As a video editor, you know that no space in an external hard drive is ever enough. Hard drives get filled up by videos quickly, and soon the hard drive gets full and starts slowing you down.
While working with large files, a video editor needs the best external hard drive for video editing. That way, they can keep their work organized.
Plus, external hard drives are mostly portable and store the data securely.
What is an External Hard Drive?
Like the human brain stores memory, an external hard drive’s job is to do the same. External hard drives store large quantities of data within them. There are thousands of external hard drives available today. You can categorize them into two main types: HDDs and SSD portable hard drives.
HDDs are ideal for long-term storage, while SDD’s are best for transferring data at extremely high speeds. The best external hard drive for video editing consists of some important features. SDDs are fairly expensive than HDDs.
HDDs have moving spinning parts that make the universal fan noise while reading and writing data. SSDs, on the other hand, use small gate transistors that transfer data through electrical pulses. Even though HDDs are less expensive, they are bulky, slower, and can get ruined easily.
Due to their nature, external hard drives are connected to the Laptop or a PC through a wireless connection or a USB cable and are portable. They are used as a backup storage device when the storage of the PC is filled up or has a limit. Compared to flash drives, hard drives have a high storage capacity used as a network drive that allows storing shared content.
To find the best external hard drive for video editing, it is essential to be knowledgeable about the two interfaces that are used by external hard drives. One is FireWire, and the other is USB.
The difference between the two is the data transfer rate. External hard drives that are FireWire supported can transfer data at the rate of 400 to 800 Mbps. Whereas through a USB interface, the data transfer speed is from 12 to 480 Mbps.
Some external hard drives also come with security and configuration features like fingerprint recognition and passwords to prevent data from being stolen and prevent other people from gaining data.
How to Choose an External Hard Drive?
The first thing to take into consideration while trying to find the best external hard drive for video editing is its storage capacity. How much capacity is enough?
Capacity depends on you as an editor. External hard drives are expensive, and there is no need to buy one that is not suitable for the amount of data you have to store. The higher the number of terabytes, the higher the storage capacity.
The next thing to consider is the transfer speed. Slow external hard drives can waste precious hours to transfer data from the PC to the device itself, and nobody has that sort of free time at hand.
SSDs, as mentioned before, have higher data transfer speeds than HDDs. The connective interface that the external hard drive uses also influences its transfer speed. The fastest speed in external hard drives is through a Thunderbolt NVMe SSD as a connector.
Portability and durability are also two important factors to consider while looking for the best external hard drive for video editing. For portability, the hard drive needs to be small and lightweight that can be carried around and connected to other sources easily.
The more portable hard drives do not accompany an external power cable along with them. HDDs are thick and do not handle drop damage very well, but SSDs are usually small, meaning they are not destroyed as easily as HDDs. Many SDDs now come with rugged casings that protect them from drop damage.
Security is a big concern when it comes to somebody’s data. No one wants their data stolen, thus investing in an external hard drive with software and hardware encryption solutions is ideal for finding the best external hard drive for video editing.
If compatible, an external hard drive will only work with a PC or laptop. A hard drive made for a MacBook would not be compatible with a Windows 10 PC. Although this setup is reversible, it is better to find a hard drive compatible with your PC or laptop to avoid the trouble of partitioning it to fit your PC.
The Seven Best External Hard Drives for Video Editing
1. Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD
This external hard drive is considered part of the best external hard drives for video editing, as it allows the editor to edit straight from the hard drive. As the name suggests, this is an SSD hard drive.
It keeps the computer’s internal storage free and has full-frame editing with very little interruption. The Sandisk Extreme Pro portable SSD uses NVMe technology to give you insanely high data transfer speeds of up to 1050 Mbps per second. This external hard drive also uses the USC 3.1 Gen 2 interface for data transferring.
This external hard drive is impact resistant as it is coated by a durable silicon rubber casing and has an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance. The Sandisk Extreme Pro portable SSD’s core is protected by forged aluminum, and it has a rugged design.
Video editors are very well-aware of how important storage space is, and this external hard drive has a storage capacity ranging from 500GB to 2TB. The Sandisk Extreme Pro portable SSD with a storage capacity of 500GB is priced at $109.99. For 1TB, the price of this external hard drive is $179.99 and $329.99 for 2TB worth of storage capacity.
The Sandisk Extreme Pro portable SSD has a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 5-year limited warranty. On western digital, this external hard drive has a 3.6/5 star rating. The external hard drive is also universally compatible as it connects with a Type A and Type C USB, so you can work with it on every computer wherever you want, whenever you like.
This can also be considered the best external hard drive for video editing because it is pocket-sized and lightweight. This allows the external hard drive to be transported from one place to another without becoming a burden and can be worked on from anywhere.
2. Samsung Portable T7 2TB SSD
The Samsung Portable T7 2TB Hard Disk SSD is also an SSD hard drive. This portable external hard drive is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand and is lightweight. It is 57mm wide, 8.0mm thick, and 85mm long. The device also comes in three beautiful colors: red, blue, and black.
The Thermal Dynamic Guard controls the temperature and withstands high heat to keep it safe from overheating. Even at high speeds, the temperature of the hard disk remains optimal. It is built with zero moving parts. It has sturdy metal that keeps the data safe and prevents the external hard drive from being damaged from a fall of around 2 meters.
The Samsung Portable T7 2TB Hard Disk SSD can also be considered the best external hard drive for video editing because its reading speed is up to 1050 MB/d and the writing speed is up to 1000 MB/s. Another great thing about this external hard drive is that it consists of software that allows users to set up a password and secure their data.
It is, again, universally compatible, which means that it will work when connected to any computer as it uses a 3.2 Gen 2 Interface. Other than that, USB Type C-to-C and Type C-to-A cables are available in the box. It has a higher storage capacity as well. The 500GB external hard drive is worth $109.9; the 1TB one is priced at $189.9, while the 2TB external hard drive is worth $369.99.
3. LaCie 4TB d2 Professional USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C External Hard Drive
This is an HDD external hard drive on the bulkier and heavier side. It uses a USB 3.2 Hen 2 Type-C port. HDDs are not known to have a faster transfer speed, but the LaCie 4TB d2 Professional has transfer speeds of up to 260 MB/s and has a disk speed of 7200rpm. It has an aluminum body design that prevents it from overheating.
This external hard drive, in addition, can be classified as the best external hard drive for video editing as it is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and Windows, and MacBook as the drive is pre-formatted as exFAT.
This external hard drive has numerous data storage capacities, ranging from 4TB to 18TB. 4TB is priced at $184.99, 6TB at $224.95, 8TB at $254.99, 10TB at $304.99, 14TB at $454.99, 16TB at $549.99, and 18TB at $649.99.
4. G-Drive Mobile Pro
The G-Drive Mobile Pro is an SSD external hard drive. It allows you to edit 8K footage at a full-frame rate without taking up storage on your computer. This external hard drive has an uncompromising speed that transfers up to 2800 MB/s. It can transfer up to a terabyte of footage in less than seven minutes.
The G-Drive Mobile Pro has a protective core that prevents it from overheating, and the external hard drive has shock-resistance storage and a durable and protective case that protects the hard drive from a drop of up to 3 meters. It also has a 1000lb crush-proof design that further prevents it from getting damaged.
According to western digital, the G-Drive Mobile Pro has a 5-year limited warranty and a 30-Day Money-Bank Guarantee. This external hard drive has a 5 point star rating on western digital which is enough to convince you as an editor that this is the best external hard drive for video editing.
These external hard drives come in two storage capacity sizes. One is 500GB, priced at $279.95, and 1TB is priced at $499.95.
5. Samsung T5 SSD
An older but similarly efficient version of the Samsung T7 SSD is the Samsung T5 SSD. Even though it is an older version, it can still be classified as the best external hard drive for video editing. This external hard drive supports the USB interface and a USB Type-C port.
In addition, because this external hard drive comes with USB 3.1 technology with Samsung flash memory, the device has a transfer speed of 540 MB/s.
The hard drive is pocket-sized and can fit in the palm of your hand; many video editors prefer using it as it can be easily transferred from one place to another without any hassle. The external hard drive only weighs around 51g. It is made of sturdy metal, so the device does not get damaged from a drop of up to 2 meters.
The Samsung T5 SDD also provides password protection through AES 256-bit hardware encryption. This external hard drive comes in two storage sizes: 1TB worth $139.99 and 2TB priced at $249.99.
6. ADATA SD700
This solid-state drive is water and dustproof and has military-grade protection from shock. Despite its shock protective qualities, the ADATA SD700 is also small and compact. Its small size and sleek, compact design allow it to be easily transported anywhere and fit into anything without being an added burden.
This external hard drive uses the new 3D NAND or TLC Flash technology that increases its reading and writing speed by up tMB/s. It can be used for video editing while keeping the PC storage free. The SD700 external hard drive can be connected with Androids, macOS, and Windows. This device is not only used for video editing, but it is also great for gaming.
The price for 512 GB storage space of this portable SSD external hard drive is $106.99, while 1TB is $252. It is also available in a storage capacity of 256 GB. It also comes in black and fresh yellow color.
7. Crucial BX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-inch SSD
The Crucial BX500 solid-state external hard drive runs on flash memory, allowing for smooth and fast video editing while keeping your PC storage free. The external hard drive has a 4.4 point star rating on crucial.com. It also comes with a limited 3-year warranty.
In addition, this portable SSD uses the SATA interface to connect to computers. Because of flash memory, this external hard drive can read data at 540 MB/s and write data at 500 MB/s. The Crucial BX500 comes in 4 different storage capacity sizes. For 240 GB, the Crucial BX500 is priced at $34.99. $54.99 for 480GB, $79.99 for 1TB, and $189.99.
As per the price per gigabyte, this portable SSD can be considered the best external hard drive for video editing.
Verdict
The list of external hard drives above enlists one of the most reliable external hard drives used for editing. The best external hard drive for video editing can only be determined by you, as an editor, by recognizing how much money you can spend, how much storage space, and the data transfer speed you need to do your work.
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