TOP 20 best hard drives: 2021 reliability rating and which one to choose for a gaming PC

Important files and programs are stored on hard drives (hard drives).
They come in internal (HDD) and external (SSD), gaming and with different amounts of memory. The first ones are used inside the system unit of a PC or laptop.

The latter are connected via a USB connector and are more like a memory card.

You can transfer impressive amounts of information from your computer to external devices and store them securely.

This rating contains the best hard drive models for 2021 in terms of price/quality ratio.

At the same time, we took into account the opinion of experts, customer reviews and the popularity of manufacturing companies. Each device is accompanied by a brief description, technical characteristics, its advantages and disadvantages.

Rating of the TOP 20 best hard drives of 2021

How to choose a hard drive?

When choosing a hard drive, IT workers advise paying attention to the following factors:

• Internal hard drive size . For a laptop, 2.5 inches will be enough, for a system unit - 3.5 inches. If the data is indicated in millimeters, then the first 2 digits are the length, and the last 2 are the width.
• Connection interface . This includes both the physical connector and the data transfer method. The connection standard is SATA interface. They come in the following types: SATA 1, SATA 2 and SATA 3. The difference between them is the loading speed. The first option is considered the slowest (for example, for downloading movies), the third is high-speed. The USB interface is most often used to connect external drives. There are also 3 versions here: USB 2, USB 3.0 and USB 3.2. The last option is characterized by the highest throughput.
• Data transfer rate. If the product label indicates 5400 rpm, the device will operate slower and therefore less noisy. At 7200 rpm per minute the device guarantees faster rotation, but with more noise.
• Memory . For HDD drives, the memory capacity ranges from 500 GB to 10 TB, for external drives - from 128 GB to 2 TB. Prices for a hard drive with a capacity of up to 2 TB are almost the same, so there is no point in buying a 500 GB HDD if you can buy a drive with 2 TB of memory for the same money.
• Noise level . The optimal indicator for a laptop is up to 26 dB.
• Input and output operations (in 1 second) . Modern hard drives perform up to 100 operations per second at 7200 rpm.
• Data transfer rate. The recommended rate for an internal drive is about 70-100 MB per second, for external drives - 150-200 MB per second.

These are the most important parameters when choosing an internal or external drive.

Best 2.5-inch HDD

2.5-inch hard drives have a big advantage: they operate without an external power source , which is why they are also called mobile hard drives. Just plug it into your PC or laptop and they're ready to go - drawing the power they need from your computer's USB port.

Most of them require a lot of space, especially for digital music, vacation photos, and perhaps a video collection as well. From time to time, you'd like to take files with you to friends' houses without lugging around a huge hard drive enclosure and power supply.

Plus, you don't want to wait forever for large or many files to be copied from your computer to your hard drive or vice versa. When it comes to external storage media, most people want a good combination of the highest possible, inexpensive storage capacity with the highest possible transfer speed and portability.

Test Winner: Toshiba Canvio Ready

With a balanced price/performance ratio and very good write and read speeds, Toshiba's Canvio Ready is an easy purchase.

Our previous favorite, the Toshiba Canvio Advance, handled all of its tasks very well. With Toshiba's product portfolio refreshed, we took a look at the new hard drives and again we found a leader. Our new test winner is now called Toshiba Canvio Ready and is available in one, two and four terabyte versions.

If a terabyte seems too small for you, you can immediately upgrade to the four terabyte version for a balanced 8,000 rubles. This also reduces the price per gigabyte.

At full speed

While our former test winner was already equipped with the USB 3.0 standard, the Canvio Ready supports the USB 3.2 Gen1 standard. As always, a hard drive can also be used on older computers with a USB port. For maximum speed, a modern connection must be available.

For a regular HDD, Toshiba Canvio Ready gives very good results with speeds of 145.12 MB/s for reading and 138.47 MB/s for writing. If you need to frequently copy a lot of data, this model is ideal for such tasks. Many of the competitors can't come close, making the winner the best choice for easy file transport and storage.

No additional services

To achieve the best transfer speeds, the USB connection on your computer must also comply with the USB 3.2 Gen1 standard. This can no longer be recognized by just the blue color of the USB connector, you need to look into the technical details of your computer. Even the USB cable now needs to be checked for compliance with the standard. Therefore, it is best to use the one included in the kit.

Toshiba ships the Canvio Ready only with a user manual saved as a PDF file on your hard drive. If you need more software, you'll have to resort to the new, but not as fast, Toshiba Canvio Advance, which includes password protection and backup software.

You will have to resort to other solutions if your own hard drive needs to be encrypted or password protected. You should also get a backup program yourself.

In any case, important files should never be trusted to just one storage medium, since hard drives can fail at any time, regardless of encryption. If you only use a USB hard drive for backup purposes, and you also store those files on the internal hard drive of your PC or laptop, you're relatively safe. It is unlikely that both vaults will be damaged at the same time.

Maxtor M3 Portable is a good alternative

If affordable price is important when choosing a 2.5-inch external hard drive, the Maxtor M3 Portable is a good choice.

The name speaks for itself because this 2.5-inch hard drive is compact in size and very lightweight. Despite the low price, the manufacturer included data encryption software.

When it comes to looks, the M3 Portable can't compare to the classic paint finish our winner received, but it does have its own distinct aesthetic.

Data transfer speed (122.54 MB/s read, 117.05 MB/s write) is fine. These values ​​are not close to the test winner, but are still sufficient for everyday use. Read and write access times are higher than the test winner, but we are still in the millisecond range.

On the other hand, the price of the M3 Portable disk is very low (about 7,500 rubles for 4 TB). Maxtor M3 Portable is also available in several sizes - one, two and four terabytes.

Transcend StoreJet 25M3 – reliable external HDD

We recommend the Transcend StoreJet 25M3 if you know you'll often need to take an external hard drive on trips and want to count on the drive to stand up to rough handling.

The manufacturer has equipped the 2.5-inch plate with a protective silicone case that is non-slip and shock-resistant, which guarantees reliable protection in case of an accidental fall. Additionally, this model offers the ability to start a backup at the touch of a button without having to switch to software. A three-year warranty is provided.

The manufacturer also provides software for encryption, backup or data recovery.

However, the data transfer speed could be a little higher because the read speed is only 112.48 MB/s and the write speed is even lower at 108.98 MB/s. Considering the durable and safe body, as well as the three-year warranty on the Transcend StoreJet 25M3, this is acceptable.

Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim – compact and lightweight

Do you travel a lot and therefore want to take only the lightest luggage with you? Then the technology should not weigh much and take up a lot of space - both properties apply to Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim .

The Seagate weighs 136 grams, making it the lightest and thinnest hard drive (just one centimeter) in the test. But at the same time it retains a very high quality and noble appearance.

The package also includes software to encrypt all data on the drive or just individual folders.

The serial data transfer speed is fairly balanced, but not as high as the test winner - it is definitely enough for everyday use. The test shows that the device lasts slightly longer than competitors, especially when copying files of different sizes and types. A compromise that can be accepted, provided that lightness and slim design are important to you.

TOP 2 best gaming hard drives

Gaming hard drives have higher read/write speeds (compared to regular ones) and an impressive amount of memory. Here are the most current models.

Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM010

The Seagate Barracuda 1 TB ST1000DM010 gaming hard drive combines capacity, reliability and cost, accessible to every gamer and not only.
With this drive, files will load much faster than usual, allowing you to download as much as the player wants (within reason, of course).

The model is designed for a desktop computer and is installed directly inside the system unit.

The buffer memory capacity is 64 MB. The rotation speed is 7200 rpm. The average access time when reading is 8.5 ms, when writing data - 9.5 ms. The maximum operating temperature should not exceed 60 degrees above zero.

Disc weight - 400 grams.

The estimated service life of the device is 5 years.

Specifications:

• memory capacity - 1000 GB;
• speed of writing and reading information - 156 MB/s;
• interface - SATA 6 Gbit/s;
• noise level - 24 dB.

pros

Fast data read/write mode.

Disk capacity.

Quiet operation.

Budget price.

Minuses

Unreliable packaging (does not protect against mechanical damage in transit).

From time to time we encounter defective products.

Western Digital WD Purple 1 TB WD10PURZ

An internal hard drive with 1 TB of memory is suitable not only for downloading games, but also for video surveillance systems.
The built-in AllFrame technology efficiently processes ATA protocol streaming data, minimizing the number of possible errors. This has a positive effect on image quality.

Another technology used is “TLER,” which reduces the likelihood of RAID storage array downtime.

Therefore, error correction occurs at the most convenient time (when there is no system overload).

The device consumes a minimal amount of electricity and has a low noise level.

Thanks to the “IntelliPower” option, the device adjusts the balance between spindle speed, speed of information transfer and caching algorithms, allowing you to achieve a high level of performance.

Specifications:

• capacity - 1000 GB;
• speed of writing and reading information - 110 MB/s;
• rotation intensity - 5400 rpm;
• Buffer memory capacity - 64 MB;
• noise level - 22 dB.

pros

Performance.

Quiet operation.

Long service life.

Acceptable price.

Minuses

Poor quality packaging of the product (may cause damage to the device).

Sometimes it gets hot.

WD Red WD80EFAX 8 TB

• Manufacturer code: WD80EFAX
• HDD capacity: 8 TB
• Cache capacity: 256 MB
• Spindle speed: 5400 rpm
• Maximum transfer speed: 210 MB/s
• Interface: SATA III
• Hybrid SSD buffer: no
• Helium filling: yes

The eight-terabyte Western Digital Red hard drive labeled WD80EFAX is the first drive in today's selection to use helium filling. As practice has shown, over a period of about several years, HDDs of this type are very reliable, but as for survivability in the long term, there is not enough information yet. However, industry experts agree that high-quality sealing of the case will allow such solutions to be no less reliable than hard drives with an air environment. In turn, it is also unprofitable for manufacturers to make helium drives unreliable - they can undermine their reputation for years, which is already far from ideal due to the recent scandal with tiled recording found in some models from both WD and Seagate. It makes sense to treat helium disks with a certain amount of caution and make backups of important information stored on them, but you should not completely refuse to purchase them. By the way, there is also a helium-free version of the eight-terabyte WD Red, but it is difficult to find on sale.