of HAMR-based devices in 2017, but as a result, plans have shifted to 2018, and in 2019 the time will come for commercial batches of hard drives up to 20 TB. Then Seagate is ready to annually increase the recording density by 30% - from 2 to 6 Tbit/inch 2. For comparison, in modern HDDs with platters with a usable capacity of 1.5 TB, the recording density is 923 Gbit/inch 2.

Western Digital, on the other hand, has relied on an alternative version of the technology - MAMR - and is not so optimistic about the timing of its implementation: the start of production of WD drives using MAMR is planned for 2019. WD considers the achievable recording density to be 4 Tbit/inch 2 - less than Seagate, but MAMR has a number of advantages over HAMR: it is cheaper to implement in production, and HDD operation There is no heating of the magnetic plate, which reduces the overall reliability of the device and entails the need for wear leveling mechanisms at the host controller level.

Another technology that hard drive manufacturers are actively working on, TDMR (Two-Dimensional Magnetic Recording), is aimed not so much at increasing the recording density as such (although it will allow this to be done by 5-10% when using standard PMR), but at make reading from high-density platters more reliable. In addition to the superparamagnetic limit, there is a separate difficulty in reading information from closely located tracks. Engineers propose to increase the signal-to-noise ratio by using an array of heads that process one or more tracks simultaneously. The debut of this method in commercial drives was expected in 2017, but, most likely, TDMR will not be used until HAMR/MAMR becomes widespread. By the way, all three technologies can be combined with “tiled” recording, SMR.

In terms of performance, all of the above solutions only affect the speed of linear data reading/writing. The response time of the HDD is still determined by the spindle speed and the mobility of the actuator arm. Increasing the first parameter above 7200 rpm for 3.5-inch hard drives and 15 thousand rpm for SFF has long been recognized as inappropriate, but Seagate proposed improving the actuator, and, at first glance, the most in a simple way— by placing two such components in the housing of a single HDD. This idea in itself is not new for hard drive developers, but until recently, the commercial implementation of drives with two or more actuators was considered meaningless due to the high complexity of production and unobvious benefits, because the problem of parallelism in server storage is solved by arrays. But now, with hard drives reaching capacities as high as 12 or 14 TB, too many requests to the array end up on a separate HDD, and Seagate decided that the time for the dual actuator had finally come. The implementation of this design in commercial models is planned for the “near future,” according to the company, and it appears that the dual actuator is being seen primarily as a companion to technologies that increase wafer recording density, such as HAMR.

If you are interested in which hard drive to choose for your computer in 2017, we recommend reading this material. Today, SSD hard drives are becoming increasingly popular. It is customary to install an operating system and software on them. This can significantly increase the speed of your computer. But the cost of these devices is very high. Let's look at which hdd to choose for games and work.

That's why the good old HDDs are still in demand. Today they are installed in the system to store large amounts of data. Often OS and other programs are also installed on these drives.

Let's look at a few tips that will help you choose the right model and not make a mistake.

Pay attention to the manufacturer's brand

It is not necessary to take devices only famous companies. Just read reviews about the manufacturer on the Internet and rely on them. Often even little-known companies create really good discs. We continue to figure out how to choose a good hdd for a PC.

What form factor do you need?

For laptops, they sell hard drives that differ in size from those intended for a computer. At the same time, models for laptops can also be used for PCs. But the computer model cannot be installed on a laptop. Remember these numbers: 3.5 is the PC form factor, and 2.5 is the laptop form factor. This is nothing more than the thickness of the device in sentiment. When deciding which hdd is best to choose in 2017, you must definitely take these parameters into account.

How much data can fit on the disk?

The capacity of a hard drive is considered its main characteristic. You need to have an idea of ​​your own needs and calculate how much you are willing to spend to store the desired amount of information. The cheapest are 500 GB drives. This is quite enough for ordinary needs.

If you plan to store a lot of movies in high quality, then it’s better to get yourself a disk with at least 1 TB. If you are an active gamer and like to install on your PC a large number of the most modern heavy games, then you will have to fork out for the disk. After all, for these purposes you will have to take a device with a capacity of 2 TB or more. When deciding how to choose a hard drive for your computer, you need to leave at least a small reserve of memory capacity, because the size of games and media files is increasing every day.

What is the rotation speed of the disk?

Many users never pay attention to this characteristic. But in vain! After all, it is what affects the performance of your computer. You can have the most powerful processor and a cool video card. But the PC will run slowly if the hard drive is not able to spin up quickly. Do not use discs with rotation speeds below 5400 rpm. If finances allow, it is better to buy a device that makes 7200 rpm.

What is buffer memory models?

Is not main characteristic hard drives. But other things being equal, it is worth paying attention to. The more space allocated for copied information, the better. Usually, for full-fledged work, it is enough to have a cache of 64 Mb.

Now you are familiar with the characteristics of hard drives HDD format, which will help you choose the most suitable model. Which one is the main one? Everyone decides for themselves. But sometimes it is better to sacrifice volume for good speed. But most importantly, the device must fully satisfy your needs. Now you know how to choose a hdd for your computer based on its characteristics.

Rostislav Kuzmin

Good afternoon, dear readers of my blog! In this article you will find a rating external hard disks most in demand in 2017.

Best 500 GB media

Purchase external hard disks with a capacity of less than 1 TB. But, having familiarized myself with the nuances of use in practice, I still decided to include 500 GB devices in the review. For example, I found this accessory useful as a gift for my colleague’s teenage daughter.

And when selecting a drive for a friend, it turned out that his TV was incompatible with other drives.

• ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650 has earned positive reviews for its price (from RUR 2,800) and quality. Compact device (201 g) with a 2.5” form factor, interface 3.0 and a stated transfer speed of 500 Mb/s. Consumers specifically note the durable “stress-resistant” casing with rubber elements. Thanks to this, the disc is invulnerable to light impacts and shocks. The accessory is compatible with the USB0 standard. I purchased exactly this type of media as a gift for a teenage girl. When testing at home, I was pleased with the quiet operation and the fact that the case hardly gets hot. On the downside, in fact, the speed when connected to the 3.0 connector did not rise above 120 Mb/s.
  
• TOSHIBA CANVIO BASICS I was surprised by the low price for this brand - from 3,600 rubles. It can be described as “nothing superfluous” - interface 3.0 (with the ability to connect via 2.0), laconic, strict design, interesting solution in the form of a matte rough coating - when transferred, the disc will not slip out of your hands or out of the case; silicone feet that dampen vibration during operation. In general, there is nothing to complain about, considering that when moving from USB 3.0 to 2.0, the speed decreases significantly. ( 3 store, Russia, Kazakhstan, Moscow).
  
• If you need a super-compact external drive with little storage, grab Western Digital WDBUZG5000ABK-WESN- you can't go wrong. It costs somewhere from 4,300 and is completely worth the money. Lightweight (130 g), small (form factor 2.5", parameters 8.2x1.5x11.1 cm), with a 3.0 interface and a possible download speed of up to 500 Mb/s, this accessory will become indispensable for your computer at home and at work. . Users noted the almost silent downloading, lack of heating during the process, and most importantly, operation at the stated speed even when the disk is full. The disadvantage is the short cord, but this can easily be solved with an extension cord. ( 2 store 3 store, 4 store, 5 store, 6 store, 7 store Moscow).
  
• has all the features of its predecessors, plus three bonuses: automatic downloading of files from social networks, backup option (must be configured separately) and speed of 500 Mb/s. Add to this a durable plastic ribbed case with a height of only 117 mm and you will understand that the device is 100% worth its price - from 3,600 rubles. ( 2 store- U.A. 3 store, 4 store— Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, 5 store, 6 store, 7 store, Moscow).
  
• TRANSCEND TS500GSJ25M3 costing from 4,000 rubles, this is a product of a world-famous company. Besides standard features, the drive has an instant copy function One Touch. As my friend and I found out own experience, the device transfers large files without reducing speed. ( 2 store, 3 store, 4 store, Moscow).
  

All disks discussed are in the HDD format.

Rating of advanced 1TB drives

More and more manufacturers are producing large external hard drives – based on capacity, not size. This is due to the needs of the buyer and the increasing quality of the files - the clearer the video or picture, the more they “weigh”.

Therefore, there is a need for a device with a capacity of at least 1 TB.

1. A good option for meeting external hard drives can be called a HDD type with a 2.5” form factor for 4,000 rubles. The carrier is a black “book” made of matte plastic. Consumers note that the device is “pleasant to the touch” and almost does not heat up during operation. It has two outputs - versions 2.0 and 3.0. Depending on which connector is connected, the indicator lights up red or blue. In my opinion, this is an additional convenience. None of the shortcomings were found except the absence protective cover. (2 store, 3 store- white, 4 store— Russia, Belarus, UA, Kazakhstan, 5 store).
   
2. I couldn’t help but include the terabyte in this TOP Toshiba CANVIO ALU 1TB (HDTH310E*3AA). Not so much to present the advantages, but to warn about some nuances. The “stuffing” of the device is standard: 1 TB of memory, HDD type, form factor 2.5”, data transfer speed – up to 500 Mb/s, interface version 3.0. The disk earns its price (5,000 rubles), but only if it is provided with ideal conditions. Some users note a decrease in speed and problems with detection due to incorrect OS settings on the computer. There may also be a problem with motherboards not being able to supply enough current to power the USB connection. Take these points into account when using the drive for laptops of different configurations. ( 2 store- Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan).
   
3. (- Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan), in general, has earned a positive assessment from clients. Standard set functions are supplemented with hardware encryption, stylish design and high-quality filling of the original assembly. Users noted silent operation, minimal heating, and optimal indicator light that does not irritate the eyes. Some customers have complained about the stiff cord retaining bends, making it difficult to transport. But the cable is easy to replace. It is more important to take into account that the download speed depends on the compatibility of the disk and the computer. The price of the device is between 5,200 and 7,100 rubles. ( 2 store- U.A. 3 store).

Popular 2 terabyte drives

I would not be a real consultant if I did not test the product I recommend in practice. Therefore, I bought myself a couple of external hard drives, asked for tea with a neighbor to test the devices on different laptops, and finally tried to use them on my work computer.

I offer only those media whose reliability there are no serious doubts.

Hard drives SSD

I was personally convinced that HDD comparison and SSD is incorrect. These devices are designed for different purposes. For example, a friend of mine is a translator and constantly works with text files that need quick access. It is inappropriate to advise her on a terabyte drive, where work documents will get lost, like in the taiga. And here ADATA SE730 250 GB capacity is what you need for ultra-fast content transfer. The SSD does not make noise, does not create vibration, and therefore does not heat up at all. AND necessary files in it - at a glance. Please note that the media works via USB 3.1. The cost is around 6,000 rubles.

Kingston SKC400S37 with 512 GB memory and SATA interface (6 Gb/s speed) is very convenient for storing photos - a photographer friend informed me about this. The device allows you to expand the capabilities of your laptop at no extra cost. The cost of this model is on average 15,000 rubles.

Another SSD device – 500 GB Samsung drive T1 Portable SSD USB 3.0 fully satisfies your daily needs. 256-bit encryption (instead of the standard 128-bit) makes the device mega-fast and reliable. But it is irrational to use it as a long-term storage facility. Its cost ranges around 14,000 rubles.

I advise you to take an SDD in tandem with an HDD to fully experience all the capabilities of external hard drives.

Subscribe to the VK group and blog to stay updated latest news in the world of technology.

Thank you for your attention! See you again on my blog. Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.

Cool

When choosing a computer or laptop, you have to pay attention to many parameters. It would seem that it is not difficult to figure out what kind of video card, processor or memory should be. The difficulty is that each of the parameters has its own characteristics. For example, you need to pay attention to its volume, speed or connection interface.

Choosing any device, especially one related to a PC, requires very careful analysis. But what to do if you have chosen an excellent laptop, but its only drawback is a small amount of memory? It's taken care of best manufacturers external hard drives.

For what?

It's rare that you can buy a PC that suits you in absolutely every aspect. Sooner or later, “pitfalls” appear that you had not noticed before. It happens that the video card is outdated, it happens that there is not enough memory. By the way, in this case there is one nuance. The fact is that some users can load the computer with different programs. To meet their storage needs, you need to buy new hard disk.

But there are times when the user works with a large amount of material. This could be an editor or a photographer who needs to create their own archive. In this case, you can buy an external one. We will look at the reliability rating a little later, but now we will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of these devices, as well as the reasons for their appearance.

Why?

An external hard drive appeared along with the fear of data loss. Many specialists were faced with the fact that they did not have enough flash drives to store information. Buying countless numbers of them is inconvenient. Previously, they were replaced by floppy disks and disks, but now this option is even worse. As a result, an external hard drive appeared when a memory capacity of more than 500 gigabytes was needed, and ideally 1 terabyte.

The fear of losing information was caused by the spread of viruses, Trojan horses, spyware and other things that could erase all important and necessary materials. External hard drives have become a lifeline in this situation. Their volumes could be large enough to dump not only important documents, but also your favorite multimedia files.

Reliability and durability

Such devices have many advantages. It doesn’t matter at all what kind of external hard drive you have - 500 GB or 2 terabytes. It all depends on your preferences. Its main advantage is large reserves memory. I am also pleased with his cooperation with PC. You don't need to look for additional software to be able to connect a hard drive. Depending on the cable interface, you connect the wire with the correct connector. On the computer the device is identified as external storage. In front of you - full access to all information.

By the way, the disk can also be protected from prying eyes. Unlike the integrated hard drive, this one can not only be ruined, but also simply hidden somewhere away in the desktop. Also, as mentioned earlier, together with an external hard drive, the user is protected from any threat. For example, you were working with important documents and you need them to remain available. You can copy them to a hard drive, and in the event of a virus attack on your PC, all important information will remain intact.

By the way, there is one more advantage. The external hard drive, the reliability rating of which we will find out very soon, has a very robust case. In general, the device consists of the hard drive itself and its durable box. Depending on the type, your hard drive will be protected to one degree or another from external influences and wear.

Well, the last significant advantage is the structuring of information. Like a regular hard drive, an external one can also be divided into blocks in which information is stored. It is also easy to recover data from it, and to avoid loss of materials from the internal HDD, they can be easily transferred to an external one.

Flaws

There is also a main drawback, which is the 1 terabyte external hard drive. The price is sometimes very high. This is due to many reasons: sometimes it is artificially increased, sometimes due to the popularity of the brand. Although, buying a 1 terabyte hard drive will still cost you less than purchasing 30 32 GB flash drives.

The more carefully the user treats external hard drive, the longer he will live. Premature failures are often associated with external damage, especially during transportation. Somewhere it was accidentally knocked, somewhere it was dropped - sectors are damaged and data is lost.

The same story applies to files that end up on the hard drive. If they are already damaged, once they enter the device's memory, viruses can spread and destroy all data.

Types of external drives

To choose a quality product, you need to thoroughly study the external hard drive you like. Volume is not the only parameter by which you can decide on a model. You should pay attention to the types of HDD.

The first type is different in that its size is 3.5 inches. This is usually purchased by desktop PC owners. Unlike the second type, it has larger dimensions, so it needs additional power. Nevertheless, this option is considered excellent. Its main feature remains the possibility of automatic backup.

The second type is more compact - only 2.5 inches. It encourages you to always be at hand. This external device is very strong. The reliability rating is always topped by devices of this particular type. This is due to the fact that they have excellent impact resistance. If it accidentally falls out of your pocket, it will not suffer much. The case may be scratched, but your information will remain safe. Although there are limits to everything: if you hit him well with a hammer, then, most likely, you can say goodbye to him.

The most reliable

Many experts have repeatedly checked leading hard drive manufacturers. They found that at the moment the most reliable hard drive remains the device from Hitachi. In addition to the fact that this fact is confirmed by the opinions of users, a certain number of models from this company were also analyzed. The test results showed that the Hitachi can only be damaged if it is handled carelessly. Otherwise, no manufacturing defects or weak components were found.

It's not necessary once at a time

It is worth paying attention to other companies that produce external and internal railways. Seagate is now considered the main “loser” in terms of reliability. The developers created the disk design in a short time, which affected the quality of the product. The main problem with this company's hard drives is weak nodes. There is also evidence that there is a fairly large percentage of defects in the series. There are goods that have not lasted more than a year.

In general, a common problem that an external hard drive has received is Western drive, Samsung, Seagate and others, the chip failure remains. This affects the operation of the computer, it begins to slow down and freeze. If you restart the PC, the disk disappears from the system. This means that its microcode has already been destroyed.

There is also a problem with the motor spindle wedge in some batches. Typically, such a breakdown occurs on a HDD that has a large amount of memory. In this case, a larger number of magnetic plates are used in the design. They overload the hard drive axis, under their weight it bends and then stops rotating. This doesn't happen naturally. It is enough to accidentally snag the hard drive or drop it once. You can notice such a breakdown by listening to the noise of the HDD. Usually it starts to “buzz” sharply.

Very fragile

The WD 2Tb external hard drive also failed the user more than once. Due to the large amount of memory, these products have a load of magnetic plates on the axis, so they often do not last more than a year. They also have malfunctions in the magnetic heads. This is due to the fact that the disk overheats or receives external damage.

In general, the design of any HDD from this company is very flimsy. The WD Elements external hard drive is shock and pressure sensitive. By the way, if you apply force to the case, the cover moves, and the magnetic heads are at a low angle to the magnetic plates. Such a breakdown will immediately “bury” all your information on the hard drive. However, Western Digital is popular among buyers. These shortcomings are observed quite rarely. Basically, most models are reliable in terms of mechanics and electronics.

500 GB option

Recently, a huge number of external hard drives have appeared on the market. They are produced by different companies, and even those companies that are unfamiliar to anyone now become sales leaders. A 500 GB external hard drive is the simplest and most common option among users. Its main advantage is the price.

There are two models in this category that are now considered leaders in reviews and sales. For just 3,800 rubles you can purchase the ADATA DashDrive Durable HD650. The main highlight of this railway is its structural strength. In addition, the device has an interesting and attractive design: bright colors and carbon inserts.

For reliability, this drive has a three-layer rubberized casing, thanks to which it can absorb shocks during use and transportation. The plastic is quite durable and minimizes scratches.

This model is based on the famous Toshiba railway. Its speed is 5400 rpm. The Winchester turned out to be very compact and light. Information exchange can occur at a maximum speed of 120 Mb/sec. There is a status indicator, as well as a USB 2.0 interface.

The second model in the category of inexpensive external hard drives is Western Digital WDBLNP5000A-EEUE. He has a very cute appearance. Inside there is a branded hard drive from the manufacturer. Rotation speed - 5400 rpm. Buffer capacity 8 megabytes. The data transfer speed is the same as the previous device. The drive works with USB interface 3.0. There is a status indicator. Unlike the previous model, the device is sold together with software for diagnostics and maintenance. The price of such a device is 5300 rubles.

Universal drives

Next, we'll look at a 1 terabyte external hard drive. Its price is on average 4-6 thousand rubles. Among all now stands out Silicon Power Stream S03. The railway is different interesting design. Outwardly, it is very similar to a notebook with rounded sheets and a curved upper corner. This is where the work indicator is located. To exchange information through this drive, you can use USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 interfaces.

The case materials are quite durable. It is made of high-quality plastic, the surface is matte, so it attracts fingerprints and dust less. The shell has rubber seals that protect against impact. At the moment, this is the best external drive among terabyte versions for only 4,300 rubles.

Among the disks with a memory capacity of 1 terabyte, one can highlight Toshiba STOR.E SLIM. The design is nothing remarkable. The appearance is classic, compact in size and metallic in color. The board has an integrated USB 3.0 or 2.0 interfaces that function by displaying the operating status in blue and white, respectively. Speed ​​up to 110 Mb/sec.

The drive has durable materials that increase its shock resistance. You can also protect the device from prying eyes by setting a password and setting up automatic The main advantage of this HDD is its heat resistance and quiet operation. But the lack of hardware encryption is bad news. The price of this device is 4800 rubles.

Giants

For some, one terabyte will not be enough; for such people, an external hard drive was created Toshiba drive CANVIO ALU 2 TB. The body is made of aluminum, there are 4 colors of the device. It has a rough coating, due to which it does not slip out of your hands. The design has a shock sensor, which increases the integrity of stored materials. Transfer speed is about 115 Mb/sec. The main advantage of this drive is the build quality. In addition, it runs very quietly, does not overheat, and is also available with a backup utility. Its cost is 6600 rubles.

There is another model of the same volume from Western Digital WDBU6Y0020BBK-EESN. It is slightly cheaper than the previous drive. It looks quite simple too. It has a shock-resistant body and rough high-quality plastic. Works with a speed of 120 Mb/s and a USB 3.0 interface. Its main advantage: quiet and low temperature during active work.

Giant

But the Seagate Backup Plus Fast Portable Drive is now considered a revolutionary drive. Its volume is as much as 4 terabytes. Its main task is considered to be fast backup. It can also serve as an excellent archive for important files. His real speed data transfer is now considered uncompromising - 220 Mb/sec. This is due to the fact that two hard drives were placed inside at once.

This decision also affected the dimensions of the device: 307 grams is quite a lot for external media. Works with USB 3.0 interface. Can collaborate with two devices at once. This external hard drive also has disadvantages: noticeable heating and a very high price - 25 thousand rubles.

Among the users there were also dissatisfied ones. Many who encountered this model complained about the slowdown in operation. Moreover, if you can write information to the device without problems, then reading it is more difficult. The launch of a proprietary recovery program indicated damaged sectors. As mentioned earlier, those from Seagate are currently the most unreliable. This is especially true for devices with large amounts of memory. Therefore, you can come across more than once negative reviews about Seagate Backup Plus Fast Portable Drive from users.

Results

Nowadays it is difficult to determine which external hard drive is better to buy. Creating a reliability rating is also not easy. This is due to the fact that the equipment is not always of high quality. Some devices arrive defective. Average survival external drive- about 3-4 years. But not all companies can achieve such indicators. Devices from Hitachi and some younger Western Digital models usually last more than five years.

HDD is one of the most important parts of any laptop or computer.

Since almost all files are stored on it, its choice must be taken with full responsibility, because the performance of your device and the safety of documents will depend on it.

When purchasing a HDD, you need to pay attention to various factors: reliability, manufacturer, technical characteristics (depending on the required tasks), compatibility with other components of your PC or laptop.

External HDD: basic parameters

Basically, when choosing external hard drives, you need to focus on following characteristics: memory type, form factor, disk capacity, interface.

You also need to take into account the speed at which the disk rotates, the speed at which data is transferred, and additional functions (for example, the ability to recharge USB devices). Let's look at the main ones.

External HDD: Form factor

The dimensions of the external drive are determined by the form factor.

• 3.5". The largest of the form factors. The main advantage: large capacity (up to tens of terabytes). The disadvantages include heavy weight and cost.
• 2.5". The most common type of disk at the moment. Pros: light weight, can be powered from a USB connector, capacity – up to 500 gigabytes.
• 1.8". Today they are the most compact. The main advantage is small dimensions. The downside is that there is a small selection, since they began to be produced relatively recently.

External HDD: Interface

Interface HDD– this is a way to connect the disk directly to the computer (in which connector it is connected). The most common options are:

• USB is the most universal method connections. The most current standard today is USB 3.0. Allows you to read data at speeds up to 5 Gb/sec.
• SATA is gradually leaving the market due to its low speed (compared to USB). Mainly used for internal drives.
• eSATA is a type of SATA, differing in a different connector shape.
• FireWire. Enough rare type connector, the main disadvantage is low speed (up to 400 Mbit/s).
• Thunderbolt - designed for Apple computers, has a specific connector and is therefore incompatible with other devices. It has a high transfer speed – up to 10 Gb/sec.

External HDD: Memory type

External HDD Compatible with both traditional memory (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD).

There are also combined systems (SSD is used for caching files, HDD is used for storing information).

• HDD is a classic of the genre. Best suited for long-term storage. Disadvantages include noise (due to moving plates).
• SSD – due to the fact that it is a solid-state drive, it does not (like an HDD) have moving parts. Main advantages: high speed data transmission, small size. One of the disadvantages is the relatively small amount of memory.

External HDD: major manufacturers

Several specialize in the production of external HDDs large companies. The most popular of them are:

Seagate (USA)

It is considered one of the largest manufacturers of external HDDs. Among the advantages, it is worth noting the affordability, the disadvantages are reliability; most often, it is the disks of this manufacturer that are handed over to service centers.

Western Digital (USA)

Enough famous manufacturer, produces reliable disks that rarely break. Some models differ in their “tricks” (for example, “cool” disks with low disk rotation speed).

Transcend (Taiwan)

It is considered the most popular manufacturer of external HDDs in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. They bribe you with an affordable price. The downside is low performance in various reliability ratings.

External HDD: the best drives of 2017

1 place. WD My Passport Ultra 1TB

The discs of this manufacturer have a well-deserved reputation for their reliability.

This model comes in five variants (depending on the capacity from 50 GB to 3 TB) and in four colors - white, blue, black and dark red.

Compatible with both Windows PCs and laptops, as well as Apple computers.

Comes with three special utilities (WD SmartWare Pro, WD Utility, WD Security).

To work on Mac you will have to download special utility Time Machine, featuring a clear interface.

Main characteristics:

• Interface: USB 3.0; USB 2.0
• Volume: 500GB; 1TB; 1.5TB; 2TB; 3TB
• Write/read speed: 118MB/s, 120MB/s

Additionally: software that allows you to access cloud storage and special coding.

2nd place. Seagate Expansion 1 TB

Launched on the market new model from this manufacturer STEA1000400, which is available in five versions (depending on memory size): from 500 GB to 4 TB.

The only “minus” of this model is the lack of software, however, it is easy to find and download for free on the Internet.

The device is capable of supporting data transfer via USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. One port is used for power supply and receiving information; the color of the disk is black.

Main characteristics:

• Interface: USB 3.0; USB 2.0
• Volume: 500GB; 1TB; 2TB; 3TB; 4TB
• Write/read speed: 129 MB/s and 121 MB/s

Additionally: optimal ratio of cost to disk space

3rd place. Toshiba Canvio Connect II 1TB

This disk is compact, reliable and comes with good software, including the Pogoplug PC program, which costs $30 if you buy it separately from the disk.

Sold in four versions, depending on the amount of memory - from 50 GB to 3 TB. Available in five colors - black, red, white-gold, blue and white.

Capable of working with both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, however, users note possible difficulties with the first connection option.

Initially formatted in the NTFS system, for use with Apple equipment you need to install a special program called Tuxera NTFS for Mac.

Main characteristics:

• Interface: USB 3.0; USB 2.0
• Volume: 500GB; 1TB; 2TB; 3TB
• Write/read speed: 98 MB/s, 100 MB/s

Additionally: there is the possibility of automatic backup; if necessary, you can configure access from any gadget to files in Canvio Connect II.

4th place. Seagate Backup Plus/Slim 1 TB

This HDD is available in five versions, depending on the memory capacity: from 500 GB to 4 TB.

A nice bonus: after registering the disk on the manufacturer’s website, you can get 200 GB of Microsoft OneDrive for free (if you buy separately, you will have to pay $95 for this).

However, hurry up, this promotion ends on June 30th. The Seagate Dashboard application is also included with this HDD.

This device is offered in two versions: Buckup Plus Slim (thickness - 0.5 inches, memory capacity - up to 2 TB, four color options) and Seagate Buckup Plus (thickness - 1.3 inches, memory capacity - 4 TB, black only ).

Main characteristics:

• Interface: USB 3.0; USB 2.0
• Volume: 500GB; 1TB; 1.5TB; 2TB; 4TB
• Write/read speed: 125 MB/s and 120 MB/s

Additionally: free 200 GB (storage period - 2 years).

5th place. Toshiba Canvio Basics USB 3.0 1 TB

This HDD comes in five versions, depending on the memory capacity: from 500 GB to 2 TB.

By unknown reason, the manufacturer provides different warranties for its devices, depending on the disk size: from 1 to 3 years.

The main disadvantage: the disc is sold without software, which you will have to download yourself.

This HDD is powered and transmits information using the same USB port.

The performance of this HDD is lower than that of its competitors: with a read speed of 95 MB/s, the write speed is only 89 MB/s.

Main characteristics:

• Interface: USB 3.0; USB 2.0
• Volume: 500GB; 750GB; 1TB; 1.5TB; 2TB
• Write/read speed: 95 MB/s and 89 MB/s

Additionally: the device has a built-in shock sensor, and technology has been introduced to reduce vibration during operation.

External HDD is not detected: what to do

Sometimes users encounter a problem when a laptop or computer does not see the external HDD.

The reasons may be different, let's look at the most common ones.

In most cases, they help to cope with the problem without involving a specialist in solving it.

To begin (after installing the external HDD), go to computer management.

Go to the Control Panel

To do this, you need to select the control panel, go to system and security settings.

You need to pay attention to the column on the left. It contains a menu called “Disk Management”. Let's go here.

This menu displays all drives (internal and external) that are connected to your system.

Often, the computer does not see the connected RVV due to the fact that the drive letter is assigned to it incorrectly, which needs to be changed.

To do this, right-click on the external drive icon and select “Change drive letter.”

After this, the drive must be assigned a letter that is not in your operating system.

Format the disk

If external HDD works on other devices (for example, it is seen by another computer or TV), then the reason for not being detected may be incompatibility with the operating system or the lack of necessary drivers.

In this case, the order of your actions is as follows.

First, check the USB port to which you are connecting the external HDD.

To do this, just connect a regular flash drive to it. If the flash drive is detected, then the problem is not with the USB port.

In this case, go to the device manager (click “Control Panel”, go to the “System and Security” tab, then select “Device Manager”.

Let's look at two tabs: disk devices and other devices.

This screenshot shows that the operating system did not see the drivers for the external HDD, which is why the computer did not find it.

There are two ways to correct the situation:

1. First, click the “Update hardware configuration” tab; after activating it, the drivers are installed automatically.

If the necessary drivers are not on your computer, one of the special driver search programs, of which there are many on the Internet, will come to the rescue, or search required driver on the manufacturer's website.

2. The second option is preferable, since you may inadvertently download the wrong driver on the Internet and the device will still not work.

conclusions

External HDD – useful purchase for those who want to significantly expand the memory of their smartphone, laptop or computer.

The choice depends on technical requirements to the device, the preferences of the person himself, and, in the end, financial capabilities.

When choosing an external HDD, also pay attention to where the product is purchased.

In branded stores, devices may cost more than “on hand”.

However, the higher price will be paid off by such a “trifle” as a guarantee from the official manufacturer, which will allow you to exchange or return the faulty device for quite a long time.