Best Hard Drives 2024: Top Picks for Laptop, NAS, Desktop and More

Are you the one who thinks that an HDD hard drive or, some might still say, a mechanical hard drive is a story of a long-gone era but still looking for the best hard drive? The conventional HDD might feel like ancient tech, but it is valuable where you need more space in less amount. Not every time a person requires an SSD to perform daily tasks because the HDD hard drive can easily handle streaming and other common tasks. If you are looking for the best hard drive or best HDD, then worry not. We have tested multiple PC hard drives for you to choose from.

Even the best HDD might not be able to compete in terms of speed with an SSD because they are the fastest hard drives, but their cost-effectiveness balances this large-capacity hard drive. This makes them the best hard drive for long-term storage when capacity is required more than the data transfer rate. Moreover, the modern HDD hard drives have solved this problem up to some satisfaction.

Some people think that HDDs are the best hard drives when used externally, and the best internal hard drive is something else. It is not like this, but let us explain the subtle nuances between them to you, which will help you understand more.

The Difference Between An External and Internal PC Hard Drive

External Hard Drive

While external hard drives can provide a concise solution to users who want to expand their storage or to back up their files for mobility, they come with various tradeoffs to consider. Easily used, they plug via USB (Universal Serial Bus), do their work with no hassle, and come in various sizes. Still, they can’t match the speed and capacity of the internal drives at the same price.

While external hard drives offer the convenience of portability and easy data exchange between devices, it is crucial to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of using external hard drives.

Internal Hard Drive

An internal hard drive is the workhorse of your computer’s storage. They are inside the chassis, directly connected to the motherboard, and indispensable in storing operating systems, programs, and personal files. Although the portability of external drives is unmatched, internal drives average better speeds and higher capacities, plus the cost per gigabyte is also lower.

Nonetheless, these devices are less portable and convenient than external drives. This balance between performance, capacity, and portability is a crucial point to consider when selecting the best hard drives that would ideally fit your specific requirements.

Both an internal and an external hard disk (drive, HDD) fulfill the fundamental task of storing your data, yet their differences make them better or less suitable for specific purposes. Awareness of these subtleties allows you to make informed decisions about what type of hard drive meets your needs.

Location and Installation

The single most distinctive attribute is the location of them. System hard drive physically exists within your computer’s housing and typically connects to the motherboard directly. They serve crucial functions for the operation of the OS, all your application programs, and the data you store. Since the installation process is complicated, you might need some level of technical knowledge to open your computer’s case and install the drive.

In this case, external hard drives are attachable separate components to your computer that connect to the same via a cable, usually USB. They are time savers, providing convenience that users find very suitable and portable across devices.

Speed and Performance

Usually, when comparing data transfer rates of internal to external drives, the former is seen as being faster. This is mainly due to the connection interface: SATA has higher data throughput within internal drives. The average consumer’s external drives connect via USB, with relatively low throughput. On the other hand, progress in technology has made these limits less relevant. Nevertheless, the speed gap is getting smaller as more powerful USB versions like USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 make the connection faster.

Capacity and Cost

While capacity differs in both types of hard drives, internal or external, it can range from several hundred gigabytes up to dozens of terabytes. Conversely, the internal drives are mainly likely to be large, and regarding the cost per gigabyte, they will be the most affordable. This makes memories more affordable for storing a vast amount of data, e.g., media files or backups.

Portability and Security

Off-board storage devices, otherwise known as external hard drives, are the best, as their portability is unparalleled. Their small size, which facilitates them in establishing connections with different devices or places, is also what makes them the best choice for data carrying. Additionally, they provide a security layer, allowing you to remove and stow them when you don’t need them.

Types Of The Best Hard Drives

The choice of the best HDD or best internal hard drive depends on the types of hard drive brands and their variants. The form factor, cables, and ports are the deciding factors in choosing the best hard drive. There are four main types of SDD or HDD hard drives. More variants can be classified as types, but leave that for the technical nerds to decipher.

The Four main types of hard drives are:

• Desktop Hard Drive

• Laptop Hard Drive

• Server Hard Drive

• NAS (Network Attached Storage) Hard Drive

Any hard drive, whether looking for the fastest hard drive for gaming or trying to shuffle through the most reliable hard drives to find what suits you best, will fall under these four categories. We will explain these types and mention two of the very best bard drives in their respective categories.

Desktop Hard Drive

The term “desktop hard drive” is not a strictly technical concept when it comes to the world of storage devices. It’s rather a separating name used to distinguish them based on their applications from other types of hard drives, which are different in form factor. Here’s a breakdown of the specifics:

Origin of the term

• Historically: Back in the early days of the PC era, desktops were the predominant form factor for computers. This provided considerably more space for internal components than the laptops at the time.
• Descriptive purpose: The phrase “desktop hard drive” was used as a means to differentiate an internal storage device from hard drives used in laptops (laptop hard drives) and other emerging storage solutions such as external hard drives.

Distinctive aspects

• Form factor: Desktop hard drives require more space because their large capacity requires more area. Therefore, desktop computer towers can mostly accommodate them. They usually have a 3.5-inch form factor, meaning the width of the drive is 3.5 inches.
• Connection interface: The SATA interface (SATA) is largely used to connect them to the motherboard, providing a higher transmission rate than the USB connection usually used by external hard drives.
• Focus on capacity: Historically, desktop hard drives focused on striking a lower cost per gigabyte while offering larger storage capacities than other types, such as SSDs. For these reasons, they are a proper choice for storing large amounts of data, such as video files and backups.

The Best Hard Drive For Storage

SanDisk Professional G-Drive

SPECIFICATIONS

• Connectivity: USB-C
• Available as (capacity): 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 12TB, 18TB, 22TB
• Warranty: Three-year
• Size: 5.24 x 8.27 x 1.61 -inches / 133 x 210 x 41 mm

Expand the storage space of your current laptop or desktop with the SanDisk Professional G-Drive. It’s an excellent choice for creative professionals who deal with huge media files like movies, RAW, and edited pictures.

When it comes to conventional HDD hard drives, the SanDisk Professional G-Drive is a top-notch, expertly designed-option. We really like how it can be mounted or stacked to fit any desk. We have found that many people who use portable hard drives don’t need the software facilities that aren’t there.

Like the FireCuda Gaming Hub, the G-drive is a desktop drive; both are slower than regular SSD drives and may be among the more costly options for expanding your storage. This best hard drive is pre-formatted for Mac, but converting it to Windows is easy.

The Best Value Hard Drive

Western Digital Blue Desktop

SPECIFICATIONS

• Interface: SATA 6Gbps
• Capacity: 500GB – 6TB
• Cache: 64MB
• RPM: 5,400 – 7,200

Western Digital is one of the most well-known names in hard disk drives (HDDs), and the company continues to provide high-quality drives at affordable costs, making them ideal for long-term storage. The WD Blue brand of hard drives is a prime example of this.

The WD Blue is an excellent option for budget-conscious PC builds due to its extensive storage options ranging from 500GB to 6TB. With larger drives, you get much more storage for your money, so they’re the best option.

Furthermore, there are 7,200 rpm versions that are reasonable if you’re seeking a little extra speed. While solid-state drives (SSDs) do provide faster performance than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), the true value of these drives lies in their large capacity and low price.

Laptop Hard Drive

A laptop hard drive serves the same fundamental purpose as a desktop hard drive; it would be wise to get familiar with it since it is the main memory in the laptop. This is where you store:

• Operating system (like Windows or macOS): The prime software that handles the most crucial operations of your laptop.
• Programs and applications: You will have applications such as office work, image editors, and any other installed applications.
• Personal files: Whether it be Tweets, Facebook photos, Kindle documents, YouTube videos, downloaded files, or pretty much anything that you’ve saved.

Types of Laptop Hard Drives

• HDD (Hard Disk Drive): This disk drive is generally derived from the classic hard drive with mechanical parts. These comparatively provide the lowest cost relative to the consumer dollars spent to get the gigabyte of storage.
• SSD (Solid State Drive): A newer type of storage technology with memory chips is built to boost accuracy. They are known to be less spacious when compared to HDDs. However, they are very fast, and their storage capacity tends to be very expensive compared to other types of memory.

Key Points about Laptop Hard Drives

• Designed for portability: Laptop hard drives are explicitly made because their shorter size and lighter power consumption are vital for fitting into a smaller chassis. In many cases, they mostly occupy the 2.5-inch form factor.
• Connection and speed: SATA interfaces are commonly utilized in laptop hard drives; however, the possibility of the newer models using faster NVMe connections SSDs is highly probable.
• Balance of speed and size: Concerning capacity, it is most likely that laptop hard drives will make an exception regarding maximum storage space, which the vendors can offer only to maintain a good balance on both small size and performance. This ultimately is better than the large-capacity hard drive.

The Best Laptop Hard Drive

Seagate BarraCuda

SPECIFICATIONS

• Interface: SATA 6Gbps
• Capacity: 1TB – 8TB
• Cache: up to 128MB
• RPM: 7,200

You can’t discuss hard drives without mentioning Seagate’s formidable BarraCuda series. The Seagate BarraCuda drives’ speed advantages and excellent gigabyte-per-dollar ratio make it easy to understand why they’re so popular.

Though capacities as low as 500GB are available, the 2TB model strikes a great mix between price and performance. Combining high-density data with 7,200 rpm platters means that computers using this drive will have read/write speeds as maximum as any best HDD can.

These hard drives are built to last, thanks to Seagate’s 5-year limited warranty. You won’t get speeds close to those of a NAND SSD with them, but with capacities of up to 14 terabytes, hard disk drives like the Seagate BarraCuda are hard to beat.

The Best Hybrid-Internal Hard Drive

Seagate Firecuda

SPECIFICATIONS

• Interface: SATA 6Gbps
• Capacity: 1TB – 2TB + 8GB
• Cache: 64 MB
• RPM: 7,200

The widespread use of solid-state drives (SSDs) is easy to understand. However, hybrid hard drives are an excellent alternative, particularly for gaming, because they were tested to be the fastest hard drive for gaming for those who require large amounts of quick storage but do not possess a vault of cash.

There is no better hybrid hard drive than the Seagate FireCuda. It has a capacity of up to 2 terabytes of storage space, and its 8 GB of solid-state cache memory learns your usage patterns to make frequently accessed data even faster. Considering that this drive rotates at 7,200 rpm, you’re getting the best of both worlds, which makes that speed gain much sweeter.

One of the best hard drives for PC gaming today, particularly for PC gamers, with an affordable price tag and a 5-year warranty.

Server Hard Drives

A server hard drive is a high-performance storage device specially designed for the demanding requirements of a server. These servers handle large numbers of users and network applications, run almost 24/7, and require hard drives with excellent reliability, performance, and data security features.

Significant Differences Between Desktop & Laptop Hard Drives

• Reliability: Server hard drives are designed for 24/7 operation of a server and generally have a high MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) rating, making them less likely to fail
• Performance: Prioritize fast speed regarding data transfer and how quickly you can access specific data. You achieve this through discovering high RPM spindles (especially in HDDs) and refined technology.
• Capacity: Server hard drives are available in larger capacities to meet businesses’ and server applications’ wide range of storage needs.
• Hot-swappable: Many server hard drives are hot-swappable, which means you can replace them without shutting off the entire server, reducing downtime.
• RAID compatibility: Components that support a RAID system (which combines multiple hard drives) are often a part of the server hard drives with advanced data protection and failure mechanisms.

Other Factors to Consider

• Connectivity: The server hard drive can use a high-speed SATA or SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) connection.
• Price: Due to advanced features, server hard drives are generally more expensive than equivalent desktops or laptops for the same storage capacity.
• Comparison: Depending on your unique requirements, choose between server hard drives and SSD drives.

The Best HDD (Server)

Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC550 HDD

SPECIFICATIONS

• Capacity: 14TB to 18TB
• Interface: SATA 3.0 (6 Gb/s)
• Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
• Design: Helium-Filled

Ultrastar DC HC550 creates a new HDD class with a 9-disk platform and multiple technologies. Combining areal density, performance, and power consumption technologies yields 18TB capacity.

This is the first HDD to use Energy-Assisted Magnetic Recording (EAMR) technology, which boosts writability and areal capacity, and Triple Stage Actuator (TSA) improves head-positioning accuracy and performance. HelioSeal® technology powers Western Digital’s high-capacity HDDs, and this is the 6th generation. We’ve shipped over 65 million HelioSeal products.

The Ultrastar DC HC550 is suited for object storage due to its large capacity and 2.5M MTBF (projected) dependability. Erasure-coding object storage systems are more durable than RAID systems because they can tolerate simultaneous errors.

The DC HC550 has SED variants in SATA and SAS to secure data from unauthorized use. SAS-configured SED-FIPS will be accessible. Western Digital with the Ultrastar DC HC550 hard drive gives your data center the most capacity, lowest TCO, and most value.

The Best Value (Server)

Seagate IronWolf Pro HDD

SPECIFICATIONS

• Capacity: 20TB
• Interface: SATA 6Gb/s
• Cache: 256MB
• Form Factor: 3.5 Inches

For NAS systems with up to 24 bays, Seagate offers the IronWolf Pro 20TB Server Hard Drive. Building the server Hard Drive with AgileArray firmware and CMR (conventional magnetic recording) technology ensures optimal stability in continuous operation and system scalability. You can’t go wrong with the IronWolf Pro as a storage solution for your servers or workstations because of its 1.2 million hour MTBF rating and long lifespan.

Businesses and enterprises can benefit from the best hard drive of Seagate’s IronWolf Pro HDD, which offers a large amount of storage space. The hard drive has a 3.5-inch form factor, a rotational speed of 7200 rpm, and a cache of 256 MB, among its many impressive qualities. These server hard drives offer improved system dependability with the help of IronWolf Health Management (IHM) when used with compatible network-attached storage systems.

NAS Hard Drives

NAS (Network Attached Storage) hard drives are designed especially for use in NAS devices.  A NAS device is your own personal cloud that provides cloud storage services for your office’s network and multiple users. It’s super for document sharing, media streaming, backups, and more.

Unique Features of NAS Hard Drives

• Optimized for 24/7 operation: NAS devices operate 24/7, so the manufactures the drives to withstand this continuous use.
• Focus on Reliability: Such devices are specifically designed to avoid mistakes and shutdowns. Therefore, RAID organization of storage arrays is used widely due to their excellent reliability.
• Workload Optimization: The NAS hard drive firmware and software are created with NAS usage patterns in mind such that they have specific elements added for efficiency in general NAS usage.
• Vibration Resistance: NAS enclosure accommodates plenty of drives in close range to each other. For NS hard drives, some attributes lower the vibration level, making the operations of those machines more silent and stable, no matter in what environments they are placed.

Consider these factors when choosing the right NAS hard drive for your setup:

• Required capacity: Basically, what kind of storage do you want and how much? Is that the right question?
• Number of users: Will the NAS allow multiple users to use it simultaneously?
• RAID compatibility: Besides a backup device, do you plan to use RAID as a stop-gap to achieve enhanced data security?

Best NAS Hard Drives

WD Red Pro 20TB HDD

SPECIFICATIONS

• Capacities (CMR): 2TB, To 18TB, 20TB, 22TB
• RPM: 7200
• Cache: 512MB
• Form Factor/Interface: 3.5-inch / SATA

Consider the 20-terabyte Red Pro NAS hard disk drive as a viable solution for your NAS needs. The 14TB and larger models come with 512MB of DRAM cache, and the 7200 RPM spindle speed gives it exceptional performance in random applications. The 300 TB/yr workload rating is typical, but there is a five-year warranty to back it up.

The Seagate IronWolf Pro offers a somewhat faster maximum sustained write speed. Seagate’s three-year rescue plan is significantly more expensive and has nearly identical specs to this hard drive. Workloads with little I/O are better suited to the Red Pro’s bigger DRAM cache and OptiNAND technology, which produced better 4KB results.

Best Low-Capacity NAS Hard Drive

Toshiba N300 Pro (12TB)

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Capacities (CMR): 4TB, 6TB, To 18TB, 20TB
• RPM: 7200
• Cache: 512MB
• Form Factor/Interface: 3.5-inch / SATA

Compared to other NAS-optimized HDDs, the Toshiba N300 Pro stands head and shoulders above the competition thanks to its superior sustained performance and generous cache sizes in the 10TB+ price range. In the 12–18 TB range, it’s reasonably priced as well, albeit better solutions are available at 20 TB. It also falls short of having the maximum HDD density since it does not have a 22TB option. Having said that, it’s inexpensive, works well in storage systems with up to 24 drives, and is surprisingly fast at 12TB in our tests.

Compared to the WD Red Plus’s 180 TB/yr and the WD Red Pro’s 550 TB/yr, the 300 TB/yr workload rate limit is moderate. Think about how much better the drive performs than the cheaper Red Plus, and you’ll see that this is a reasonable compromise that should be considered in the pricing. If WRL can handle your projected workload, the five-year warranty should be more than enough. While it’s true that WD and Seagate offer more robust software support systems, Toshiba’s lack of such support isn’t crucial.

FAQs

What is the best hard drive?

Stating or choosing the best hard drive is not a simple task of naming a particular hard drive. It is about being the best in the departments that the user requires. Form factor, read/write speed, storage, and more are the considerations for selecting the best hard drive. We have provided the very best hard drive in every category.

What is the best hard drive for PC gaming?

Because of its high cache and maximum spinning rate of 7,200 rotations per minute, the Seagate Firecuda is the best hard drive for PC gaming, in our opinion. It provides an NAND booster, and the price tag is also manageable for PC gamers.

What are the best external hard drives for Mac?

These are the external Mac drives that you might consider purchasing in 2024.

• SanDisk Professional G-Drive rugged SSD, which boasts both high-end performance and ruggedness.
• Samsung T7 Shield, which keeps both portability and ruggedness in mind.
• Crucial X8 Portable SSD that is preferred for its modest price.

Who makes the best internal hard drives?

While several brands excel in different aspects, Seagate and Western Digital are industry leaders, offering options like Seagate’s BarraCuda (value & capacity) and WD Blue (reliability & affordability). The best hard drive depends on your specific needs, like budget, capacity, and desired performance.

What hard drive has the lowest failure rate?

Identifying a single hard drive with the absolute lowest failure rate is challenging, as it depends on various factors like model, usage patterns, and testing methodologies. However, resources like Backblaze’s annual Drive Stats report offer valuable insights. Their data often shows Seagate and Western Digital models performing well, with specific models like Seagate’s IronWolf Pro NAS consistently showing low annualized failure rates in their reports.

What is the most reliable hard drive brand?

Pinpointing a single “most reliable” brand is tricky due to varying model performance and testing methodologies. However, data suggests Seagate and Western Digital consistently offer reliable models, like Seagate’s IronWolf Pro NAS and WD Red Plus, with low failure rates.