External portable drives remain one of the most practical — and fastest — ways to move, back up, and archive large volumes of data, and our hands-on testing confirms that the current crop of external SSDs and HDDs gives buyers choices that span blistering performance, rock-solid value, and everyday convenience.
External USB/Thunderbolt SSDs and hard drives (often called direct-attached storage or DAS) still play essential roles in modern workflows. Local storage is the fastest way to move multi-terabyte datasets between locations, restore backups, or hand off a project to a collaborator, delivering gigabytes-per-second of throughput in situations where networks are measured in megabytes per second. That raw advantage is exactly why photographers, video editors, system builders, and IT pros still rely on portable SSDs and external HDDs even as cloud services become ubiquitous.
The testing setup used to evaluate the drives in this roundup was a high-end Windows 11 test bench that reflects modern desktop hardware and interfaces. Synthetic benchmarks (CrystalDiskMark, AS SSD, ATTO) were used to measure potential peak performance, and real‑world transfers (Windows Explorer drag-and-drop and FastCopy) were used to demonstrate what users actually experience on Windows. Drives were tested on freshly TRIM’d NTFS-formatted volumes and results are specific to the tested capacity — a critical caveat because SSD speed frequently varies by capacity and firmware revision.
Caveats to bear in mind when reading the numbers:
Source: PCWorld We tested a bunch of external drives, and these 9 are our favorites
Background
External USB/Thunderbolt SSDs and hard drives (often called direct-attached storage or DAS) still play essential roles in modern workflows. Local storage is the fastest way to move multi-terabyte datasets between locations, restore backups, or hand off a project to a collaborator, delivering gigabytes-per-second of throughput in situations where networks are measured in megabytes per second. That raw advantage is exactly why photographers, video editors, system builders, and IT pros still rely on portable SSDs and external HDDs even as cloud services become ubiquitous.The testing setup used to evaluate the drives in this roundup was a high-end Windows 11 test bench that reflects modern desktop hardware and interfaces. Synthetic benchmarks (CrystalDiskMark, AS SSD, ATTO) were used to measure potential peak performance, and real‑world transfers (Windows Explorer drag-and-drop and FastCopy) were used to demonstrate what users actually experience on Windows. Drives were tested on freshly TRIM’d NTFS-formatted volumes and results are specific to the tested capacity — a critical caveat because SSD speed frequently varies by capacity and firmware revision.
Why local DAS still matters
- Raw throughput: Modern NVMe-based external SSDs can saturate 10Gbps, 20Gbps, or 40Gbps interfaces, delivering multi-gigabyte-per-second sequential transfers that a standard home LAN simply cannot match.
- Predictable latency and reliability: Restores and full-disk backups are far more predictable and often much faster from a local medium than from cloud-based download speeds subject to ISP throttling, congestion, or provider rate limits.
- Privacy and control: On-prem storage avoids sharing sensitive data with third parties and simplifies compliance processes for certain workflows.
Overview of interfaces, speeds, and compatibility
Choosing the right connector and interface is the single most important decision when buying an external drive, because the interface defines the realistic ceiling for performance.USB and Thunderbolt: what the numbers mean
- USB 3.x (USB 3.2 family): nominal marketing tiers include USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and USB 20Gbps (the latter is USB 3.2 Gen 2×2). These distinctions are defined by the USB Implementers Forum’s 3.2 specification and widely documented by industry press — important because vendors sometimes use confusing labeling. (usb.org, tomshardware.com)
- USB4: in practice USB4 can deliver up to 40 Gbps today depending on implementation; some future USB4 revisions and vendor implementations will push higher. The USB-IF and vendor implementations are not uniform, so USB4 compatibility and maximum throughput can vary in practice. (tidbits.com)
- Thunderbolt 4/5: Thunderbolt 4 provides a 40 Gbps baseline, while Thunderbolt 5 raises symmetric throughput to 80 Gbps and, in a bandwidth boost mode, can push one direction to 120 Gbps for display‑heavy or specialized workloads. Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 spec and contemporary coverage both confirm these numbers and the compatibility story with USB4. (newsroom.intel.com, tomshardware.com)
How we tested — methodology recap and what it means for readers
The test bench used Windows 11 (24H2) and a modern PCIe NVMe boot drive. Synthetic benchmarks (CrystalDiskMark 8, AS SSD 2, ATTO 4) were run to measure the theoretical limits of each drive, then practical transfers were performed using Windows Explorer and FastCopy across standard 48 GB and 450 GB copy jobs. FastCopy and command-line tools can reveal the true capabilities of a link that Explorer’s UI tends to mask — in many cases FastCopy significantly outpaces Explorer for large sequential transfers. That behavioral difference is well documented by independent reviewers and developer documentation for FastCopy. (pcworld.com, fastcopy.jp)Caveats to bear in mind when reading the numbers:
- Capacity matters: SSDs of different capacities from the same family can have different top speeds because larger capacities allow more parallel NAND channels and bigger DRAM/SL cache budgets.
- Thermal behavior: bus‑powered portable SSDs can throttle under prolonged sustained transfers without adequate heatsinking — the advertised peak is rarely the whole story for long, continuous copies.
- System compatibility: many hosts report USB 20Gbps or USB4 but will fall back to 10Gbps or 5Gbps depending on the cable, port wiring, or firmware.
The practical tradeoff: SSD vs HDD
- SSD (external NVMe): superior performance, negligible seek latency, smaller form factor, but higher $/TB and capacity limits around 8 TB for single‑drive portable SSDs in the consumer market.
- HDD (external spinning disk): best $/TB, available in very large capacities (desktop 3.5" models up to multiple tens of terabytes in multi-disk enclosures), but far slower (typical SATA HDDs saturate well under 200–300 MB/s).
Real-world tools and why FastCopy matters
Windows Explorer is convenient but not optimized for maximum throughput. In testing and in community practice, command-line copy tools and dedicated copy utilities like FastCopy routinely deliver significantly higher sustained transfer rates — sometimes multiple times faster for large datasets. FastCopy’s developer and independent tests show it exploits overlapped I/O, direct I/O, and multi-threaded pipelines to avoid the Windows file cache bottleneck that Explorer hits. That’s why our file-transfer tests include both Explorer and FastCopy runs, to show both the “everyday” and the “best-case” performance. (fastcopy.jp, pcworld.com)Notable hardware and components mentioned in testing
HighPoint Rocket 7604A (PCIe 5.0 adapter)
The test bench used a HighPoint Rocket 7604A PCIe Gen5 x16 adapter to host multiple NVMe drives for source/destination arrays. The Rocket 7604A supports 4x M.2 NVMe devices, dedicated x4 lanes per port, and RAID modes — a convenient way to assemble high-bandwidth internal sources (two-drive RAID or multi-drive arrays) that can feed external ports during benchmarking. The adapter’s spec sheet lists PCIe 5.0 x16 and 64 GB/s aggregate throughput for the card. These characteristics make it a suitable, future‑looking platform for comparing very fast external enclosures and Thunderbolt cases. (highpoint-tech.com)Samsung 990 PRO NVMe
Where internal NVMe speed matters in the test rig, the Samsung 990 PRO is an example of a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive used during benching. Samsung’s product pages document sequential reads in the 7,400+ MB/s range for the 990 PRO family and validate its standing as a high-performance PCIe 4.0 client SSD — the drive used as the Windows boot device or as a test asset in many labs. Remember, though, that an external enclosure’s interface (USB/Thunderbolt) is typically the limiter, not the raw internal NVMe. (news.samsung.com)The present landscape: what to buy (practical recommendations)
Below are distilled buying recommendations built from lab testing, compatibility realities, and price/benefit tradeoffs.If sheer speed is everything (workstation & pro video)
- Aim for Thunderbolt 4/5 or USB4 enclosures paired with a high‑end NVMe SSD.
- Where available, Thunderbolt 5/USB4 80Gbps devices are the bleeding edge and will future‑proof work that requires multi‑gigabyte-per-second transfers; verify host support before buying. Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 spec outlines symmetric 80 Gbps and burst 120 Gbps capabilities for specific display scenarios. (newsroom.intel.com, tomshardware.com)
- Use a tested copy utility (FastCopy or robust CLI tools) when moving multi-hundred‑gigabyte data sets to realize the interface’s full potential. (fastcopy.jp)
If you want the best value for everyday use (backups, mass storage)
- A 10Gbps USB (USB 3.2 Gen 2 / 10Gbps) portable NVMe SSD is a sweet spot — much faster than HDDs for restore operations, while keeping costs reasonable.
- For pure capacity and long-term archiving, choose 3.5" external HDDs (desktop-class) which offer the best $/TB.
If compatibility matters (old ports, mix of devices)
- 10Gbps and 5Gbps USB is the most universally compatible route; if you need to plug into older machines, these will work almost everywhere.
- Avoid buying a device that only advertises a 20Gbps USB 3.2×2 experience unless you can guarantee your host’s port wiring or your specific USB4 implementation supports the full speed.
How to select by use case — a checklist
- Identify your host ports: Does your laptop/desktop have Thunderbolt 4/5 or USB4? Is it only USB-A/USB3.0?
- Define the workload: Are you moving single huge files (video masters), thousands of small files (photo catalogs), or backing up system images?
- Match interface to need:
- Multi-TB video: Thunderbolt/USB4 external NVMe or a desktop HDD array for cold storage.
- Daily work drive: portable NVMe on 10Gbps or 20Gbps, depending on budget.
- Long-term archive: multi-disk HDD or NAS for redundancy and low $/TB.
- Consider sustained throughput: if you do long continuous copies, prefer enclosures with heatsinks or active cooling.
- Plan for redundancy: if the external drive is a primary backup target, keep at least one additional offline copy or follow the 3-2-1 backup rule (3 copies, 2 different media types, 1 offsite).
Strengths and weaknesses we saw in testing
Strengths
- External NVMe SSDs now offer truly portable, workstation-class throughput for many users, turning DAS into a practical alternative to network transfer for large datasets.
- Compatibility of USB Type‑C and widespread adoption of USB 10Gbps/20Gbps makes high-performance portable storage broadly accessible.
- Command-line and specialized copy utilities (FastCopy, Xcopy, Robocopy) unlock performance that Explorer hides, delivering more predictable real-world transfer times. (pcworld.com, fastcopy.jp)
Risks and gotchas
- Marketing mismatch: “USB-C” labeling is ubiquitous but meaningless for speed by itself. Always verify whether the device claims USB 5/10/20/40/80 Gbps and whether the host supports that exact signaling. The USB-IF and industry press have repeatedly flagged naming pitfalls and confusion. (usb.org, theverge.com)
- Thermal throttling: bus-powered ultra-fast NVMe drives can throttle in sustained transfers. Manufacturers’ peak specs are useful but don’t tell the whole story for long, multi‑hundred‑GB copies.
- Firmware and capacity variation: SSD behavior can change across firmware updates and capacity points. Performance numbers are valid only for the specific model, capacity, and firmware tested — vendors sometimes swap components. This is why lab results must be interpreted as benchmarks of a tested unit rather than absolute guarantees.
- OS and update fragility: platform updates (for example, Windows 11 24H2 and its early deployment issues) can affect device behavior and driver compatibility; administrators should verify vendor compatibility notes before mass rollout. Microsoft tracks known issues and compatibility holds on its release health pages. (learn.microsoft.com, polygon.com)
Benchmarks — what synthetic tools tell you and why that matters
Synthetic benchmarks such as CrystalDiskMark, AS SSD, and ATTO are useful for establishing a device’s theoretical peak throughput and for comparing apples-to-apples across drives. CrystalDiskMark produces sequential and random I/O patterns (different queue depths and thread counts) that emulate both large-file transfers and small random I/O (desktop responsiveness). However, synthetic numbers are optimistic: the filesystem, thermal throttling, and real-world fragmentation or file-size skew can all reduce sustained throughput in practice. Use synthetic results to establish “capability,” then rely on real transfer tests to see what you’ll actually experience. (en.wikipedia.org, digitalcitizen.life)Practical tips for getting the speed you paid for
- Use high-quality, properly rated cables: passive and active USB/Thunderbolt cables are not all equal; an 80 Gbps link demands a cable and host that actually support that rating.
- Prefer native ports over hubs or docked chains for testing: each link in a hub/dock can halve or otherwise reduce achievable throughput depending on its internal bandwidth sharing.
- Use FastCopy or robust command-line tools for large job transfers; Explorer remains useful for casual, small operations but will under-report achievable bandwidth. (fastcopy.jp, pcworld.com)
- Check manufacturer firmware and host driver updates — both sides can materially affect performance and stability.
Final verdict and buying roadmap
- For professionals who need the fastest portable storage today: seek out USB4/Thunderbolt 4/5 enclosures with proven NVMe internals — but confirm host compatibility and cable rating first.
- For power users who want excellent real-world speed at a better price: 10Gbps and 20Gbps USB SSDs are often the best compromise between performance and broad compatibility.
- For backup-centric users who prioritize capacity and cost per TB: desktop external HDDs or NAS arrays remain the most economical option.
Closing recommendations — checklist before purchase
- Confirm the host port and its real-world supported protocol (USB 5/10/20/40/80 Gbps, Thunderbolt 3/4/5, or USB4 variant).
- Decide on capacity vs performance vs price: larger SSD capacities can be faster, but cost rises quickly.
- If portability + sustained throughput matters, prefer enclosures with active or substantial passive cooling.
- Plan redundancy: if the external drive is your backup, get a second copy — no single external device is an island.
- Use a proper file transfer tool (FastCopy, robocopy) for large transfers to unlock the interface’s full potential. (fastcopy.jp, pcworld.com)
Source: PCWorld We tested a bunch of external drives, and these 9 are our favorites