TOP 20 best hard drives: 2021 reliability rating and which one to choose for a gaming PC

Important files and programs are stored on hard drives (hard drives).
They come in internal (HDD) and external (SSD), gaming and with different amounts of memory. The first ones are used inside the system unit of a PC or laptop.

The latter are connected via a USB connector and are more like a memory card.

You can transfer impressive amounts of information from your computer to external devices and store them securely.

This rating contains the best hard drive models for 2021 in terms of price/quality ratio.

At the same time, we took into account the opinion of experts, customer reviews and the popularity of manufacturing companies. Each device is accompanied by a brief description, technical characteristics, its advantages and disadvantages.

Rating of the TOP 20 best hard drives of 2021

Rating of the TOP 14 best external hard drives

Page navigation:

How to choose a hard drive?

When choosing a hard drive, IT workers advise paying attention to the following factors:

• Internal hard drive size . For a laptop, 2.5 inches will be enough, for a system unit - 3.5 inches. If the data is indicated in millimeters, then the first 2 digits are the length, and the last 2 are the width.
• Connection interface . This includes both the physical connector and the data transfer method. The connection standard is SATA interface. They come in the following types: SATA 1, SATA 2 and SATA 3. The difference between them is the loading speed. The first option is considered the slowest (for example, for downloading movies), the third is high-speed. The USB interface is most often used to connect external drives. There are also 3 versions here: USB 2, USB 3.0 and USB 3.2. The last option is characterized by the highest throughput.
• Data transfer rate. If the product label indicates 5400 rpm, the device will operate slower and therefore less noisy. At 7200 rpm per minute the device guarantees faster rotation, but with more noise.
• Memory . For HDD drives, the memory capacity ranges from 500 GB to 10 TB, for external drives - from 128 GB to 2 TB. Prices for a hard drive with a capacity of up to 2 TB are almost the same, so there is no point in buying a 500 GB HDD if you can buy a drive with 2 TB of memory for the same money.
• Noise level . The optimal indicator for a laptop is up to 26 dB.
• Input and output operations (in 1 second) . Modern hard drives perform up to 100 operations per second at 7200 rpm.
• Data transfer rate. The recommended rate for an internal drive is about 70-100 MB per second, for external drives - 150-200 MB per second.

These are the most important parameters when choosing an internal or external drive.

How to choose a hard drive for a laptop

The main factors that determine the physical and technical parameters of hard drives are the amount of available space, the speed required for data transfer, and the amount of disk space required. Let's look at the main characteristics of a hard drive.

Hard drive capacity

Hard disk capacity is the most important parameter. This is the amount of information that can fit on it.

1. 320 GB - 750 GB is an excellent option for those who use a laptop for office work or store information in the cloud.
2. 1 TB - 3 TB is a good option for games, for those who plan to install graphic editors, download torrents or store large amounts of information.
3. From 4 TB - for storing a large amount of archival data.

Operation speed and connection interface

The speed of the hard drive is determined by the connection interface, the volume of the memory buffer, and the spindle speed.

1. As for the connection interface, modern laptops have interchangeable SATA II (up to 3 Gbit/s) and SATA III (up to 6 Gbit/s) connectors.
2. Spindle speed: the higher the speed, the faster the information will be processed. Standard rotation speeds: 5400 RPM - low, used for storing archival data; 7200 RPM - high, used for OS installation.

Hard drives with approximately the same characteristics may differ in data exchange speed and cost. This is due to better optimization of the cache memory, with a different number of magnetic disks.

Cache size

The memory buffer capacity is responsible for temporary storage of intermediate data. In theory, the larger the cache size, the more information can be stored in the memory buffer without saving it to the HDD platters. When choosing equivalent models, you should give preference to a larger cache size. In modern HDDs, the cache ranges from 8 MB to 128 MB.

TOP 2 best gaming hard drives

Gaming hard drives have higher read/write speeds (compared to regular ones) and an impressive amount of memory. Here are the most current models.

Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM010

The Seagate Barracuda 1 TB ST1000DM010 gaming hard drive combines capacity, reliability and cost, accessible to every gamer and not only.
With this drive, files will load much faster than usual, allowing you to download as much as the player wants (within reason, of course).

The model is designed for a desktop computer and is installed directly inside the system unit.

The buffer memory capacity is 64 MB. The rotation speed is 7200 rpm. The average access time when reading is 8.5 ms, when writing data - 9.5 ms. The maximum operating temperature should not exceed 60 degrees above zero.

Disc weight - 400 grams.

The estimated service life of the device is 5 years.

Specifications:

• memory capacity - 1000 GB;
• speed of writing and reading information - 156 MB/s;
• interface - SATA 6 Gbit/s;
• noise level - 24 dB.

pros

Fast data read/write mode.

Disk capacity.

Quiet operation.

Budget price.

Minuses

Unreliable packaging (does not protect against mechanical damage in transit).

From time to time we encounter defective products.

Western Digital WD Purple 1 TB WD10PURZ

An internal hard drive with 1 TB of memory is suitable not only for downloading games, but also for video surveillance systems.
The built-in AllFrame technology efficiently processes ATA protocol streaming data, minimizing the number of possible errors. This has a positive effect on image quality.

Another technology used is “TLER,” which reduces the likelihood of RAID storage array downtime.

Therefore, error correction occurs at the most convenient time (when there is no system overload).

The device consumes a minimal amount of electricity and has a low noise level.

Thanks to the “IntelliPower” option, the device adjusts the balance between spindle speed, speed of information transfer and caching algorithms, allowing you to achieve a high level of performance.

Specifications:

• capacity - 1000 GB;
• speed of writing and reading information - 110 MB/s;
• rotation intensity - 5400 rpm;
• Buffer memory capacity - 64 MB;
• noise level - 22 dB.

pros

Performance.

Quiet operation.

Long service life.

Acceptable price.

Minuses

Poor quality packaging of the product (may cause damage to the device).

Sometimes it gets hot.

Rating of the best hard drives

Let's look at the rating of modern hard drives.

The best fast and capacious hard drive

Western Digital WD Blue Desktop 6 TB (WD60EZRZ)

The model, weighing only 750 grams and measuring 2.61×10.16×14.7 cm, accommodates 6 TB of data. Such volumes will be sufficient for both owners of large multimedia collections and those working on a laptop and storing large amounts of data on it. The operating speed of the product reaches 175 MB/sec. The drive consumes only 5.3 W of energy. The price of a hard drive is 12,500 rubles. A very expensive but productive solution for organizing an archive, a large multimedia collection, or simply for systems with a limited number of free slots for hard drives.

Price: ₽ 12,610 Check on CITYLINK

The best HDD + SSD hybrid hard drive

Seagate ST2000DX002

Seagate ST2000DX002 is a hybrid model that can be used to increase the capacity and performance of your computer. The hard drive is made in a 3.5-inch form factor with a powerful spindle with a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. The drive has its own 64 MB RAM to optimize work with small files. The hard drive includes a high-speed 8 GB SSD partition, which has its own OS for ultra-fast loading. Thanks to the SATA III interface, you can transfer data at speeds up to 6 Gb/s. During operation, 6.7 W of power is consumed. The price of the product is 6500 rubles.

Price: ₽ 6,590 Check on CITYLINK

The best hard drive for a desktop computer

Western Digital WD Black 2 TB (WD2003FZEX)

Western Digital WD Black 2 TB (WD2003FZEX) is a high-performance drive that is suitable for people who process photo or video files, as well as those who prefer online games. The device is equipped with 2 processors and dynamic memory caching technology, thanks to which you can optimize the distribution of cache resources between reading and writing to improve performance. The cost of the device is 8,500 rubles.

Price: ₽ 8,590 Check on CITYLINK

Best budget hard drive

Seagate ST3000DM007

Seagate ST3000DM007 is a universal hard drive with a 3.5-inch form factor with a capacity of 3000 GB. Cache size - 256 MB. The device uses multi-level caching technology, which allows you to load files and applications much faster. The drive performs read and write tasks much faster by optimizing data flow. The cost of the device is 5800 rubles. In terms of price-quality ratio, it is one of the best solutions on the market.

Price: ₽ 5,890 Check on CITYLINK

The best laptop hard drives

Toshiba HDWK105UZSVA

Toshiba HDWK105UZSVA is a hard drive made in a 2.5-inch form factor. The storage capacity is 500 GB - of course, you can’t organize an archive, but it’s quite enough for the operating system, the necessary programs, a small selection of games and a multimedia collection. The spindle rotation speed reaches 5400 rpm. Connection interface used: SATA III at 6 gigabits per second. Low power consumption - no more than 1.5 W. The cost of the device is a rather modest 2500 rubles.

Price: ₽ 2,490 Check on CITYLINK

The best hard drive for a server

Toshiba HDWN160EZSTA

Toshiba HDWN160EZSTA is designed for network storage devices. The highly reliable drive is capable of supporting systems with RAID arrays of up to 8 hard drives and can provide storage of large volumes of information. The disc minimizes vibration during operation thanks to angular vibration sensors that compensate for any shock. The hard disk is capable of providing high data transfer speeds with simultaneous loading/sending of data around the clock. Thanks to the use of high-strength components, the product is more durable. The 128 MB data buffer ensures the highest performance under heavy workloads. The issue price is 11,500 rubles.

Price: ₽ 11,390 Check on CITYLINK

Hard drive for video surveillance system

Western Digital WD Purple 8 TB (WD82PURZ)

Western Digital WD Purple 8 TB (WD82PURZ) is an 8 TB hard drive with a platter rotation speed of 7200 rpm. Firmware optimization for video surveillance indicates that the model is optimized for simultaneous operation with 16 (or fewer) video cameras. High performance and a large amount of data make it possible to build a very productive system for any purpose on the basis of this HDD, so video surveillance is the main, but not the only way to use it. The price of the device is 17,500 rubles.

Price: ₽ 17,690 Check on CITYLINK

WESTERN DIGITAL (WD)

The now world-famous corporation was founded in the USA back in 1970. The company was included in the review of the best manufacturers not only because of its high quality, but also due to its widest range of products. Each line of internal hard drives has its own purpose.

Interesting: HDDs have become so good that in 2010 WESTERN DIGITAL (WD) took 1st place in the industry, ahead of even such production monsters as Seagate.