The Best Terabyte Hard Drive For 2024

Harlan Ellison By, Harlan Ellison
Updated
Best Terabyte Hard Drive
Best Terabyte Hard Drive

The Rundown

1. Best Overall: Seagate Portable 2TB Hard Drive

The Seagate Portable 2TB Hard Drive is the perfect solution for storing and accessing large amounts of data on the go. With a 2TB capacity, this external hard drive gives you plenty of space to keep all your documents, photos, music, and videos. Read Review

2. Runner Up: WD 5TB Elements Hard Drive

The WD 5TB Elements Hard Drive is an excellent choice for storing large amounts of data. This hard drive offers 5TB of storage space, storing videos, music, photos, and other files. Read Review

3. Best Performance: WD 2TB External Hard Drive

The WD 2TB External Hard Drive is the perfect storage solution for everyday needs. Its incredibly slim design makes it easy to transport and store. It also includes software for device management and backup with password protection for added security. Read Review

4. Best Convenient: Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Hard Drive

The Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable External Hard Drive is the perfect way to store and transport your important data. Its sleek profile design features a matte, smudge-resistant finish and is easy to use with no software to install. Read Review

5. Best Quality: WD_BLACK 5TB External Hard Drive

The WD_BLACK 5TB Portable External Hard Drive is the perfect gaming storage solution. With up to 5TB of capacity, it can store up to 125 games, giving you plenty of space for your favorite titles and more. Read Review

So, you want to buy a terabyte hard drive for your PC but don't know where to start? This article will tell you everything you need to know about buying the best terabyte hard drive. A terabyte is a unit of data equal to one trillion bytes. An external hard drive is an electronic storage device that can be used with a computer rather than connected to it by cable.

Terabytes are also known as gigabytes, another common digital storage capacity measure. In addition to personal computers, drives of varying sizes are used in other types of devices such as camcorders, digital cameras, hand-held gaming devices called game consoles, tablets and e-book readers called e-readers or e-book readers, and home videos systems called High Definition Videos (HDV) or home theater systems.

Before making our recommendations, our specialists spend substantial time researching and analyzing customer feedback. Then we found the best terabyte hard drive is Seagate Portable 2TB Hard Drive. The hard drive is designed, can store a lot of data, and is cost-effective. It is the greatest choice for its high quality. If you're looking for another one, consider WD 5TB Elements Hard Drive. Let's explore! 

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Seagate Portable 2TB Hard Drive
Our Score:
9.8
Seagate

The Seagate Portable Drive is the ultimate solution for individuals seeking a convenient and reliable method to store and access vast content while on the go. With a massive storage capacity of 2TB, this drive offers ample space to accommodate all your files, documents, media, and more. Whether you're a professional constantly on the move or a student with a vast collection of educational materials, this portable drive has got you covered.

Additionally, this drive ensures compatibility with your preferred operating system. Gone are the days of complicated backup processes. With this external hard drive, all it takes is a simple drag and drop to safeguard your valuable data. The intuitive and user-friendly interface makes backing up your files a snap, allowing you to focus on what matters most. Setting up this drive is also effortless. Connecting it to your computer using the 18-inch USB 3.0 cable automatically recognizes the industry without additional software. However, it's a bit difficult to set up with a Mac laptop.

TOP Choice #2 WD 5TB Elements Hard Drive
Our Score:
9.6
Western Digital

The WD Elements portable hard drive is the perfect solution for those needing extra storage space for their videos, music, photos, and files. With a blazing-fast data transfer rate of 5Gbps, this external hard drive ensures you can transfer your data quickly and efficiently. Thanks to its USB 3.0 compatibility, you can enjoy maximum speed when transferring files while remaining compatible with USB 2.0 devices for added convenience.

Not only does this portable hard drive provide additional storage capacity, but it also improves the performance of your PC. By freeing up space on your internal hard drive and transferring files to this external drive, you can give your laptop the boost it needs to run smoothly again. Its plug-and-play functionality makes it ready to use right out of the box, making it exceptionally user-friendly. Connect it to your Windows PC, and you're good to go. Unfortunately, it may sometimes become hot while transferring massive files.

TOP Choice #3 WD 2TB External Hard Drive
Our Score:
9.5
Western Digital

The highly efficient Slim Design software presents a sleek and compact solution for device management and backup, accompanied by robust password protection. This exceptional hard drive allows you to manage effortlessly and back up valuable data easily. Providing a seamless and intuitive interface ensures a hassle-free experience for individuals seeking reliable data management solutions.

One notable feature of this hard drive is its advanced security measures, employing the industry-standard 256-bit AES hardware encryption. This cutting-edge encryption technology guarantees the utmost protection for sensitive information, ensuring that your data remains safe and secure at all times. With this, you can have peace of mind knowing that your personal files, documents, and multimedia content are shielded from unauthorized access. Furthermore, it boasts exceptional connectivity options, including a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port, which offers lightning-fast data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. Nonetheless, it doesn't have an indicator light when doing a backup.

4 Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Hard Drive
Our Score:
9.3
Toshiba

Are you looking for an easy and stylish way to add more storage to your PC or compatible devices? This portable hard drive, which is both sleek and slim, is the solution you may have been looking for. With a matte, smudge-resistant finish and no external AC power cord needed, it's the perfect plug-and-play solution for anyone who wants to quickly and easily add more storage capacity to their devices.

This portable hard drive is also USB 2.0 compatible and requires no installation software, making it easy to use immediately. In addition, with its formatted NTFS for Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7, it's compatible with a wide range of devices. So, this portable hard drive is the perfect solution if you want to store more music, videos, or photos or need more space for your files and documents. The only minor drawback of this device is that copying large files is a bit slow. 

5 WD_BLACK 5TB External Hard Drive
Our Score:
9.2
WD_BLACK

The WD BLACK drive is an excellent solution for gamers who have a vast collection of games. It offers a massive storage space of 5 TB, accommodating up to 125 games. This ensures that your favorite games won't be neglected even with an extensive library. Its portable design allows you to carry your entire game collection and essential documents wherever you go. Its sleek metal top covering provides instant access to your expanding game library while leaving room for beloved classics and exciting new releases.

This hard drive delivers exceptional performance with a SuperSpeed interface with speeds of up to 5Gbps and an 18-inch (457mm) USB Type-A to Micro-B connection. The WD hard drive is compatible with Xbox Series X/S, enabling you to play and store Xbox One games and archive Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S games. It also supports PlayStation 5, allowing you to play and store PS4 games and archive PS5 games. However, it is an excellent device for gamers, but it can host Xbox X/S games but cannot play them directly. 

6 Toshiba Canvio Gaming 2TB Hard Drive
Our Score:
9.1
Toshiba

Designed for gaming consoles and PCs, the Toshiba hard drive offers an exceptional storage solution for gamers. Tailored specifically for gamers, this hard drive features a firmware-customized "Always-On" mode, providing a highly responsive gaming experience. With a storage capacity of 2TB, it allows you to store up to 50 games, assuming an estimated game storage size of 36 GB per game. 

Moreover, this versatile hard drive is compatible with PlayStation 5, enabling you to play and store PS4 games while also providing storage for PS5 games. It is also compatible with Xbox Series X|S, allowing for the play and storage of Xbox One games and giving space for Xbox Series X|S games. In addition to its impressive functionality, this hard drive boasts a sleek and compact form factor. Its portable design allows gamers to conveniently take their games on the go, whether for a gaming session at a friend's house or while traveling. Unfortunately, its data cable could be better.

7 Seagate IronWolf 12TB Hard Drive
Our Score:
9.0
Seagate

The IronWolf internal hard drive is built to handle the workload of a multi-user NAS environment with up to 8 bays, ensuring the highest levels of performance and durability. This hard drive offers a seamless data transfer rate of 6Gbps, ensuring swift and efficient operations. This massive 12TB storage solution unlocked vast storage capabilities. With a cache size of up to 256MB, this drive is engineered to store more data while delivering lightning-fast access speeds.

Tailored for NAS enclosures, this drive is built to withstand the rigors of 24/7 operation. It excels in providing not only outstanding performance but also enhanced durability. This drive ensures a prolonged lifespan and minimizes noise and vibration by reducing wear and tear, allowing for a peaceful working environment. It offers uninterrupted operations, eliminating lags and downtime, thereby maximizing productivity. With a remarkable Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of 1 million hours, the drive provides long-term reliability, giving users the peace of mind they need. However, it's a bit noisy.

8 WD 10TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive
Our Score:
8.9
Western Digital

High-capacity add-on storage

Fast data transfers

Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs

WD quality inside and out

Enjoy enormous desktop storage space for years to come for photos, movies, music, and more

Designed to work with Windows computers, this external USB drive makes backup easy with a simple drag-and-drop

Setup is easy! Just connect the external hard drive to your Windows computer for automatic recognition—no software required

USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible.

Formatted exFAT for cross-device compatibility (2).

Versatile design. Includes USB-C and USB-A cables.

Designed for PC, Mac, and Tablet (check compatibility at Toshiba's Consumer HDD website).

Product Images, Product Titles, Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API

What to Look For in a best terabyte hard drive?

Looking for the best terabyte hard drive requires consideration of many criteria. Product learning varies in type, feature, and customer ranking. Overall, it comes with several difficulties in buying. So, we are available to support you occasionally.

It is beneficial for you to have a closer look at the things below to evaluate and then choose which one is suitable:

Performance

Transfer speed is the feature that most people notice on a daily basis. We evaluated each drive with tests that replicated different real-world uses, and we focused on the drives that consistently outperformed the other contenders. Drives that did well on some tests but failed others were unreliable and not worth purchasing.

Size Of The Disk

I understand that you are buying the hard disk in order to eliminate the need to delete some files when you install a new game or add modifications. Also, at a time when a single game can take up to 100GB, Call of Duty WWII is 90GB; it only makes sense that you select the hard disk that will allow you sufficient storage space.

Speed

HDDs, or hard drives, contain spinning disks that read and write your data. The faster these disks spin—rated in rotations per minute (RPM)—the faster the drive can access data and transfer it to your computer.

External Vs. Internal HDD

The main advantage of external hard disks is their portability. Which also makes them perfect backups in case your PC is compromised. Desktop PCs allow you room to add extra hard disks, but if you are using a laptop or other gaming device, you will have to replace your existing hard drive.

Reliability

All hard drives eventually die, and there’s no definitive answer on when that day will come. We recommend replacing your backup drives between the third and sixth years of use, if possible. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get metrics on which hard drive models are more reliable over the long run, and even so, there will always be outliers and failures that occur sooner than expected.

Cache Memory

This is a cache that functions much like Computer RAM Memory. It stores important files temporarily so that it takes less time to access them on the disk. The larger the cache size, the faster the hard disk will be. However, the difference is not major, and as such, this should not be the biggest determiner.

Rotation Speed

Did you know that hard drives store information on spinning magnetic plates? The faster these plates spin, the faster the load and access time. The rotation is measured in RPM (Rotations per Minute), and although we recommend hard disks with 7200RPM, 5400RPM is still a good option.

FAQs

What is a Terabyte Hard Drive?

Terabyte Hard Drive is a type of hard drive that is capable of storing up to one terabyte (1TB) of data. It is one of the largest storage capacities available for a single device, and is typically used for large-scale storage purposes.

What are the benefits of a Terabyte Hard Drive?

Terabyte Hard Drive provides a large amount of storage capacity for a single device, allowing for the storage of large amounts of data such as videos, photos, music, and other large files. It also provides a great deal of flexibility and scalability, allowing for the storage of additional data as needed.

How do I install a Terabyte Hard Drive?

Installing a Terabyte Hard Drive is relatively simple. First, you will need to physically install the hard drive into your computer. Then, you will need to connect the hard drive to your computer using the appropriate cable. Finally, you will need to configure the hard drive using the appropriate software.

What is the difference between a terabyte hard drive and other types of hard drives?

A terabyte hard drive is the largest capacity hard drive currently available, but other types of hard drives still exist. Hard drives with capacities of 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and even 8TB are available.

0 ratings

About Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison is a writer and audio equipment enthusiast. He's particularly interested in home theater HiFi audio, and he has been the editor of The Audio Insights since its inception. Harlan is known for his sharp wit and scathing critiques, but he also has a great love of music and audio gear. When he's not writing or editing, Harlan can be found listening to music or watching movies with his wife.