Best External Hard Drives for Project Archiving
If you’re shopping for a this year, it helps to know what actually stands out.
We looked at reviews, specs, and overall performance to narrow it down.
Our top choice was clear.
1
WD 20TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 drive for plug-and-play storage - WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN
9.5
Amazon.com
2
SanDisk Professional 22TB G-Drive Project - External HDD, Thunderbolt 3, USB (10Gbps), 7200RPM Ultrastar Hard Drive, Up to 260MB/s Read - SDPHG1H-022T-NBAAD
9.1
Amazon.com
3
OWC ThunderBay 8 RAID 5 Edition 16TB 8-Bay External Drive w/Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports
8.7
Amazon.com
4
WD_BLACK 5TB P10 Game Drive, Portable External Hard Drive, Works with Playstation, Xbox, & PC - WDBA3A0050BBK-WESN
8.7
Amazon.com
5
SanDisk Professional 48TB G-RAID Project 2 - External Hard Drive HDD, Thunderbolt 3, USB (10Gbps), 7200RPM Ultrastar Hard Drive, Up to 540MB/s Read -...
8.7
Amazon.com
Top Pick
This is the product that stood out most — for performance, price, and overall value.
WD 20TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 drive for plug-and-play storage - WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN
$319.00
$349.99
PRIMEPRIME
in stock
Amazon.com
Features
| Part Number | WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN |
| Model | WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN |
| Warranty | 2 Year Limited Manufacture Warranty |
| Color | Black |
| Release Date | 2022-03-25T00:00:01Z |
| Size | 20TB |
| Format | Digital |
- High-capacity add-on storage.Compatibility : Windows 10 plus, Reformatting required for use with MacOS.
- Fast data transfers
- Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs
- WD quality inside and out
More Worth Considering
Here are the other options we recommend. Each brings something different to the table, depending on what you’re looking for.
WD 20TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 drive for plug-and-play storage - WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN
$319.00
$349.99
PRIMEPRIME
in stock
Amazon.com
Features
| Part Number | WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN |
| Model | WDBWLG0200HBK-NESN |
| Warranty | 2 Year Limited Manufacture Warranty |
| Color | Black |
| Release Date | 2022-03-25T00:00:01Z |
| Size | 20TB |
| Format | Digital |
- High-capacity add-on storage.Compatibility : Windows 10 plus, Reformatting required for use with MacOS.
- Fast data transfers
- Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs
- WD quality inside and out
SanDisk Professional 22TB G-Drive Project - External HDD, Thunderbolt 3, USB (10Gbps), 7200RPM Ultrastar Hard Drive, Up to 260MB/s Read - SDPHG1H-022T-NBAAD
$736.99
$849.99
PRIMEPRIME
in stock
Amazon.com
Features
| Part Number | SDPHG1H-022T-NBAAD |
| Model | SDPHG1H-022T-NBAAD |
| Warranty | 5 year limited manufacturer warranty |
| Color | Black |
| Release Date | 2023-08-14T00:00:01Z |
| Size | 22TB |
- Up to 22TB of space to back up and save your valuable project work. (1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.)
- Ultra-reliable 7200RPM Ultrastar enterprise-class hard drive inside for long-term storage and up to 260MB/s transfer speeds. (1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device & other factors.)
- PRO-BLADE SSD Mag slot (10Gbps) to easily add SSD capacity and performance for fast transfers, editing, and backup without adding to your workspace. (PRO-BLADE SSD Mag sold separately.)
- High-performance Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) interface and USB (10Gbps) compatibility.
- Color-coded cable indicators to connect the right cables and get the most out of your device performance.
SanDisk Professional 48TB G-RAID Project 2 - External Hard Drive HDD, Thunderbolt 3, USB (10Gbps), 7200RPM Ultrastar Hard Drive, Up to 540MB/s Read -...
in stock
Amazon.com
Features
| Part Number | SDPHK2H-048T-NBAAD |
| Model | SDPHK2H-048T-NBAAD |
| Warranty | 5 year limited warranty |
| Color | Space Grey |
| Release Date | 2024-11-04T00:00:01Z |
| Size | 48TB |
- Up to 48TB (1) of max capacity on two 7200RPM Ultrastar Enterprise-class hard drives inside
- Ships in RAID 0 for improved performance with transfer speeds up to 540MB/s read and 490MB/s write (2) (48TB only)
- PRO-BLADE SSD Mag slot to easily add SSD capacity and performance for fast transfers, editing, and backup without adding to your workspace.
- Color-coded cable indicators to connect the right cables and get the most out of your device performance.
- High-performance Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) interface and USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 (10Gbps)
WD_BLACK 5TB P10 Game Drive, Portable External Hard Drive, Works with Playstation, Xbox, & PC - WDBA3A0050BBK-WESN
$129.00
$149.99
PRIMEPRIME
in stock
Amazon.com
Features
| Part Number | WDBA3A0050BBK-WESN |
| Model | WDBA3A0050BBK-WESN |
| Warranty | 3-year manufacturer's limited warranty |
| Color | Black |
| Release Date | 2019-08-20T00:00:01Z |
| Size | 5TB |
| Language | English |
| Format | Digital |
- Up to 6TB[1] that can hold up to 150 games[3], so that you can save old favorites and still have room for new titles.
- Portable form factor with sleek metal top covering that provides fast access to your growing game library
- Speeds up to 130MB/s[2] to push your console or PC to new levels
- Compatible with Xbox Series X|S (play and store Xbox One games / archive Xbox Series X|S games) and PlayStation 5 (play and store PS4 games/archive PS5 games) consoles
- Premium HDD with 3-year limited warranty, purpose-built for gamers based on WD_BLACK quality and reliability
OWC ThunderBay 8 RAID 5 Edition 16TB 8-Bay External Drive w/Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports
$1,499.99
PRIMEPRIME
in stock
Amazon.com
Features
| Part Number | TB38SRT016 |
| Model | OWCTB38SRT016 |
| Color | RAID 5 HDD |
| Size | 16TB |
- Eight universal 2.5 or 3.5-inch SSDs/HDDs drive bays w/ Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports (Thunderbolt 2/Thunderbolt backward compatible)
- Daisy-chain six units together for up to 960TB of storage capacity or five additional Thunderbolt devices with second Thunderbolt 3 port
- Plug-and-play ready: no drivers needed and Includes Thunderbolt cable; Quick drive swaps: thumb screw release trays
- No drivers needed and includes Thunderbolt 3 cable
- Thunderbolt certified for Mac and Windows w/ Up to 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty
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