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Cheap External Hard Drives, Best Cheap External Hard Drives

Contents Buying Guide » What to Look For » See Also External Hard Drives Review

Best Cheap External Hard Drives Good Cheap External Hard Drives Western Digital Elements 1 TB starting at $80 Toshiba 640 GB Portable External Hard Drive starting at $80 Iomega eGo Portable 500 GB starting at $89 Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB starting at $85 Don't Bother External Hard Drives  »

Cheap External Hard Drives Buying Guide

With more and more people looking for storage space to store their digital images, movies and music, interest in cheap external hard drives is growing. Over the past few years, the price of external hard drives has fallen even as the storage capacity has increased and backup software has improved.

Now you can buy the cheapest external hard drives for as little as $50. Cheap external hard drives also suffice as additional storage space for large files (such as video or image files) that can be retrieved when needed.

A number of companies make backup drives, including Iomega, LaCie, Samsung, Seagate, Toshiba, Transcend, Verbatim, and Western Digital. Most of these companies offer a range of hard drives with different capacities and prices. The higher-priced external hard drives tend to offer more storage, faster performance, and extra features, such as more specific backup software or the ability to back up a small network. But if you're simply looking for some extra storage capacity or a cheap portable external hard drive, or you need backup for your home computer, you can definitely find a good cheap hard drive to suit your needs. Most external hard drives are compatible with PCs and Macs, although some need to be reformatted for Macs, and in some cases the bundled backup software may be compatible for PCs only.

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Cheap External Hard Drives Features

Cheap External Hard Drives Storage.

The first thing to decide when looking for a cheap external hard drive is how much storage capacity you need. The answer to that depends largely on the size of your computer's internal hard drive and whether you want to back up all or some of your files. If you plan to regularly backup your entire computer system, look for a cheap external backup drive that's the same size or larger.

External hard drive storage capacity ranges from 160 GB (160 gigabytes) to more than 1 TB (1 terabyte). Of course, the more storage capacity there is, the higher the price. For our research into the best cheap external hard drive, we set the price ceiling at $90, and then for each hard drive manufacturer, we looked at the model with the largest storage capacity within our price range. For example, the Toshiba Portable External Hard Drive is available in the following sizes: 320 GB (starting at $60, Amazon), 500 GB (starting at $74, Amazon), and 640 GB (starting at $80, Amazon); we focused on the 640 GB unit because it's within the Cheapism niche. If you like the Toshiba external hard drive but don't need 640 GB storage, you can save some money by buying the same model with a lesser amount of external hard drive storage capacity.

In our research, we found that the Western Digital Elements 1TB (starting at $80, Amazon) is a best cheap external hard drive and offers the most storage capacity (1 TB) within our cheap price range. The Samsung S1 Mini120 GB (starting at $84, Amazon) offers the least external hard drive storage capacity (120 GB) and does not make our list; its limited storage capacity is one reason.

Cheap External Hard Drives File Transfer Rate.

Depending how you use your cheap hard drive, the transfer rate with which the drive moves files is either critical or just a matter of convenience. For example, the transfer rate (or throughput) is very important for a videographer who transfers video files to an external hard drive every day. However, if the hard drive is only used to back up your home computer, you can be a lot more flexible about the transfer rate. It's nice if the cheap backup drive has a fast transfer rate, but you may decide it's worth sacrificing some speed for a lower cost or for other features, such as more capacity or better software.

Among the set of cheap hard drives we researched, the fastest-rated include the Iomega eGo 500 GB, Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB (starting at $85, Amazon), Transcend StoreJet 320 (starting at $62, Amazon), and Western Digital Elements. The slowest cheap external hard drive is the Samsung S1 Mini.

Cheap External Hard Drive Backup Software.

Most, but not all, external hard drives are bundled with some sort of software to facilitate the backup process. When it comes to deciding which software is best for you, personal preference is all that matters. For example, some users prefer to do their backup manually, which requires copying files from your computer to the external hard drive in the same way that you copy files from one folder to another. Other users prefer to have the whole process automated; once you configure the backup software, it automatically backs up your files as specified.

The Western Digital Elements is the only cheap external hard drive on our list that does not include backup software. All of the other hard drives we researched come bundled with at least one backup software program. Several of the cheapest external hard drives, such as the Iomega eGo, offer more than one backup program so users can choose which is most appropriate for them.

Many of these pre-loaded backup programs do not run on Macs. However, if you have a Mac computer with Mac OS 10.5 or above, the computer comes with its own backup software, called Time Machine. Mac users may prefer to use the Time Machine software even if the cheap external hard drive software is compatible with Macs.

Cheap External Hard Drive Ease of Use.

In addition to the backup software and the physical size and weight of the external hard drive, other features affect ease of use, such as the type of data transfer connection, the power connection, and operating system compatibility.

All the cheap external hard drives that we researched are USB 2.0 compatible. This means you connect the hard drive to the USB port in your computer, and the data transfers through this port. Some cheap external hard drives also provide the option of connecting to your computer using a FireWire port, which provides a faster transfer rate. The Iomega eGo Portable is the only cheap FireWire external hard drive that we found. Two other models, the Seagate FreeAgent Go and the LaCie Little Disk 320 GB (starting at $87, Amazon) offer an optional FireWire port for about $40 more.

In most cases, the USB connection is sufficient to supply all the power needed by a cheap portable hard drive. This is what manufactures mean when they say, "no external power supply needed." In some cases, however, particularly with older model computers, one USB port may not provide sufficient power for the cheap external hard drive; to compensate, some external hard drives come with an adapter that lets you connect to two USB ports for sufficient power. Both the Iomega eGo and the Transcend StoreJet come with a "Y" USB connector for this purpose.

Cheap External Hard Drives Physical Size and Weight.

If you are looking for a small, lightweight hard drive to carry around, you'll have plenty of choices. Most manufacturers offer a variety of portable external hard drives specifically designed for people who need to travel with one. But if you don't need a portable hard drive, you can get a larger, heavier desktop external hard drive with more storage capacity then a similarly-priced portable external hard drive.

Among the models on our list, the Western Digital Elements 1 TB is the heaviest external hard drive at 2.2 pounds (35.2 ounces) and is meant to sit on your desk. It's no coincidence that this hard drive also gives you the most storage capacity for your money. The smallest and lightest hard drive we researched is the Samsung S1 Mini 120 GB, weighing only three ounces. Again, it's no coincidence that the smallest drive offers the least storage capacity for your money. But if you want a very small drive that you can carry in your pocket, then Samsung S1 Mini makes sense.

Cheap External Hard Drive Durability.

Some hard drive models are designed to be rugged and durable; that is, meant to withstand being carried around in a backpack or suitcase. We found several inexpensive external hard drives that pass this test. First is the Transcend StoreJet 320 GB, which incorporates anti-shock technology that meets military drop-test standards. Next is the Iomega eGo 500 GB, which is designed to withstand drops of up to 51 inches. Finally, the Toshiba Portable External Hard Drive is also designed with shock-absorbing technology. Any of these hard drives should be sturdy enough that you can slip them in your backpack without worry.

Cheap External Hard Drive Mac Issues.

Most cheap external hard drives are compatible with both PCs and Macs. However, as noted above, the backup software that comes with the drive may not work on Macs. In addition, some low-cost external hard drives are formatted for PCs when they leave the factory; in this case, if you're a Mac user you'll need to reformat the hard drive on your Mac before you can begin using it. (Check with the manufacturer to determine if the inexpensive external hard drive you purchase needs reformatting.) The cheap Seagate FreeAgent Go, the Iomega eGo, and the Transcend StoreJet external hard drives are all available in both PC-formatted and more costly Mac-formatted versions. The cheap Toshiba external hard drive can be used with either PCs or Macs right out of the box. The cheap Western Digital Elements hard drive must be reformatted to operate with Macs.

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Products Mentioned in This Review

Seagate Replica 250 GB
Verbatim USB 2.0 250 GB 96532
Iomega eGo Portable 500 GB
Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB
Western Digital Elements 1 TB
Toshiba 640 GB Portable External Hard Drive

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