20 Best Hard Drives For Photos (2023 Updated)

I bought this knowing nothing about external hard drives and wanting to transfer my old mac data to a new one using Time Machine. It was easy to set up and it was also clear in the instructions on how to use it.

It even said on the packaging that I would want to reformat the drive to use time machine. I only had a little over 200+ GB to move onto the drive and it didn’t take very long. I just took a small break, came back and it was done.

Would recommend this! I also like the orange rugged case 🙂 Although I haven’t transferred my data to my new mac yet (haven’t gotten it yet), I feel like it will be a smooth transition.

Got 3 18TB mybooks for a crazy low price each from the wd store (dunno how I got that price, maybe the store was screwed up that day but I jumped). They are simple to plug in, fast, and you can disable sleep mode.

The only thing about the 18TB versions are they are LOUD. They do click/make a noise every 5 seconds (one is a click when the drive does it’s 5 second access because something in the case is lose and you can tell it’s the top plastic piece making the click).

All of the mybooks are designed to make a noise every 5 seconds to “lubricate” stuff according to the faq here. The extra warranty making them have a 4 year warranty was even better. OH and these are 7200RPM drives in the case, probably white label red’s.

I also have 4 14’s and one of those is 7200 (the rest are 5400) so i would guess it’s a crap shoot what they decide to slap in there but my 18’s are 7200 and fast over usb 3. 1. If I see the low offer show up again I’m going to get one more and max out my drive letters.

I find these more reliable than the brand that starts with see and ends with gate (the warranty on those is a year and they stuff in enterprise class drives where if you bought them bare you get a 3 year warranty and they wont honor the drive S/N, just the chassis SN).

I don’t know how WD handles shucked drives (none of mine are shucked) but I read that they dont complain and replace them. I’ll stick with WD, never had much trouble with them. Again, they’re fast, long warranty and the only complaint is they’re noisy but what can you do.

You can’t go wrong with the brand, quality or price.

If you are going to use this device with a Mac, you (may) need to contact WD technical support to guide you through reformatting prior to use. The reformatting process is logical, but can not be installed using the internal Mac disc utilities, you will need to install WD’s download and use tech support to help make this a quick and easy process.

This device, ( of which i purchased two) an 18TB My Book, will be used here as back up to my 48TB G Raid 4 bay Shuttle. I do not use the cloud for storage and would prefer to house my own back up. My digital life began with an ever increasing number of By Book’s in the 1990’s, and then migrated everything to G Drive storage.

What I have done now, in this purchase is consolidate 12 G drives into, 1 48 TB G 4bay shuttle and 2- 18 TB My Book drives to bring of my storage needs up to date, with space available for adding data for a few years to come.

This series of recent purchases represents my continued loyalty and trust in the performance reliability of products from WD for well over two decades.

This is a great drive as long as it works. Mine failed before 1 year was up. It was dead!. Ok, these things happen. However, the WD warranty process is horrible. I have been working on getting a replacement for nearly a month.

Then after all this time, sending them various attachments and answering questions, they told me my drive was out of warranty 01/02/21. I bought it in December 2020. I had sent them the order receipt already.

I sent them the receipt again and threatened an Internet campaign against them. They say they will resolve it now. who knows. Good thing I had just removed my critical applications from drive. I would hate to be in a rush for them to replace their defective drive.

Obviously, they do not want to replace their drives that fail. I will be sticking with Seagate form now on.

I have been using numerous WD external hard drives for years and the My Passport portable SSD drive is the worst. The backup speed is average for the SSD but viewing the backup folders and files is excruciatingly slow.

It takes about a minute to open a small file and it will freeze Windows Explorer after opening a few small files. Unlike the earlier MyPassport, Ultra Passport, Essential, WDMyCloud, etc. , that were quick to install, the Passport SSD also has poor user manual (non-existent) that lacks clear and adequate set up instructions and was agonizing to install.

I had to scour the internet for information to download additional software. I am not sure if the new unit is defective and if not, I will return it to avoid further problems with a product that I have no confidence in.

Great price compared to replacing the hard drive on my old passport which was only good for one drop. Hopefully I won’t drop this one. It’s interesting how a replacement parts cost more than a complete new item.

One important thing that the instructions do not tell you is how to use it with an old computer running Window XP or other 32 bit Windows GUI. Old versions of Windows will not read this drive because it is formatted for the newer file system.

The fix is simple but requires the use of another computer which is newer. You must download the reformatting software, wd quick formatter, from the Western Digital website and run it to easily reformat the drive with the proper file system for older versions of Windows.

The reformatting is quick and easy but wipes out the ability to have a secure partition unless you add one yourself later. Now before someone cries that you shouldn’t be running old operating systems here are a few reasons why people buy these drive to use with old computers: 1, to transfer files from their old computer to their new one.

2, to use with old computers which people need to run expensive software or hardware which can not run on newer systems and use these computers exclusively for that use.

Just a little history. Back when the MacBook was a little, white laptop encased in plastic. [I owned a little, black back-up drive by Western Digital. ] Then, as MacBook Pro evolved and became Silver Aluminum.

[I owned the little, white back-up Drive by G-Technology. ] On Small Business Saturday, I made the nervous decision to buy the little, grey SanDisk Portable SSD with 1 TB. Given my strange history with Western Digital, where 1 Device failed immediately.

The 2nd Device lasted forever. [It still works–despite, being completely full. ] This was still a difficult decision. However, SanDisk works smoothly! While it may not be the fastest SSD out there, it’s fast enough for my MacBook needs.

Unfortunately, I’m not into games, but I have an extensive iPhoto Library & Music Library. While I do have some iTunes films, it’s definitely not the crucial library here. I’d also like to teach myself how to backup my dvd collection to this drive.

However, it requires an optical drive or burner [that] I don’t have. So, I love it. However, like so many reviewers here. I wish the device included a stronger, longer connection. It is quite awkward.

However, because I couldn’t upgrade to next level up SanDisk. [I believe it looks similar. It has that much more space for your money. ] I knew I would have to give a little. It’s a nice device–even with a super short cord!.

I currently own two of these 1000MB/s R/W screamers (both version 1)! I trust them to be the working repository of my digital photography as I work with 45-60MB RAW files and my finished images are often 300MB TIFFs, so it’s important to that I have “complete” trust in the drives.

Of course, I have two backup systems (a 48TB NAS and less portable SSDs that are not kept online) because there’s no guarantee that I won’t leave one of these small, light drives somewhere, that some kind of physical damage could occur or that files could be corrupted or infected even though I’m pretty careful about any of those situations.

The size and weight of the drives is about the smallest available on the market. I carry a lot of gear (both computer and photography) and don’t need to add to either. These drives could only be improved upon in capacity, so I’m buying the 2GB unit next (there IS a 4TB unit in both this line and the PRO version but at $700 and $900 respectively, they’re a bit out of my price range at this point).

The one concern you might have is the lack of thermal ventilation but looking at results from DriveDx, the best SSD diagnostic software, I am not even close to the thermal limit of this drive after using it for an hour of Photoshop editing and saving.

I’m guessing that the rubberized external coating, while providing good tactile feel and better gripability, is relatively thin (while still likely to absorb energy of a fall; also because it is so lightweight, the potential for damage is low anyway), allowing for dissipation of heat energy from nearly 100% of the device’s surface.

Also, if you’re concerned about the lifetime of an SSD, DriveDx tells me that after 2. 4TB of writes and 86. 8TB of reads, approximately 100% of one of the drives’ life remains. I’ve owned these for nearly 2 years, using them on a nearly daily basis (2130 hrs and 764 powercycle counts for unit 1 and 871 hrs and 364 powercycle counts for unit 2), so neither unit is demonstrating significant electronic “wear and tear”.

Bottom line, as a user, computer consultant, and photographer, I unequivocally trust these drives. I’m ready to order my 2TB SanDisk Extreme SSD V2 now.

I’ve seen a lot of reviews on here talking about how broken or bad this drive is but these reviews are coming from people who want all of this specific high tech security function or people who are easily frazzled by technology.

I’m here to tell you, as a someone strictly looking for some extra storage space on his computer, who for years struggled with Hard drive failure, loosing data over and over because my HDD’s kept falling, breaking or disconnecting improperly, this SSD is a godsend.

I own 4 of them with the intention of buying two more, one for myself and one for my girlfriend. If you are simply looking for an SSD that will store your most treasured data whether it be work files, family pictures etc and not fail you then this is with out a doubt the last portable drive you’ll ever need to buy.

It does exactly what it sets out to do. The read/write speed is incredibly fast especially when transferring data between two of these units, It’s a very compact unit making it extremely portable and very convenient, there is no software to install you just connect and go, it’s literally like using a big flash drive.

This product is very much worth your time and worth the money and will actually save you money in the long run.

The unit arrived quickly (I was not in a hurry and there’s a pandemic but lo and behold it arrived quickly). The design is nice, sleek, and you get what you need. I have run it once and it does what it is supposed to do.

This review covers my work with the unit in DEC 2020/JAN 2021. And I’m writing this on 2/13/21. There are 2 minor things I do not like about it. 1. You have to go online and download the software. It is minor but it’s another step.

Other units come with the software on the device, saving me a few precious minutes. No big deal, just letting you know what to expect. 2. On my Lenovo Yoga 2 laptop, which is about 7 years old, running Win 10.

always the latest. the software windows do not fit my screen. So I cannot see the options to make the selection to “ok” or “Cancel”. I know I can hit “enter” and that should work (and it did) to run the backup.

But that’s pretty annoying. The solution from Seagate was to uninstall and then re-install the software. I haven’t done that yet. The irony is that you cannot resize the window yourself the way you can with “normal” software systems.

You cannot highlight/click/drag the edges or corners. And my laptop is a touch screen and with other applications I can also resize the view by “pinching” the screen (or track pad) – this does not work on the Seagate software.

Clearly the software engineers engineered that option right out of this product. Sigh. I’ll keep it but when it comes time for the next backup external drive, I’ll look to something else.

Wanted a back up for my laptop computer. Was looking for something very simple & easy to install as I’m not tech savvy. This was not easy. Found written instructions lacking, video instructions were ok but hard for me to follow.

I need to see visual instructions, not on a video. I am a senior citizen with very limited computer tech. I use email & occasionally Facebook. I do not stream videos, TV, or play games on my computer.

This may be an easy item for someone younger to install, but it wasn’t for me.

I bought the Ultra touch as an inexpensive back up to my PC. Recently got a screen message saying there had been no backup for 262 days. I bought in September 2021, so that means it stopped working after several months.

The green light was on but now, nothing. BestBuy would do nothing for me. Seagagte will replace it as it is still under warrenty but I’d have to pay to ship it back, they will not reimburse me. A worthless piece of junk, I am considering buying a better brand rather than sending it back.

Firstly, the good. I cant overstate how small this SSD is. It looks bigger in the pictures but its only about the size of a couple of thumb drives, with a USB 3 connection in the side. If you just want some extra space, plug in and away you go.

The performance is excellent a 4GB file takes me just 15 sec to copy over and 120MB takes literally a second or two. This combined with its size means its a very portable storage powerhouse indeed weighs very little too.

Note on performance test done over USB C through a powered highspeed dockNow the not so good. As with all the disk vendors, Seagate have tried to add some value by putting some software on the drive.

Not loads of bloatware, essentially just a small app with links. They try to get you to register you dont need to and they offer some online photo storage Mylio which you can get whether you have a drive or not, and also a backup program.

Heres the rub. Their backup software only offers encryption if your drive has it built in, and this one doesnt. So as a backup expert I actually am BTW you should never backup without turning on encryption.

This sends you running back to your OSs built in backup, where both Windows and Mac can encrypt your data. The downside is that using your OS and computers CPU means that encryption will slow things down, quite considerably for your first backup.

Not having builtin encryption also means you shouldnt use it for sensitive data unless you use a 3rd party app or OS tools to do it for you. So, if you need to transfer data between PC and Mac, think carefully about how you encrypt your data.

All that said, this drive isnt advertised as having encryption, and as stylish, compact, fast and decent capacity drive, its very neat.

The drive is formatted in exFAT. According to Seagate’s website: “exFAT is a lightweight file system compatible with all versions of Windows and modern versions of macOS. exFAT is not compatible or recommended for built-in backup utilities such as File History (Windows) and Time Machine (macOS).

exFAT is not a journaled file system, which means it can be more susceptible to data corruption when errors occur or the drive is not disconnected properly from the computer. You can optimize file copy performance by formatting the drive in the native file system for your computer operating system.

” This information is ONLY found on their website not in the included instructions. I wish I had known this BEFORE I backed up my data to a “lightweight file system. ” The drive itself is 3. 6Tb usable.

The build quality appears to be quite good and the performance is typical for a USB drive.

This is the first Seagate External HD I have purchased. I usually use WD External Hard Drives for my MacBook Pro. Although I, just, recently began using this drive, I find it ti be just as good as WD Drives.

It seems to be faster too. The, only, thing that is an issue is with it’s security / encryption ability. WD Hard Drives come mac OS formatted and have a quick and seamless encryption program. However, with the Seagate One Touch 5 TB Hard Drive, I had to reformat the drive to work with my MacBook Pro.

Reformatting the drive, also, erases the drive in the process. Thus, any security software on the drive is lost. Now, I am finding it difficult to figure out a way to get the security software so I can encrypt the drive.

I’ve had a few of these drives and for the most part they are great. Small, fast, and easy to carry, etc. But out of all my SSD drives (and there’s a small pile at this point) my 3ish year old T5 just died – first ever SSD to die on my too.

It had a few issues connecting one day and next day it died. What was frusterating about this, was that I used it to bring a project with me on a trip and I was working from the drive directly – the drive showed no issues, connected just fine and when I was done, I saved the quite.

Then, I boot the drive back up about 20 minutes later and get a warning that the drive could be read but not written to and I needed to back it up immediately. OK fine, but then I noticed that the only content available to backup was from an older folder over a week old.

In short, from what I understand, the cellular structure of the drive malfunctioned and instantly either lost or hid all recent work that would have been written to it. In the end I lost a night’s worth of work, and got a bit of a cold sweat when I realized that my entire setup is built on SSDs for projects and HDDs for backups, so if that’s how an SSD dies.

Then I need to be double sure my projects are all backed up properly cause there’s no recovery or going back. As a side note, both my original t3 drives are still going strong! I think the whole line is actually pretty great, but be careful with your data.

installé rapidement. Performance impressionnante avec une Radeon Pro VX 2100. Bémol : le câble, adapté pour un portable(tél ou ordi) est vraiment beaucoup trop court pour un PC-tour. Il faut passer une “ficelle” dans l’anse pour pouvoir le suspendre à quelque chose à l’arrière de la tour ! Sandisk(WD) manque vraiment de perspicacité, sens commercial,.

il devrait proposer en option, pour “une poignée de figues”, un câble spécifique pour les utilisations sur PC-tour et ce serait 5*.

Pros: qualité Cons: les performances annoncées sont trop optimistes par rapport aux résultats des mesures effectuées.

trés compact avec de très belles performances . Chauffe peu. Bon rapport qualité / prix

I purchased this about 8 months ago specifically to backup my files. Every attempt to use the included program, Transcend Elite, ended in failure. I resorted to just copying folders. Today I decided to search for a solution online.

Apparently everyone using Windows has this problem. Here’s what I found on the Transcend website: “The Windows system drive (C:) contains many temporary program files and hidden system folders, causing a backup failure.

If you want to back up files, we recommend manually selecting folders/files on the C: drive instead of selecting the whole C: drive. ” I decided to try Windows Backup software. This also failed. More reading online led me to another user reporting the same problem.

The tech at Transcend software told this user that they had no idea why it wasn’t working, and they should just copy folders. (1) Why bother putting out software that you know doesn’t work? (2) I depend on this drive to back up my files.

I need to know I can recovered my files if/when I need to. I will be buying a different hard drive for backup because I don’t trust this one.

I’ve owned a few of these transcend drives. Outter hard case is duravje, but the USB ports on them are NOT. they are poorly soldered and tend to fail gradually For my last purchase, it nearly cost me 1.

2TB of data. Warranty is useless at times like these. Right now I’d rather buy a more reliable generic enclosure and make my own external portable drive. No more transcend drives for me.

Well my intentions purchasing this item was to download all my files, what I felt is important into my personal storage. What I have encountered is difficulties in downloading the materials. My Laptop keeps popping up with the message that the Recovery X is not found, or when I was downloading in progress it stop and message stated that it wasn’t working or couldn’t be found.

I haven’t tried going into the laptop and figuring out what might be causing that message, nor have I gotten in contact with the companies tech line, to discuss this issue I am having. It just might be my setting, who ever reads this and is simpler, I would contact the tech line and discuss this issue I am having, so they don’t experience what I am experiencing.

Hopefully this helps before purchasing; I believe is a great idea having your own storage for your material.

Over the years I have had so many WD portable drivers and never had any problem. Last November I decided to get a big capacity driver for my MAC and bought this 5TB drive since it has 3 years warranty.

I have been using it for less than a year and has backed up lots of data on it, especially my photos. Yesterday when I plugged in and it suddenly showed up as Boot OS, I chatted with online support and sent him various screenshots, he confirmed the drive has corruption and cannot be fixed, he asked me to file a RMA request to get a replacement.

WD will not cover data recovery cost and will only send me a refurbished drive. The online support website did say that I could return the product to where I bought it. I just called WD online store (where I bought the product) and was told I can return but will not get any refund.

My only option is a refurbished replacement not a new product. So if I have bought it in third-party store like Bestbuy I could bring it back and get a new product replacement but not when I buy directly with WD.

This is really outrageous. I already have to spend so much time to fix my lost data and don’t trust to get another refurbished product which could cause issue. This is really not acceptable!.

I have been happy with my passport for mac 5gb since I got it in february as it was fast and perfect for a tiome machine, so I thought. So, I have 2 external HD just to make sure I am safe in case the other one stops working or I get robbed.

I bought this one on amazon from the US to deliver to Indonesia as the procucts I have been buying here have not been working. Anyway, a few days ago I did a backup to my old disk, a WD too but older, then when that was done I unplugged the old one and plugged the new one.

All was going well and I could see it was copying the files but at a certain point, about 1 minute before finished it started to really slow down until it unmounted by itself and could not complete the task.

I tried again and again to remount it but could not. Ithen tried in another mac I have and it would not mount either. The system doesnt find it in any computer. I have changed cables and tried with other disks and everything works well except this one.

Anything I can do to fix? I have gone through everything and it is just not being seen by the computer, as if there was nothing there.

At first it’s just as fast as a normal 2. 5 inch drive (~90MB/s). Once it gets pretty full you may get 1 MB/s speeds or less, your whole system/apps may start to lock up. OS cache was filled (2. 6GB), it took almost an hour to shutdown because the cache needed to be flushed (containing random writes).

You will probably just force shutdown because you don’t know and lose data. Even deleting stuff can be painfully slow, hundreds of GBs taking 6 hours. It was deleting less than 1 empty folder per second.

Listing a folder with a couple of items can take minutes if it’s busy. You have to use discard/trim so that you can speed the drive back up (for newly written data) once clearing space from it. Trim after almost full (5TB) to almost empty took 45 minutes.

Will not buy any SMR drive again. If the website doesn’t mention SMR, it is reason enough to be able to return it. SMR drives are scam tier where you get 1% performance hidden away, in return you only save a couple of dollars.