External HDD & SSD
External Hard Drives and SSDs
148 portable drives from Adata, WD, Silicon Power, Seagate, Kingston, Patriot and SanDisk. For backups, file transfer and extra space on laptops and consoles.
- Adata 38 · WD 39 · Silicon Power 27 · Seagate, Kingston, Patriot, SanDisk
- Portable mechanical drives and portable SSDs
- USB connection — they work with no installation, on computers and consoles
- 93 products with a 36-month and 18 with a 60-month warranty
Portable SSD or mechanical?
Portable SSD — the size of a matchbox, no moving parts, far faster and far more resistant to being dropped. The right choice if you carry it daily or work directly from it with video and photographs.
Portable mechanical drive — many times the capacity for the same money. The sensible choice for backups that live in a drawer or on a shelf, where speed is not the point.
What to check about the connection
The speed of a portable SSD is limited by the port you connect it to. If your computer has an older USB port, a very fast drive will not deliver what it promises — check what your machine supports before paying for speed it can never reach.
Watch the cable too: if you lose the original and use a cheap charge-only cable, the drive will either not be recognised or will run at minimum speed.
How to keep backups properly
An external drive is the first step, not the solution. The rule that works: important data on at least two devices, and at least one copy in a different place from the original. A theft, a power surge or damage at home can take both if they sit on the same table.
For consoles: external drives are a cheap way to keep a large game library, but some titles on newer consoles will not run from external USB and require internal expansion.
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Frequently asked questions
- Does it work without installation?
- Yes, it connects by USB and is recognised immediately. In some cases you may need to format it for your operating system.
- Why does it not reach the advertised speed?
- Usually because the computer port is of an older generation, or because you are using a cable without high-speed data support.
- Can I play games from an external drive?
- In many cases yes, but titles on the newest consoles often require internal expansion and will not run from external USB.
- SSD or mechanical for backups?
- Mechanical, if capacity per euro is the criterion. SSD, if you carry it constantly or work directly from it.
- Is one external drive enough for safety?
- No. Keep anything important on at least two devices, and ideally one copy elsewhere.
An external drive is the cheapest insurance for anything that cannot be recreated. If you already have an old internal drive, see the drive enclosures and build your own.