Most of the options on this list of the best external hard drive models will work across platforms - whether you have a Windows PC, Mac computer, PlayStation 4 or Xbox - so long as the drives are correctly formatted for the right platform. A solid-state drive doesn't have moving parts and has up to four times faster read speeds, but it costs a lot more per gigabyte. Prices have dropped significantly in the last few years, with even the high-capacity hard drive models tipping the scales at 5TB but costing just over $100. One way to manage it all is to find the best external hard drive for your needs.Ī traditional hard drive that uses 'old' hard drive technology (mechanical platters and a moving read-write head to access data) is adequate for the majority of users, thanks to speedier USB-C and USB 3.0 (as well as 3.1/3.2) interfaces. Game consoles today come with 1-terabyte drives (which is roughly 1,000GB of hard drive storage), but the drives max out easily if you don't regularly delete games off the drive as you acquire more. Unless you're splurging on a high-end model, most new computers don't come with much storage space - they usually have 256GB or 51GB.
