Shop for external hard drives

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 95 reviews

The Bottom Line: If write speed isn't a top priority, the Western Digital MyBook is a good deal at around $300 for a 500GB drive. It'll look good on your desk or bookshelf, too. Read review

Specs: 500 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 16 MB, 8.9 ms, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 16 reviews

The Bottom Line: Mac and PC users alike will appreciate the Iomega eGo Portable's triple interface connectivity that lets you choose from USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. Combined with a rugged enclosure, free data protection software, and a robust three-year warranty, this drive is a great example of well-rounded hardware. We thoroughly recommend it both for average consumer as well as data-hounds on a budget. Read review

Specs: 500 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 14 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Seagate FreeAgent Pro external hard drive is an elegant workaround for users who are intimidated by NAS drives. The bundled software is simple to use and makes copying your data to various location a cinch. We really like this external hard drive. Read review

Specs: 320 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, 3.5", 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 71 reviews

The Bottom Line: Maxtor's OneTouch II external hard drive makes a good thing even better, with 250GB to 300GB's worth of one-button backups, but be warned: it eliminates any excuses for not backing up a computer. Read review

Specs: 300 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 16 MB, 9 ms, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 14 reviews

Specs: 2 TB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 34 reviews

The Bottom Line: With its single-button backup, Maxtor's 160GB OneTouch drive not only makes avoiding PC disasters easier, it's also lightning fast. Read review

Specs: 160 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 8 MB, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 18 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus is a good choice for the average home user who wants a fast and simple-to-use external hard drive for backup and storage. Mac users will want to find a different restore utility to use with it. Read review

Specs: 500 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 3.5", 16 MB, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.5 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 22 reviews

The Bottom Line: The LaCie d2 Quadra is a capacious and speedy drive, with lots of connection options. Read review

Specs: 500 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA, 16 MB, 10 ms, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.0 stars out of 31 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme offers three interface options, a useful software bundle, and a lengthy warranty for a fair price. We like this direct-attach external drive. Read review

Specs: 1 TB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, 3.5", 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 4 reviews

The Bottom Line: LaCie's Rugged All-Terrain portable hard drive is an all-around winner: it's fast, it's durable, and it boasts multiple connection options. This belongs in your laptop bag. Read review

Specs: 120 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 8 MB, 12 ms, 5400 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.1 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 15 reviews

The Bottom Line: Whether you use a Mac or a PC, the 320GB Western Digital My Passport Studio is the perfect compact external drive with a low cost per GB, a compact design, decent performance, and a surprisingly lengthy warranty. Read review

Specs: 320 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.8 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0.5 stars out of 1 review

The Bottom Line: Western Digital designed and preformats the My Passport Studio for use with Macs; however, it works well as a portable external storage solution for Windows and OS X, as long as USB 2.0 is your connection of choice. Read review

Specs: 500 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 21 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus is a good choice for the average home user who wants a fast and simple-to-use external hard drive for backup and storage. Mac users will want to find a different restore utility to use with it. Read review

Specs: 750 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 3.5", 16 MB, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 1 TB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA, 3.5"

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

The Bottom Line: LaCie's Rugged All-Terrain portable hard drive is an all-around winner: it's fast, it's durable, and it boasts multiple connection options. This belongs in your laptop bag. Read review

Specs: 80 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 8 MB, 12 ms, 5400 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 2 TB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / SuperSpeed USB 3.0 / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA, 3.5"

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 1 TB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, 3.5"

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 7 reviews

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 1 TB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 34 reviews

The Bottom Line: Maxtor's OneTouch III Turbo Edition packs in a lot of features and capabilities at a fair price. Among external desktop hard drives, it's a winner. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

Specs: 320 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 8 MB, 8.9 ms, 7200 rpm

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 5.0 stars out of 9 reviews

Specs: 1 TB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) / IEEE1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 12 ms

• CNET Editor rating:
  0.0 stars

  Overall score: 0.0 (0.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 4 reviews

The Bottom Line: If you don't need all the bells and whistles that come with the OneTouch III Turbo Edition, the basic OneTouch III hard drive is a promising choice. The functional design, the software bundle, and the 7,200rpm hard drive make for a good basic external drive. Read review

Specs: 500 GB, External hard drive, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB, 16 MB, 9 ms, 7200 rpm