No matter how large the built-in storage of a desktop or laptop may seem, sooner or later every user runs out of space. What can we say when you work professionally with photography, graphics, or video editing. Therefore, a fast and voluminous external drive in this case is never a luxury, but an essential item. With this in mind, we have compiled five external HDDs that boast compact dimensions, high data transfer rates (thanks to USB 3.0), and a serious volume of 4 – 5 TB. Here we are going to discuss the best 5TB external hard drives for video editing, gaming, photographers, etc with some 4TB options.
Best 4tb External Hard Drive
Silicon Power Armor A85 2.5 4 TB
As the name suggests, Armor, the main feature of this drive is its three-layer armor. It includes a built-in suspension and rubber rim cover, as well as a durable aluminum shroud to protect against external impacts. Thanks to this, the flask-like Power Armor A85 is able to withstand external pressures of up to 500 kg and safely survive falls from a height of 1 meter. In addition, the textured surface is resistant to scratches, stains, and dirt. Considering the low price, such protection will be a bonus for those who travel frequently and are not ready to risk the safety of data while transporting the disc.
The length of the cable included is 45 cm. On the one hand, a longer cable may interfere and twist on the table, on the other, the length from the table to the back of the PC may not be enough. On the other hand, the A85 is equipped with a rubber strip, with which cables can be attached to its side surface. Such mounts are a hundred years old at lunchtime, but for the sake of thin and stylish cases, they are now much less common than before.
The drive itself works over the USB of the third version and is compatible with USB 2.0. It boasts a spindle speed of 5400 rpm and shows good maximum sequential read and write data at 118 and 117 MB / s, respectively. Traditionally, the set includes a set of software: SP Widget for encryption and backup of files and HDD Lock Utility for setting a password.
A-Data DashDrive Durable HD330 2.5 4 TB
The protected hard drive A-Data DashDrive Durable HD330 looks pretty nice: in fact, it is just a small black box made of glossy plastic, which is enclosed in a colored shell made of dense silicone to protect the drive from external influences. At the top, the shell is made in the form of the number 0, at the bottom – in the form of the number 8. This combination resembles some kind of sports car of the 70s.
As for protection, according to the passport, the disk is simply protected, but we are not talking about compliance with military standards. But an interesting and useful feature is the shock sensor, which, in the event of a fall or shock, parks the disk heads (that is, turns it off), and when the danger has passed, turns the disk back on. Plus, despite the dense protective casing, the drive turned out to be quite thin – only 23 mm. Usually protected HDDs are denser.
The basis of the HD330 is a 2.5 format hard drive with a spindle speed of 5400 rpm and a total volume of 4 TB. The drive is equipped with a modern USB 3.1 Gen2 interface for high speed data transfer, which is compatible with earlier USB standards. Synthetic tests showed that the drive is capable of delivering the following figures: 116 MB / s sequential read and 112 MB / s sequential data write. This is the average temperature in the ward.
On the whole, in terms of price, volume and quality, the HD330 is a very successful model, and the protected case can be regarded as a pleasant bonus. The only drawback is the overly delicate glossy surface, which quickly becomes covered with scratches. Luckily, there is a carrying case included.
A-Data HV320 4 TB
Two directions dominate in the assortment of external HDDs by A-Data – slim, stylish models and protected drives. The new A-Data HV320, presented at the end of 2018, belongs to the first category. This is a stylish and extremely thin disc (only 19 mm) that can hold tons of information and will not create problems when carrying it in a bag, backpack, or jacket pocket. In terms of dimensions, it is slightly shorter and slightly thicker than the new one.
The A-Data HV320 connects to a computer using a USB port of the third version (and is compatible with USB 2.0). The length of the cable in the kit is about 30 cm – this will be enough for use with a laptop, but when connected to a PC it can cause inconvenience. The 4 TB hard drive itself has a spindle speed of 5400 rpm and demonstrates excellent speed performance – 149 and 153 MB / s in sequential read and write.
Despite belonging to the class of “stylish, fashionable, youth”, the A-Data HV320 is not without protection. Firstly, the manufacturer has equipped the device with a shock and vibration protection sensor, which, if accidentally dropped or hit, instantly puts the disk into sleep mode. Secondly, the drive supports the AES 256 encryption standard, which will help protect information from prying eyes. We will also add to the list a set of utilities HDDtoGO for backup, archiving, backup and data encryption. The software is not the most convenient, the localization is clumsy here, but it does its job.
Best 5tb External Hard Drive
Seagate Backup Plus Portable 2019 5 TB
Seagate brought three updated lines of external hard drives at CES in 2019 . A common feature of all new models is a new airy and slightly glamorous design, with the expectation that this is not just a gadget, but also an accessory. Among them is the new 5 TB Backup Plus Portable.
The top cover made of brushed aluminum gives the drive a pleasant appearance. The surface is quite practical: prints on the body of the carrier are almost invisible, although there are questions about how much it will be scratched. A carrying case would be useful here. In turn, the lower part of the novelty is made of durable ABS-plastic, which does not care about scratches.
The thickness of the Seagate Backup Plus Portable 2019 is 2 cm, slightly more than last year’s model. The explanation is very simple: the manufacturer had to increase the thickness of the disk to 15 mm in order to fit five 1 terabyte platters in it. The Seagate Backup Plus Portable 2019 runs quietly and quickly, with little to no heat and a classic design. The drive is connected to a computer or laptop via a USB 3.0 cable and provides a high average data transfer rate of 140 MB / s. When connected via USB of the second version, the speed ceiling will rest somewhere in 45 MB / s.
Traditionally, the disk is equipped with proprietary software from Seagate, which allows you to optimize the process of archiving and backing up data, as well as set up time windows for automatic backups. For those who value maximum security, you can enable automatic copying of the same data to the cloud storage from Seagate (4 GB). Well, hardware data encryption will not be superfluous to protect information on the disk from prying eyes. In addition, the disc includes a three-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, which gives access to all Adobe products, and a one-year subscription to the Mylio photo archiving service. A trifle, but nice.
LaCie Mobile Drive 5 TB
The Seagate brand has a subsidiary company LaCie, which specializes in the production of sophisticated and stylish premium HDDs. Their products often boast features like the Thunderbolt, a Porsche design, and are expensive. There is even a joke among photographers that every professional sooner or later ends up spending money on LaCie .
Externally, the new LaCie Mobile Drive is designed to work in conjunction with Apple technology . The sturdy aluminum body has been given an original faceted shape, and the color is matched to the new MacBooks. The Apple analogy continues, as LaCie products are designed primarily with the iMac and MacBook in mind . These HDDs support Apple’s Thunderbolt data transfer standard and can be easily integrated into Apple’s own Time Machine backup application. Of course, LaCie Mobile Drive is compatible with Windows, but the integration is not as deep there.
As for the 5 TB drive itself, its average speed in the read and write benchmarks is 125 MB / s. This is a decent figure, which is enough to, for example, edit video in FinalCut directly from the hard drive. On the other hand, similar results are shown by most modern external hard drives with drives spinning at 5400 rpm. Therefore, if you are not an Apple fan, you can safely look for a drive with similar characteristics and without Thunderbolt at a much more pleasant price.
