Best External Hard Drive

The Top 5 Best 1 Terabyte External Hard Drive Reviews

If you’re looking for the best 1 terabyte external hard drive, I have listed some of the best here to help you decide which one the best suits your needs.

We all know how important it is to backup our files, the most convenient way to do this is to have an external hard drive. In this case, it can be easily carried anywhere to copy and transfer all the data we need.

External hard drives have different shapes and sizes. Portable drives are smaller in size; it can be easily carried and doesn’t require a power adapter. On the other hand, desktop external hard drives are most commonly sat beside your PC and typically have a larger physical size.

What to look for the best external hard drive

Performance

Performance means how fast the drive can transfer data. Transfer speed usually determined by Megabyte per seconds (MBps), the higher MBps the better. Some offers a faster interface such as the USB 3.0, most commonly available are USB 2.0. It also includes how efficient the drive when transferring the data without having any errors.

Capacity

The capacity of a drive determines the size of storage it can handle in a single drive. Typical sizes are from 1 terabyte to 3 terabyte. As a rule of thumb, larger is better.

Features

Newer drives come in with more features to offer. Some of these are security features such as password protection for private usage. Some offers backup software for more secure data in case an accidental deletion occurs. The most important thing is the plug and play operation; this gives you the ease of usage.

Compatibility

Most external hard drives are compatible with Windows based OS. If you’re a Mac user, you should check first the compatibility issues before purchasing one.

Design

Some people care for the physical looks of the drives. The drive shape and size greatly affects its physical appearance. This includes the materials used as the whether a plastic or metal, it will also add to its sturdiness. Portable drives are small and lightweight, while desktop drives are bigger as well as heavier.

Warranty

Warranty secures our purchase of the drives. Some offers 1 year, others are 2-3 year. Choose the greater years of warranty if ever possible.

Price

Price would always be the most sensible in choosing the best external hard drive. If the price between the 1TB and 2TB is a few dollars apart, it is wiser for you to choose the larger drive for future expansion. We may want consider some of the features and reliability of the drive.

Western Digital WD Elements 1TB Review – The Best Selling External Hard Drive

If you’re looking for the best 1TB external hard drive, it’s time for to know the Western Digital WD Elements 1TB. A huge capacity of 1 Terabyte can handle up to 200,000 of photos or 250,000 songs of your choice. I’m sure disk space would never be a problem again, if not there’s a 2TB and 3TB version of this.

The looks

The WD Elements looks good in all black body with engraved “WD” on top of it. It comes in a small dimension of 5.3in x 6.5in x 1.9in with only 2.24 pounds. It has a rounded edge design for more elegant looks. It is made of a recyclable materials for eco friendly environment but, very sturdy built. At the back, you can see the standard USB connector and the rounded jack input from power adapter.

Opening the box, there’s a USB cable included, an AC adapter that powers at 100-240V with 50-60Hz. A quick install guide is easy to understand which is very handy for reference use and the WD Elements 1TB external drive itself. Everything you need is provided and you’re ready to go, all you have to do is to plug it! Overall, a great design with total quality you can expect from this drive.

Features

It supports the plug and play for your most convenient way of usage; you’ve got an additional storage at an instant. This provides a power saving mode, it turns on and off together with your computer. It automatically puts into idle mode when not in use. The WD Elements 1TB is perfectly compatible with any Windows based PC, this also can be formatted with Mac OS. But some customer’s reviews are claiming that, they won’t work on their Macs.

The WD Elements supports the USB 2.0 interface that can transfer up to 480 Mbps of maximum speed. Its supports the green environments making it cool and quiet drive with very low power consumption. This drive is back up with 1 year limited warranty for your additional peace of mind.

Conclusion

The WD Elements 1TB is a great performing drive, we all know the legacy behind the name Western Digital, and it’s the world leader hard drive maker. It comes in a very attractive price, making it available within the reach to anyone who needs it. One thing that I wish for this drive is, the extended year of warranty. Cool, quiet, dependable, energy saver and affordable, what else can we ask for with this fantastic drive? There’s no other reason why this is the best selling external hard drive in the market today. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

Western Digital Elements SE 1TB Review – The Most Portable Way To Store Your Data

The Western Digital WD Elements SE 1TB is almost the same as the WD Elements, but comes in a portable size. It has a small dimension of 5.1 x 3.1 x 0.6 inch at a very light weight of 1 pound. The good thing about the WD Elements SE 1TB is that, it don’t need a power adapter, in short this is a USB powered hard drive.

The WD Elements SE is made with a smaller 2.5 inch drive compare with the 3.5 inch counterpart for more portable design. You can enjoy the same as WD Elements with SE version specially the easy plug and play features. This includes the USB 2.0 cable, the Quick installation guide and the drive itself. This portable external hard drive is back up with 1 year limited warranty.

Conclusion

You can now store all your video, mp3′s and photo collections in a bigger disk space. With its compact design, makes it lightweight and you can take it anywhere conveniently. Back upping your files would never be this easy again. The price for the WD Elements 1TB SE at this point of time is $10 higher with the non SE version but, you can take full advantage of its portability. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

Iomega Prestige 1TB Review – A Good Looking Drive In A Durable Case Design

If a faster, durable and good looking in upright design is what you’re looking for the best 1 terabyte external hard drive, the Iomega Prestige 1TB is perfect for you. This is great for those enthusiasts who want to keep safe of their precious files of HD movies, mp3′s and pictures.

The Iomega Prestige is packed with 1TB of disk space, if it’s not enough for, there’s a 2TB version of this great drive. Disk space would not be you’re problem again with the Iomega Prestige. This drive is a perfect backup for Windows based PC, Macs and even laptops without any compatibility issues.

The Looks

The Iomega Prestige 1TB looks great in charcoal gray color. It has a sleek design in aluminum body construction. The hard body built makes it very durable, not only that, it serves as a heatsink to dissipate heat for a cooler drive. A hole constructed on both side for proper air ventilation that prevents it from heating during heavy usage.

It has a physical dimension of 4.4 x 6.1 x 8.9 inch and weights 2.8lbs, a bit bulky but it sits in upright position so that it doesn’t consume much space on your desk, unlike other drives that lies flat. The finish is absolutely beautiful in a brushed metal polish for additional looks. A power LED indicator is provided near the USB port.

Features

This drive supports the plug and play operation in Windows OS as well as with Macs. This includes Windows 2000, XP Home or Professional, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X and above. The Iomega Prestige external hard drive uses the standard USB 2.0 interface that runs at the speed of 480MBps. If you want an even faster speed you can use a FireWire800 or the eSATA connector, but sold separately.

The inclusion of 8MB cache adds more to its speed that reduces its latency for faster data access time. It comes with bundled software consist of Iomega protection suite, a 1 year free Trend Micro anti virus upon registration of the product online. A backup software is included to keep you’re your files safe, also an online backup service is provided.

An easy to read and understand user manual is included with a quick install guide which is very handy that serves as your reference. An AC power adapter is provided, everything you need is in here and you’re good to go in no time. The good thing about this drive is a 3 year limited warranty, unlike other competitors that gives only a 1 year.

Conclusion

This drive is perfect if you need a solid, fast as well as good looking external hard drive. An excellent back up not only for desktop PC bit also for notebooks. Having a back up drive is the easiest way to copy and transfer files anywhere you may wish to.

A 1TB disk space is perfect if you have a huge movie, mp3′s, pictures or software collections which needed to store in a safe place. If not so, there’s a 2TB version for this drive with addition of a few dollar. This is a bit expensive compare with other external drives but not in a big way. A 3 year warranty is an attractive offer from Iomega, proving it that it’s a very dependable product from them.

The only cons I see in this drive is that, I wish they include the FireWire800 and eSATA connector, so that you don’t need to buy it separately when you need it. Overall, a great external drive for your back up purpose, a worthy addition to your computer rig. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

Iomega Prestige 1TB Review – The Newer Version

The newer version of the Iomega Prestige 1TB also comes in a 3.5inch disk but this time a much improve design and performance. This drive is much faster in transferring data with a large file. It records a stunning 136MB/s in read and 98MB/s in write, making it one of the fastest external drive available. The newer support the USB 3.0 makes it even faster.

The looks

The new Iomega Prestige 1TB has better looks compare with the older version. This external drive shares the same exact dimension as the previous model with 4.4 x 6.1 x 8.9 inch and weights 2.8lbs but they differ in actual appearance. It is also made of brushed aluminum. A stand is provided to position it in either horizontal or vertical depending on your own preference.

An on/off switch is available at the back beside the power connector and a USB port. This drive supports the fanless design for a quieter operation but, without the holes unlike the older version. As a result, it is noticeably hotter during the operations within a few hours of usage, proper ventilation is recommended.

Features

The newer version of the Iomega Prestige 1TB has shares the same features. Most of the bundled software was provided with online subscriptions. This one has more advantage with the inclusion of the AES 256-bit hardware encryption for your data protection. A 3 year warranty is another good advantage for this drive, in contrast with its counterpart with only 1 year.

A fully compatible Windows based PC with 2000, XP pro, XP Home, Vista, 7 and Mac OS X above. It is preformatted for Windows but, it can also be formatted and use with Macs.

Conclusion

The newer version of Iomega Prestige 1TB has more advantage over the older one. A much faster data transfer with a USB 3.0 support shows a great improvement with this drive. An additional security is another good thing, this is very useful if you want a more protected data. The price point for this drive is cheaper than the older version. With all of these, the Iomega Prestige 1TB newer version is a much better choice. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

Western Digital My Book Essential Review – The Best Value External Hard Drive

If a faster, stylish and very affordable price is what you’re looking for, The Western Digital My Book Essential 1TB External Hard Drive is perfect for you. This drive is packed with features that you’ll surely love. Despite of its great performance, this drive is cool and has low power consumption for green environment.

The Looks

The WD My Book Essential 1TB looks good in all black color that sits in an upright position, it has a the advantage of being a space savvy. It has a physical dimension of 6.5 x 5.3 x 1.9 inch with only 2.6 pounds. A small LED indicator on the front that indicates the drive operations, below is the WD logo which is barely noticeable.

At the back is the push button power switch, a 2 USB port for 2.0/3.0 and a DC power connector. The WD My Book Essential is made of 3.5 inch caviar green hard drive therefore, you can enjoy the same great features of these drive. The Caviar Green model is design for cool and energy efficient that supports the eco friendly environment.

Features

The WD My Book Essential 1TB is a total plug and play hard drive for your maximum ease of usage; just plug it right off the bat and you’re good to go. It provides a dual USB port that supports both 2.0 and 3.0 interface. As we all know that, the USB 3.0 has the speed advantage that offers up to 3X faster bandwidth compare with 2.0. A password protection is added for your private security against unauthorized access.

A bundle of software is included, they call it the WD SmartWare that resides on the drive itself. This is a backup tool that is capable of scanning each folder or the entire hard disk for new or change files. This software will automatically backup your files whenever a change was created. You’re still in full control of this, if you wish not to use it, you can do so.

The My Book Essential is preformatted in NTFS which is compatible to Windows based PC such as Windows XP, Home, Vista and 7. This can be formatted and use with Macs. A quick install guide is provided for your reference and a USB cable, this also includes the AC adapter.

As I mentioned before, this drive is an eco friendly, the WD GreenPower technology can saves you energy up to 30% that cuts off to your electric bill. The power saving features puts the drive into sleep mode during idle and automatically turns on/off simultaneously with your PC.
The WD My Book Essential performs well in read and write operation despite it is design for energy saving. It records a 148.8MBps in read and 98.4MBps in write during a large file transfer. These results are a very impressive, beating the Iomega Prestige.

Conclusion

Considering all of its features and performance, the WD My Book Essential 1TB is proves to be one of the best external hard drives up to date. You can now store all your precious files in a huge disk space, if this isn’t enough for you, there’s a 2TB and 3TB version of this great drive with a few dollar additional.

A fast drive that automatically creates backup, cool, eco friendly, energy saver and plug and play are among the best features for this drives. This is also great if you want to plug it to your TV to watch your favorite HD movies on widescreen using the USB cable.
With so much goodness in this drive, the price range for this is unbelievable. It is the lowest price drive inline, making it an excellent choice of 1 Terabyte external hard drive. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!