10 Best Hard Drives for Sale

Browse our range of hard drives for sale before making your final choice.

Form Factors

Hard drive form factor comprises its size and characteristics. Traditional internal and external hard drives have two sizes. Desktops use 3.5-inch drives. Laptops use 2.5-inch drives. Thin computers employ a rarer, slimmer 2.5-inch disc. Form factor encompasses the hard drive’s physical profile and host interface connector position. Without the right form factor, users will not be able to install a new hard drive.

Compatibility

Form factor doesn’t limit compatibility. All hard drives have host interfaces. Hard drive interfaces control how they communicate with the host desktop or laptop. Interfaces transport data at varying speeds. 

The most popular internal and external hard drive host interfaces are:

• SATA is the most common desktop hard drive interface. Second-generation SATA II transfers data at 3 Gbps. SATA III is a 6 Gbps third-generation interface. These transfer speeds satisfy most residential users.
• USB is universally compatible with internal drives but more common for external hard drives. USB connections allow external drivers to connect to USB ports, including USB Type-C. USB interfaces are multigenerational. Standard generations include USB 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1. USB type determines transmission speed. USB 2.0 transfers speeds up to 480 Mbps. USB 3.0 can transfer data at 5 Gbps, while USB 3.1 can do 10 Gbps.
• Thunderbolt: Mac-formatted external hard drives and peripherals use this high-speed connectivity. Thunderbolt 3 uses USB-C ports but transfers quicker.
• SATA’s external counterpart is eSATA. This interface connects external hard discs quickly and reliably.
• Ethernet: Network-attached storage (NAS) devices use Ethernet ports to connect to a network and share files.
• SAS: SAS interfaces are less prevalent than SATA but thrive in enterprise-class storage applications that require excellent performance, durability, and scalability. 

Capacity

Hard drive capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB) and terabytes (TB). As of last year, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB have proven to be popular capacities. Commercial hard drives store up to 20 TB. Desktop hard drives hold more than laptops.

Manufacturers and operating systems measure storage differently, therefore a hard drive’s claimed and useable capacity differ. Thus, a 1 TB drive will typically hold 931 GB.

Speed of Data Transfer

Transfer rates, measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes per second, indicate how fast hard drives can send and receive data from other computer components, including the motherboard. Data transfer speeds show users a hard drive’s sequential and random data exchange capabilities.

Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)

MTBF is the most popular hard drive reliability statistic. The MTBF assesses the device’s typical lifespan in hours until a repairable or terminal failure. The MTBF simulations are approximations. Real-world situations effect hard drive longevity.

Mean Time to Failure (MTTF)

Hard drive reliability is sometimes measured by the MTTF that predicts the device’s average lifespan in hours until terminal failure. Hard drive maintenance and use might affect its lifespan.

Revolutions Per Minute

High-RPM hard drives have faster access and sequential speeds. Most HDD platters spin at 5400 or 7200 RPM. Users without specific needs, such as editing high-resolution photographs and videos or gaming, can choose 5400 RPM. Hard drives of 7200 RPM or above are best for fast access and sequential speeds. These hard drives produce greater heat and mechanical stress than lower RPM devices, making them less dependable in most cases. Taking such trade-off into account is vital. 7200 RPM and higher drives use more power and create more noise than 5400 RPM ones.

Speed of Sequential and Random Read/Write

Hard drives’ sequential and random read/write rates indicate data access and storage speed. The sequential speed measures how long it takes to read or write a block of data. For huge data like backups or streaming videos, sequential read/write rates are increasingly important.

Random speed measures how long the drive takes to read or write random disc data. Random read/write speeds hinder multitasking like launching numerous apps or managing smaller files. Faster sequential and random speeds improve usability.

Appropriate for Gaming

It’s normal to buy a hard drive to supplement your system’s internal storage because games have grown bigger. Multiple manufacturers make console- or gaming-specific hard drives to operate well under certain settings. For console storage expansion drives, look for that branding.

For now, playstation 5 (PS5) games only run on internal storage. It is possible to copy PS5 games to external storage, but you’ll have to reload them before you can play them. 

Security Features

While security features are not related to performance or dependability, they are nonetheless important when selecting a hard drive. Hardware encryption improves security without affecting speed. An encrypted drive can secure personal data from unauthorised access.

Manufacturers provide password protection and encryption in some hard drives. This function requires a password or PIN to access files. Some models have secure erasure for long-term data protection. Secure erasure overwrites internal data, including unallocated space, to sanitise storage devices and protect sensitive data.