Best Hard Drive For Video Editing – Safe & Secure Data
When it comes to video editing works, time is money. That's why video editors are always looking for cutting-edge equipment to improve their editing workflow.
With the arrival of UHD 4K and 8K, video editing means dealing with large file sizes -making storage the backbone of video editing and video production. If you don't have good storage, your project can get slowed down or delay your work progress.
Using an external hard drive is the best solution for increasing your video editing workstation's storage capacity and safely transferring your data anywhere.
Reading and writing data directly from or to an external hard drive can incur enormous performance demands, so it is essential to determine your requirements before buying the best hard drive for video editing. Searching for the right hard drive can be a daunting task.
So, to make things easier for you, I have compiled a list of the best hard drive for video editing available in the market. Whatever your needs, your budget, we've got the external storage that's right for you.
10 BEST HARD DRIVE FOR VIDEO EDITING REVIEW
1. SANDISK 500GB - BEST EXTERNAL SSD FOR VIDEO EDITING
The rugged SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD delivers high-speed storage for saving and editing high-resolution photos and videos. It can provide a read speed of up to 1050 MB/s. This feature makes it perfect for collecting and editing high-resolution photos and videos.
When it comes to copying a file from one medium to another, we always want the operations and functions to be completed as quickly as possible. The SSDs that have lent a hand to our operating systems are also available in a portable version for this purpose and thanks to their natural resistance to shocks. SanDisk has bet on these 2 points with its SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable external SSD storage device.
It lets you offload and edit files in a snap. It offers up to 2TB of high-speed storage for photos, videos and sound files. However, based on internal testing, performance may be lower depending on drive capacity, host device, OS and application. It is IP55 rated, which means, it is built to withstand water and dust. It is also certified to stand up to 2-meter drops.
The best external hard drive for video editing is designed to work with both Windows and Mac. It comes with a USB 3.1 Type-C connector, and also includes a USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a Type-C to Type-A adapter. This means it will work with both old and new PCs and Macs.
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2. WD 10TB - BEST USB 3.0 HARD DRIVE FOR VIDEO EDITING
The WD 10TB Elements Desktop hard drive offers up to 14TB capacity, making it the ideal solution for add-on storage of all your photos, music, videos and files.
The WD Elements desk comes in a vertical design typical of the series. It sits on four rubber feet that prevent it from slipping. With dimensions of 13.5 x 4.8 x 16.6 cm, it comes in a slender form. The high-quality housing is made of aluminum and covered with glossy piano lacquer. This makes the hard drive look noble but also makes it susceptible to dust, fingerprints and scratches.
A small LED light has been added to the front, and the DEO logo and series name have been printed in white type. On the backside, there are large ventilation slots. There is a button to turn on and off. As the device works with a built-in automatic shut-off device, this is rather redundant. Next to it, the drive has a rotational speed of 7200rpm and is equipped with USB 3.0 port and the connection for the power supply.
With this single drive, you get compatibility with the latest USB 3.0 devices and backward compatibility with USB 2.0 devices as well. It is built to be highly durable and shock tolerant and provides long-term reliability. The drive is also protected with a sustainable enclosure design for style and protection.
The best hard drive for video editing is specially formatted NTFS for Windows 10, 8.1 and 7. However, reformatting may be required for other operating systems.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
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3. VECTOTECH RAPID - BEST EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR MAC VIDEO EDITING
VectoTech Rapid Portable SSD will get you 3-4 times faster data transfer speeds than conventional spinning HDDs. You can transfer your files with super-fast speeds of up to 540 MB/s.
It comes with two cables: Type-C to Type-C and Type-C to Type-A, which makes Rapid external SSD compatible with new and old generation computers. No new adapters are required.
It is made out of two plates of durable Aluminum 1050 grade and connected with ABS plastic. This design makes it resistant to minor scratches and also keeps it lightweight.
It will work with both Mac and Windows, no additional installation required. The reversible USB-C port with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface makes it compatible with USB 3.0/2.0 devices.
It comes with shock and vibration resistance up to 1500g at 0.5 m/sec – the equivalent of a 6-feet drop. It is also capable of withstanding operating temperatures from -13ºf (-25ºc) or 185ºf (85 ºC). It has a big advantage over traditional spinning hard drives for not having any moving parts, making it much more reliable to falling, vibration and shock.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Data transfer speed is boosted with VectoTech Rapid SSD.
- Up to 540Mb/s of Super-fast Read/Write speeds.
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4. SAMSUNG (MU-PA1T0B/AM) - BEST HARD DRIVE FOR 4K VIDEO EDITING
This portable SSD is one the best hard drive for video editing that gives you the freedom of enormous storage and speedy transfers to laptops, smartphones, game consoles, and more. It is compact enough to slide easily in your pocket or purse.
It comes with a Samsung V-NAND flash memory and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface. It provides transfer speeds of up to 540 MB/s (up to 4.9x faster than external HDDs). Transfers and backups of large-sized data, including 4K videos and high-resolution photos, will be much quicker and faster.
However, performance may vary depending on host configuration (must support USB 3.1 Gen 2 and the UASP mode must be enabled). Best external hard drive for video editing complements your sense of style, as it is available in a variety of colors.
The T5 has no moving parts and a sturdy metal body so that it can handle drops of up to 2 meters. The optional password protection with AES 256-bit hardware encryption keeps your personal and private data more secure. It is compatible with both PCs and Macs, and its intuitive software makes it simple to set the password and get the latest firmware updates.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Read speed is up to 540 MB/s.
- AES 256-bit hardware encryption.
- Compatible with Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.9, Android 4.4 (KitKat).
- Item Weight is 1.76 ounces.
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5. SEAGATE - BEST PORTABLE HARD DRIVE FOR VIDEO EDITING
Windows computers tend to perform better when their internal drives are not filled. The Seagate Expansion Portable Hard Drive is a simple solution that can come in handy when you need to quickly expand your computer's storage capacity or transport your files on the go. Transfer, backup, and give that desktop or laptop all the space it needs. It offers fast USB connectivity, and its drag-and-drop style makes the whole process very simple.
It allows you to store and access 4TB of content on the go easily. It is specially designed to work with Windows computers. The compact external hard drive makes backup easier. You just need to drag and drop. To get set up, you need to connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition (no software required).
Enjoy plug and play simplicity with the 18 inch USB 3.0 cable. The package includes an Expansion Portable, an 18-inch USB 3.0 cable, and a quick start guide. This is my personal favorite and one of the best external hard drive for video editing, gaming, data storage, and much more. I really recommend this hard drive for video editing.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Can store and access up to 4TB of data.
- External hard drive makes backup easier.
- Supported Operating Systems are Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7.
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6. WD 16TB USB 3.1 - MY BOOK DUO DESKTOP RAID EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE
The My Book Duo drive is desktop RAID storage with massive capacity ideal for storing photos, videos, documents and music. RAID-0 mode provides super-fast performance with up to 360MB/s1 sequential read speeds (using the USB Type-C port).
You can switch to RAID-1 configuration for redundancy and to mirror data on the WD Red drives inside. A USB Type-C port with all cables included makes it universally compatible (supports USB 3.1 Gen 1/3.0/2.0). Two USB Type-A hub ports deliver flexibility for additional accessories.
It has up to 20 TB capacity with a single cable. It allows you to free up valuable space on all your computers. Its RAID- optimized firmware is perfect for two-disk array systems with auto management of drive operations to help ensure read/write cycle data integrity.
It comes with a 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption with WD Security software built in to help keep private content secure. You can set a personalized password to activate hardware encryption and data protection.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
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7. WD 2TB - BEST EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR PC VIDEO EDITING
When connected to a USB 3.0 port, WD Elements portable storage delivers maximum performance for data transfers. Transfer a full-length HD movie in a fraction of the time it takes with USB 2.0.
The small, lightweight design offers high-capacity storage, making WD Elements portable storage the ideal companion for consumers who want to take their important files with them.
When your internal drive is almost full, your PC slows down. However, you don't have to delete the files. You can free up space on your internal drive by transferring data to your WD Elements and get your PC moving again.
The drive is built for high durability, shock tolerance and long term reliability. It is protected with a durable enclosure designed for style and protection. It also comes with password protection and hardware encryption.
It is formatted for Windows formatted NTFS and compatible with Windows 10, 8.1 and 7. Reformatting will be required for other operating systems. These features makes it the best hard drive for video editing and other editing workstation.
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8. TERRAMASTER D5-300C USB3.0(5GBPS) TYPE C 5
The TerraMaster is powerful hardware with the latest USB3.0 Type C connector. It offers transfer speeds of up to 410 MB/s for SSHD or SSD.
It supports the Apple Time Machine and hence can easily backup the data in your Mac. It also supports Windows backup software to backup the data in your designated DAS device.
The superspeed USB3.0 interface supports external storage backup. However, for better and stable performance, you are advised to use Seagate IronWolf hard drives or WD Reds.
D5-300C is excellent for applications such as video editing, photo backup, storage of R&D technical documents, archival backup, music libraries, financial records, storage of video surveillance recordings and corporate data storage.
You can configure your drives in RAID 0, RAID 1, Single Disk modes for the hard drive in slots 1&2, and Single Disk for Slots 3-5. This allows you to configure the unit to meet your unique needs for data security, blazing performance or maximum storage capacity.
The package includes 1 D5-300C hard drive, 1 power adapter, a power cord, a USB type C – a cable and a quick guide.
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9. G-TECHNOLOGY 10TB G-DRIVE WITH THUNDERBOLT AND USB 3.0
The 10TB G-DRIVE External Hard Drive from G-Technology is designed for storage-intensive applications like audio/video editing, digital photography, and more. It provides up to 10TB of enterprise-class storage, a rotational speed of 7200 rpm, and is equipped with two 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 ports and one 5 Gb/s USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port.
While one of the Thunderbolt 3 ports is used to interface with your host system at speeds of up to 245 MB/s, the other can be used to daisy chain up to five additional devices to your G-DRIVE. It also supports 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 Gen 2, and for those who wish to use this drive with their USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A or USB 2.0 Type-A system, a USB Type-C to Type-A cable is included.
It is housed in an aluminum case and comes formatted for macOS 10.12+. After a simple reformat, it may also be used with Windows 8.1 and 10. Also included are a 20 Gb/s Thunderbolt cable, an AC power adapter, and a power cable.
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10. WD 20TB MY CLOUD EX2 ULTRA NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE – NAS
You can organize your media collection in a single place on this high-performance NAS solution, and access it securely from anywhere. With My Cloud EX2, you get ultra-fast transfer speeds for smooth HD streaming. Additionally, you'll be able to automatically sync content across computers, easily share files and folders, and enjoy multiple backup options. So you can create your personalized system with ease.
The powerful Marvell ARMADA 385 1.3GHz dual-core processor provides ultra-fast transfer rates. It also comes with 1 GB of DDR3 memory so that you can multitask with ease. With WD Sync, you can automatically synchronize your media and files across your computers and your My Cloud device. This is the best hard drive for video editing and other creative professionals.
You can also easily customize how you share by using public or private links. With a public link, you can share your content so anyone can see it. Using a private link, you can grant a user limited or full-access and securely collaborate with anyone.
PRODUCT DETAILS:
- Compatible Operating System Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, macOS Mojave.
- Automatic file synching across all your computers.
- 1GB of DDR3 memory to multitask with ease.
- Marvel ARMADA 385 1.3 GHz dual-core Processor.
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How To Choose The Best Hard Drive For Video Editing
With the increase in high-definition multimedia content, our need for storage capacity has increased. Of course, there are USB keys and online storage possibilities (Cloud services), but it quickly becomes expensive when you have to expand your storage capacities beyond 1 TB.
Newbies in this field of video editing tend to go for the external hard drive offering the greatest capacity at the best price. Still, in reality, you must take several parameters into account to make an optimal purchase.
And now that you've understood that a hard drive is a must have accessory for photographers, go through the important features you should consider when buying one for video editing purposes.
Traditional HDD Or SSD
HDD (Hard Drive Disks) are the most traditional, with the largest storage capacities. More delicate and fragile, they tend to be noisy. SSDs (Solid State Drives) are manageable and high-performance hard drives. They benefit from virtually zero latency and much higher transfer speeds. Although they are more robust, they are nevertheless generally (much) more expensive and have a shorter lifespan than HDDs. Initially developed rather as internal components to PCs, they are popularized as external storage means.
So for video editors, using SDD means your editing software can quickly process, open, and render files stored on it.
Storage Capacity
It is important to think about the type of files you are going to store and in what quantity. Storing text files takes up much less space than storing multimedia content. The capacities of external hard drives vary on average between 500 GB and 8 TB.
For better understanding, a video of 1080p HD quality will consume 20-30MB per minute approximately. Therefore, a 30-minute 1080p HD video could be up to 900MB in file size. That's a rough estimate for just a 1080p HD video – but if you are going to record in 4K or 8K, the file size will increase.
Ideally, for video editing, you will need a hard drive at least with a minimum storage of 1TB. However, the storage capacity requirement depends on your intended usage.
Portability
If you leave your hard drive at home, the risk of shock will be minimal. But if you take it with you everywhere, it is necessary to invest in an external hard drive capable of protecting your data. In that sense, while it's important to go for something light and thin (for ease of transport), sturdiness shouldn't be overlooked.
Transfer Speed
If you plan to back up important data only every 15 days, most conventional hard drives are sufficient. But if, for example, you want to use video editing software whose data is placed on the hard drive, you should consider a very fast drive, probably an SSD, with good storage capacity and a USB 3.0, 3.1, or more interface. 3.2 (10 times faster than USB 2.0, which is gradually disappearing) or USB-C.
An SSD is drastically faster than a mechanical hard drive (you wait for less when copying files). We tested the transfer speed in sequential and random modes. High sequential speed is essential for transferring and saving large amounts of data to disk, while high random speed is important for running programs or games directly from the portable SSD
CONCLUSION
These were the best hard drive for video editing and storage available in the market. You'll notice that all of these are compatible with the Windows operating system, and some are compatible with both mac and windows. And all of the products listed fulfill all the primary requirements that I have mentioned above.
Now the choice is yours to make. I hope you have found what you were looking for. Happy editing.!
