Our 'evangelization' process regarding solid-state drives is not over. In fact, it's a good time to remember that we can get 1TB SSDs for under 200 euros. However, there are many who say that hard drives remain very competitive, and they are right! The best internal hard drives on the market offer deals for under 50 euros, and with a minimal investment you can double or even triple your capacity.
Just like with Intel-AMD processors and AMD-Nvidia graphics cards, hard drives force us to think in terms of Seagate-Western Digital. Technically Toshiba is the third player, and then there are Samsung (Seagate) and Hitachi (WD). The last big race these competitors have left to run is density. Seagate had promised 16 terabytes before the end of 2018, but it reached 14 terabytes, which is not bad at all. And as expected, these moves drive down the prices of smaller drives. Also, general demand has reached such a low point that WD decided to close a plant in Malaysia. That said, it might be time to look at the best internal hard drives the market has to offer today.
The Best Internal Hard Drives for Every Case
From budget systems to video editing stations, passing through game launchers, movie repositories, and network drives. No matter what your requirements are, you'll most likely find a good hard drive. Our list focuses on 3.5-inch models, but you won't have trouble finding portable equivalents. Want to know more?
Western Digital Blue - 1 TB
A true classic. A workhorse like few others. Any user planning to squeeze the price-performance ratio when assembling a computer will come across the Western Digital Blue. While the ideal is to add an SSD as an accelerator, the 1TB version holds its own very well. 7,200 revolutions, 64 MB of cache, and a two-year warranty seal the deal.
Toshiba P300 - 3 TB
It's not that common to find Toshiba in the general market. However, some of their drives are even distributed in retail, and one of them is the P300. In its 3-terabyte variant, the Toshiba P300 is one of the most balanced drives in terms of price-performance. Its specs are decent (7,200 RPM, 64 MB), and the manufacturer offers a two-year warranty.
Western Digital Black - 2 TB
Speed as a priority. You need the best of both worlds in terms of density and responsiveness, regardless of whether things get a bit noisier. The 2-terabyte variant of the Western Digital Black comes with only 64 MB of cache, but besides superior performance, the premium price gives you access to an extended five-year warranty.
Seagate Barracuda - 4 TB
Many of our readers have been particularly vocal in expressing their rejection of Seagate, but times have changed. The 4-terabyte Seagate Barracuda is as durable as its direct competitors, and the 256 megabytes of cache enable sequential reads of up to 190 megabytes per second, despite its 5,400 RPM. Two-year warranty.
Western Digital Red - 6 TB
Designed for backup drives with very long operating times, many users are ignoring NAS boxes and installing Western Digital Red drives directly in their computers. They are a bit more expensive than their Blue siblings and run at 5,400 RPM, but they still achieve about 175 MB/s sequential. Three-year warranty.
And our tour ends here for today. Don't forget that Western Digital also offers Gold and Purple drives, and Seagate has a very interesting Pro line. Did we leave out any model you'd like to mention? The comments are open. Good luck!
