If your storage needs aren’t so robust, you should glance at our general list of the best external hard drives. They vary in storage size, speed, and warranty, but you’re sure to find what you need. Otherwise, read on to see the best 8TB external hard drives. Mainstream hard drives of 8TB capacity generally can’t fit into a very portable size, but the WD My Book is still a fairly compact unit that houses a 3.5-inch hard disk drive (HDD). It’s meant to stand upright and fit right in on a desktop, measuring 6.7 inches tall, 1.9 inches wide, and 5.5 inches deep. It also has to be plugged into the wall with a power adapter, so it’s not the easiest to tote around to different places. In terms of performance, the My Book transfers files as fast as any comparable hard drives today through its single USB 3.0 port (USB 2.0 compatible). If you’re looking for a quick and easy backup process, it comes with WD Backup software for Windows and is compatible with Time Machine for Macs. WD Security software is included, too, along with a nice three-year warranty for extra peace of mind. File transfers to and from the 3.5-inch HDD are quick, with a listed max speed of 160 MB/s. It doesn’t boast the fastest speeds out there, but it’s fast enough to get the job done. Some users reported it generating worrying noises and some heat, which doesn’t necessarily mean any trouble. If do you have any issues, though, a one-year warranty is included. In its main function as a hard drive, you can count on the Backup Plus Hub to provide dependable storage and quick transfer speeds. It comes pre-formatted for Windows, but after you format it for Mac, you can use it interchangeably with both types of operating systems. Seagate backup software is included, along with a two-month free membership to Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography Plan so you can try out Photoshop and Lightroom photo services. The My Book Duo can also be switched to a RAID 1 setup, which “mirrors” data across the two drives. You’ll effectively only get 4TB of space, but the redundancy gives you extra reliability in case one copy or hard drive fails. You can also go with a JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) setup and simply use them as two individual 4TB hard drives. Helping give the My Book Duo high transfer speeds and impressive connectivity are its flexible input options. It features a USB Type-C port that’s compatible with the speedy USB 3.1 Gen 1 standard as well as USB 3.0 and 2.0, and it comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable plus a USB-C to USB-A cable. There are two standard USB 3.0 Type-A ports that let the device serve as a hub. The app lets you easily search through your content and stream videos from your drive. You can also upload files to the drive remotely and automatically back up / sync your phones, tablets, or laptops. Being online means that sharing content is easy, too, but on the flip side, you can create separate private spaces on the drive for each person in your household. The My Cloud Home plugs directly into your Wi-Fi router through a Gigabit Ethernet port, so you don’t have worry about losing wireless connection. Next to the Ethernet port on the back is a USB 3.0 port for wired file transfers. If you need extra performance or reliability, there’s an 8TB My Cloud Home Duo version of the product available, with dual HDDs set up in a RAID 1 mirror configuration by default. Adding 8TB of storage should tide you over for years and years to come (and it’s the highest-capacity drive a PS4 can support). You can store 200 full games, depending of course on the file size of each one. A faster hard drive means shorter load times, but the difference isn’t significant enough for speed to be a huge factor. The Avolusion HDDGear’s 7200-RPM hard disk is more than fast enough to get you back in the game, and its angular design will fit right in with your gaming setup. The other part of the hard drive’s name highlights its two Thunderbolt 3 ports, which, along with a USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2) port, allows for a lot of flexibility in the media you can connect. You can even use Thunderbolt 3 to daisy-chain up to five other devices through a single connection. But the G-RAID’s biggest differentiator for media pros may be its HDMI port, a rare feature for dedicated hard drives. The HDMI connection can support all sorts of video output, from Full HD to high-definition 4K content with High-Dynamic Range (HDR). Among its features include the ability to configure RAID 0/1 with the built-in wizard, a self-encrypting password system, and a complimentary one month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud. Even better, the hard drive comes with a three year warranty, including data recovery services should something go wrong. Jordan Oloman is a Newcastle-based tech writer whose work has appeared in PC Gamer, TechRadar, Eurogamer, IGN, GamesRadar, and many other publications.
