The Best External Hard Drives in Canada

Running out of storage on your computer or game console is a common issue. Over time, you can find your devices filled to the brim with games, photos, videos, and other important documents. The solution to this problem is an external hard drive. You can store your important data on these devices, which frees up space on your computer or console. However, knowing which external hard drive to buy can be a hard task. That’s why we’ve created this buying to list the best external hard drives in Canada.

Storage Capacity: This is arguably the most important consideration when buying an external hard drive. External hard drives usually come with either 1tb (terabyte), 2tb, 4tb, 8tb, or 10tb of storage capacity. To help narrow down how many terabytes you’ll need, consider how much data you want to transfer. If you have lots of data, then you should consider getting an 8tb or 10tb external hard drive. If you only have a small amount of material to transfer, then you can go with a 1tb or 2tb drive.

Transfer Speed: This refers to how fast the external hard drive can transfer your data from your device. A typical hard drive is rated at 5,400 revolutions per minute (rpm). This is considered a sufficient speed rating, but there are faster models out there. A key thing to look for is data throughput measurements. This is how fast data can be transferred from your computer to the external hard drive. It’s measured in gigabytes per second (gbs). While brand typically don’t list this measurement on their product pages, you can find them on customer reviews or on Reddit pages.

Connectivity is another factor that impacts transfer speeds. Most external hard drives use USB interfaces to connect to your device. USB 2.0 is the previous standard used. The new interfaces are USB 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2. While USB 2.0 still have acceptable transfer rates, it is much slower when compared to the new USB interfaces. They can transfer large files quickly, with USB 3.2 being the fastest.

Security: If you want to store personal data, like tax forms, on your external hard drive, then you should consider one that has encryption software. This will prevent your drive from being hacked. Some drives allow you to set up a password/pin code. Others have strong casings to prevent physical tampering.

Portability: For some people, portability is an important factor when choosing an external hard drive. This might be because they need to take it to work, or they just like the fact that they can easily move/transport the drive. If portability is important to you, consider buying thinner and smaller external hard drives. Some of these models can even fit into your pocket.

Note: Every external hard drive can fail, no matter how reliable people claim it to be. Therefore, it is not a good ides to rely on a single drive to hold your data. If the drive crashes, you will lose all of the content stored on it. We recommend, if possible, you use two ore more external hard drives to store your data. That way, one serves as a backup in case the primary drive breaks. We also suggest you purchase a warranty with your external hard drive. This will help cover the cost of retrieving lost data or replacing/repairing the drive.

For this buying guide, we spent over eight hours researching various external hard drive brands. We only considered products rated four or more stars. Our team read multiple external hard drive reviews to get a sense of what consumers look for in good external hard drives. Lastly, we consulted various resources when we needed additional information.

What is an external hard drive used for, and is it worth buying one?

External hard drives serve as an extra storage space for your computer or console. With them, you can store several gigabytes worth of material, such as movies, music, and photos. If you happen to run out of room on your computer or console, then it is definitely worth buying an external hard drive. Even if you have plenty of room on your device, external hard drives are great back ups for your data in case your device breaks.

What is the average price of an external hard drive?

The average price for Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, and Western Digital external hard drives range from $100-300. This is dependent on the storage capacity. External hard drives with 1-4tb of storage will cost less. Those with 6tb or more will have a higher price.

Budget options will average $40-70 in price.

Which is better, HDD or SSD?

You may have noticed these two terms pop up on product sites or in external hard drive reviews. In fact, most of the picks in this buying are HDD external hard drives. But you may be asking yourself, which one is better, SSD or HDD? Before we answer that question, let us take a look at the similarities and differences between the two.

HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive, and SSD stands for Solid State Drive. Both are used in PCs and consoles for storage. HDD is the traditional storage device. It uses mechanical platters and a moving read/write head to transfer data. SSDs do not have any moving parts inside. Instead, these drives use memory chips to access and store data. Because HDDs have moving mechanical parts, they tend to be slower at reading and transferring data. They are also more fragile. SSDs are faster/more durable thanks to the memory chip. However, HDDs usually have longer lifespans and are more affordable.

So that brings us back to the question, which one is better? For copying and moving large files like movies or games, SSDs are the clear choice. They are much faster than HDDs in this process. According to Avast, it takes an SSD around 10 seconds to copy a 20gb movie. An HDD could take at least two minutes to copy that same movie. SSDs are also the better option for running games. While they won’t make your games run faster (at least not noticeably), SSDs will increase the game’s load time.

Based on all this information, it may seem like SSD is the way to go. Their efficiency makes them an appealing option over HDDs. However, if you’re looking for an affordable way to store your files, then HDDs are the perfect option for you. In comparison to SSDs, they tend to have lower prices. With that being said, the price for SSDs has fallen in recent years, meaning they soon could be the standard storage device for PCs and consoles. But again, it comes down to your needs and personal preference when choosing between SSDs and HDDs.

Why do external hard drives fail, and what should I do if it happens?

There is always the chance an external hard drive will fail. The causes of external hard drive failure can vary. The drive can experience technical issues like hardware corruption, power surges, or mechanical failure. External hard drives can also fail due to water damage or by simply overheating. Human error is another cause. If you don’t treat your external hard drive with care (e.g., you drop it often), then there is a greater chance it will fail. Lastly, an external hard drive may have a defect present from manufacturing.

According to Secure Data Recovery, here are some common symptoms of external hard drive failure that you should watch for:

• The drive fails to mount or is not recognized by your device.
• The drive makes loud/unusual noises while running.
• Files or folders disappear.
• Files corrupt.
• Extremely slow drive access times.

If you notice any of these symptoms, the first step to take is shutting the drive down to prevent any media damage. You can then contact the drive’s manufacturer or an experienced data recovery specialist. Another option is to run data recovery software to restore your missing files. However, this is not recommended if the external hard drive is physically damaged.

Where can I buy an external hard drive?

In Canada, you can buy external hard drives at Best Buy, The Source, and other technology stores. Amazon has plenty of external hard drives for sale.

Which is better, Western Digital or Seagate?

Western Digital and Seagate are the two main manufacturers of external hard drives. There is plenty of debate online about which company makes the better product. It can be hard to tell which company makes the better external hard drive. You will find people who go with Seagate products no matter what. But you will also meet people who remain loyal to Western Digital.

According to Theo Lucia, chief editor at Recoverit, there is no clear answer as to which company makes the better external hard drive. Each brand’s products excel in different categories. In terms of reliability, Western Digital external hard drives are preferred by most people over Seagate drives. In the past, Seagate made some drives that were unstable and had short lifespans. Even though these issues were fixed, Seagate still carries a reputation of making unreliable external hard drives. Other than that, Seagate and Western Digital hard drives are almost equal in terms of transfer speeds and storage capacity.

In the end, the answer to this question is based on the needs of the user and their personal experiences with each company. We recommend that you research several Western Digital and Seagate external hard drives to see which one works best for you.