5 Best External Hard Drives Under $300 in the US - September 2020
What External Hard Drive Under $300 to Buy in September 2020?
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| Seagate Backup Plus | Western Digital My Passport - 2TB | Western Digital My Book - 4TB | Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb | Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The highest rated external hard drive under $500. It is USB powered and has a hard drive capacity of 4TB. Purchasers report that this external hard drive has a very fast read/write speed, it's really well designed and superb in terms of connectivity. | A bargain price and fully featured 250g external hard drive. It has a password protection and a read speed of 400MB/s and is USB powered. | A fully featured and cheap 1kg external hard drive. It has a password protection and a hard drive capacity of 4TB and is USB powered. | A fully featured but 5 year old 860g external hard drive. It is USB powered and has a hard drive capacity of 5TB. | A fully featured and good value for money 1kg external hard drive. It is USB powered and has a hard drive speed of 7,200 RPM. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 Reason For
Better Kagoo Score |
6 Reasons For
76% Lighter Password Protection $5 Cheaper More Shops Are Selling It 15 Months Newer Better Brand |
3 Reasons For
Password Protection More Shops Are Selling It Better Brand |
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6 Reasons Against
A Lot Heavier 1TB Smaller Hard Drive Capacity More Expensive by $5 Fewer Sellers Older by Over Two Years Worse Brand |
3 Reasons Against
Vastly Smaller Hard Drive Capacity Does Not Support RAID Support Worse Kagoo Score |
6 Reasons Against
Vastly Heavier Smaller Hard Drive Capacity 1,800 RPM Slower Hard Drive Speed Worse Kagoo Score $88 More Expensive Over One Year Older |
6 Reasons Against
42% Heavier Worse Kagoo Score $56 More Expensive Not As Many Stockists Over Two Years Older Worse Brand |
7 Reasons Against
Vastly Heavier Smaller Hard Drive Capacity Worse Kagoo Score More Expensive by $26 Not As Many Stockists Older by Over Four Years Worse Brand 1 More Item
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Full Details |
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Full Details |
Seagate Backup Plus
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$99.99
Adorama
Seagate Backup Plus |
Buy Now |
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4TB
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5,000 Mbit/s
DATA TRANSFER
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860g
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The Seagate Backup Plus has a Kagoo Score of 85. With a price tag of $99.99 this external hard drive is good value for money. For further details check out our full review of the Seagate Backup Plus or read our article on whether you should buy a Seagate external hard drive.
The highest rated external hard drive under $500. It is USB powered and has a hard drive capacity of 4TB. Purchasers report that this external hard drive has a very fast read/write speed, it's really well designed and superb in terms of connectivity.
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85
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Fully-Featured |
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84
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Quite Popular |
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86
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Very Good |
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85
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Excellent |
1 Reason For for Choosing the Seagate Backup Plus
The Seagate Backup Plus has received a Kagoo Score of 85, whereas the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb scored 84, the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb scored only 73, the Western Digital My Book - 4TB scored 81 and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB scored 82.
6 Reasons Against for Choosing the Seagate Backup Plus
The Seagate Backup Plus has a weight of 860g (as does the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb), but the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb is a 1kg external hard drive (140g heavier), the Western Digital My Book - 4TB is a 1kg external hard drive (170g heavier) and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB is a 250g external hard drive (610g lighter). More ...
'Weight' denotes the weight of the external hard drive, measured in grams (g).
A heavier hard drive will be bulkier, and more annoying to carry around.
The Seagate Backup Plus has a hard drive capacity of 4GB (as does the Western Digital My Book - 4TB), whereas the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB are both 2TB external hard drives (2TB smaller) and the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb is a 5TB external hard drive (1TB bigger). More ...
'Hard Drive Capacity' denotes how much data the hard drive can hold, measured in gigabytes (GB).
A bigger hard drive capacity means that it can hold more files and data at once.
The Seagate Backup Plus is $5 more expensive than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB.
The Seagate Backup Plus is only stocked by 2 sellers, but the Western Digital My Book - 4TB is stocked by 3 stores and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB is stocked by 3 sellers. More ...
The Seagate Backup Plus is one year older than the Western Digital My Book - 4TB and two years older than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB. The Seagate Backup Plus is the same age as the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb.
Seagate external hard drives have an average rating of only 94.9%, but Western Digital has an average rating of 95%.
The cheapest price that we could find for the Backup Plus in the US is $99.99 but in total we found only 2 prices for it.
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+3 more prices
In stock
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$99.99
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In stock
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$134.99
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In stock
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$164.99
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In stock
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$204.99
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+1 more price
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$132.48
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3 Year Warranty
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$197.48
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Western Digital My Passport - 2TB
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$94.99
e-Global Central US
Western Digital My Passport - 2TB |
Buy Now |
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2TB
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5,000 Mbit/s
DATA TRANSFER
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250g
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400MB/s
READ SPEED
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The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB has a Kagoo Score of 82. With a price tag of $94.99 this external hard drive is good value for money. For further details check out our full review of the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB or read our article on whether you should buy a Western Digital external hard drive.
A bargain price and fully featured 250g external hard drive. It has a password protection and a read speed of 400MB/s and is USB powered.
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84
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Fully-Featured |
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83
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Very Good |
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82
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Excellent |
6 Reasons For for Choosing the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB
The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB is a 250g external hard drive. That's 750g lighter than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb (1kg), 610g lighter than the Seagate Backup Plus and the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb (860g) and 780g lighter than the Western Digital My Book - 4TB (1kg). More ...
'Weight' denotes the weight of the external hard drive, measured in grams (g).
A heavier hard drive will be bulkier, and more annoying to carry around.
The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB has a password protection (as does the Western Digital My Book - 4TB), whereas the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb, the Seagate Backup Plus and the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb do not have this feature. More ...
'Password Protection' indicates whether the hard drive has password protection as a security measure against unauthorised entry.
Setting a password on your hard drive stops anyone plugging it in and reading the information stored on it - it's a good mid-level security feature.
The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB costs $25.90 less than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb, costs $5 less than the Seagate Backup Plus, costs $55.83 less than the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb and costs $87.92 less than the Western Digital My Book - 4TB.
A greater number of stores increases the price competition amongst retailers for this external hard drive and also increases the chances of the product remaining in stock.
The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB was released five years later than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb, released two years later than the Seagate Backup Plus, released two years later than the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb and released 15 months later than the Western Digital My Book - 4TB
Western Digital external hard drives have an average rating of 95%, whereas Buffalo only has an average rating of 86.7% and Seagate only has an average rating of 94.9%.
3 Reasons Against for Choosing the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB
The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB is a 2GB external hard drive, and so does the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb. That's 2TB smaller than the Seagate Backup Plus and the Western Digital My Book - 4TB (4TB) and 3TB smaller than the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb (5TB). More ...
'Hard Drive Capacity' denotes how much data the hard drive can hold, measured in gigabytes (GB).
A bigger hard drive capacity means that it can hold more files and data at once.
The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB does not support RAID support, whereas the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb, the Seagate Backup Plus, the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb and the Western Digital My Book - 4TB do. More ...
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a system to allow multiple hard drives to link together as a single unit, pooling their capacity to create a single large drive.
A RAID array is helpful for storing very large amounts of data and to allow for additional protection for the data stored on it - if one of the drives fails, the data on the other drives will remain safe.
The Western Digital My Passport - 2TB has received a Kagoo Score of 82, however the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb scored 84 and the Seagate Backup Plus scored 85.
The cheapest price that we could find for the My Passport - 2TB in the US is $94.99 and in total we found 3 prices for it.
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Out of stock
+2 more prices
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$69.99
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Out of stock
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$79.99
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Out of stock
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$79.99
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Out of stock
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$79.99
Delivery unknown
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24 Months Warranty
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$94.99
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Western Digital My Book - 4TB
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$182.91
Overstock
Western Digital My Book - 4TB |
Buy Now |
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4TB
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5,000 Mbit/s
DATA TRANSFER
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5,400 RPM
HARD DRIVE
ROTATIONAL |
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1kg
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The Western Digital My Book - 4TB has a Kagoo Score of 81. However with a price tag of $182.91 this external hard drive is a bit expensive. For further details check out our full review of the Western Digital My Book - 4TB or read our article on whether you should buy a Western Digital external hard drive.
A fully featured and cheap 1kg external hard drive. It has a password protection and a hard drive capacity of 4TB and is USB powered.
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83
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Fully-Featured |
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81
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Very Good |
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81
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Excellent |
3 Reasons For for Choosing the Western Digital My Book - 4TB
The Western Digital My Book - 4TB has a password protection (as does the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB), however the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb, the Seagate Backup Plus and the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb do not have this feature. More ...
'Password Protection' indicates whether the hard drive has password protection as a security measure against unauthorised entry.
Setting a password on your hard drive stops anyone plugging it in and reading the information stored on it - it's a good mid-level security feature.
A greater number of retailers increases the price competition amongst retailers for this external hard drive and also increases the chances of the product remaining in stock.
Western Digital external hard drives have an average rating of 95%, however Buffalo only has an average rating of 86.7% and Seagate only has an average rating of 94.9%.
6 Reasons Against for Choosing the Western Digital My Book - 4TB
The Western Digital My Book - 4TB is a 1g external hard drive. That's 30g heavier than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb (1kg), 170g heavier than the Seagate Backup Plus and the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb (860g) and 780g heavier than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB (250g). More ...
'Weight' denotes the weight of the external hard drive, measured in grams (g).
A heavier hard drive will be bulkier, and more annoying to carry around.
The Western Digital My Book - 4TB is a 4GB external hard drive, and so does the Seagate Backup Plus. That's 2TB bigger than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB (2TB) and 1TB smaller than the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb (5TB). More ...
'Hard Drive Capacity' denotes how much data the hard drive can hold, measured in gigabytes (GB).
A bigger hard drive capacity means that it can hold more files and data at once.
The Western Digital My Book - 4TB is a 5 RPM hard drive rotational speed external hard drive. That's 1,800 RPM slower than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb (7,200 RPM). More ...
'Hard Drive Speed' is a measurement of the speed of the hard-drive, measured in revolutions per minute (RPM).
Higher RPMs means the hard drive is spinning faster, meaning data on the drive can be accessed with less delay and more efficiently.
The Western Digital My Book - 4TB has received a Kagoo Score of 81, but the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb scored 84, the Seagate Backup Plus scored 85 and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB scored 82.
The Western Digital My Book - 4TB is more expensive than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb by $62, more expensive than the Seagate Backup Plus by $83, more expensive than the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb by $32 and more expensive than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB by $88.
The Western Digital My Book - 4TB is older than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB by 15 months.
The cheapest price that we could find for the My Book - 4TB in the US is $182.91 and in total we found 3 prices for it.
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Out of stock
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$119.99
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$182.91
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Out of stock
+1 more price
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$259.00
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Out of stock
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$319.99
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Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb
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$150.82
Overstock
Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb |
Buy Now |
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5TB
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860g
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The Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb has a Kagoo Score of 73. With a price tag of $150.82 this external hard drive is fair value for money. For further details check out our full review of the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb or read our article on whether you should buy a Seagate external hard drive.
A fully featured but 5 year old 860g external hard drive. It is USB powered and has a hard drive capacity of 5TB.
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80
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Fully-Featured |
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73
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Very Good |
6 Reasons Against for Choosing the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb
The Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb is an 860g external hard drive, and so does the Seagate Backup Plus. That's 140g lighter than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb (1kg), 170g lighter than the Western Digital My Book - 4TB (1kg) and 610g heavier than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB (250g). More ...
'Weight' denotes the weight of the external hard drive, measured in grams (g).
A heavier hard drive will be bulkier, and more annoying to carry around.
The Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb has only received a Kagoo Score of 73, but the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb scored 84, the Seagate Backup Plus scored 85, the Western Digital My Book - 4TB scored 81 and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB scored 82.
The Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb is more expensive than the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb by $30, more expensive than the Seagate Backup Plus by $51 and more expensive than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB by $56.
Only 1 store sell the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb, however 2 retailers sell the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb, 2 sellers sell the Seagate Backup Plus, 3 shops sell the Western Digital My Book - 4TB and 3 stores sell the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB. More ...
The Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb is older than the Western Digital My Book - 4TB by one year and older than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB by two years. The Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb is the same age as the Seagate Backup Plus.
Seagate external hard drives have an average rating of only 94.9%, however Western Digital has an average rating of 95%.
The cheapest price that we could find for the Backup Plus - 5Tb in the US is $150.82 but in total we found only 1 price for it.
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$150.82
Delivery unknown
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Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb
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$120.89
Overstock
Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb |
Buy Now |
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2TB
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5,000 Mbit/s
DATA TRANSFER
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7,200 RPM
HARD DRIVE
ROTATIONAL |
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1kg
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The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb has a Kagoo Score of 84. With a price tag of $120.89 this external hard drive is good value for money. For further details check out our full review of the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb or read our article on whether you should buy a Buffalo external hard drive.
A fully featured and good value for money 1kg external hard drive. It is USB powered and has a hard drive speed of 7,200 RPM.
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84
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Fully-Featured |
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83
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Quite Popular |
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84
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Very Good |
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84
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Excellent |
7 Reasons Against for Choosing the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb
The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb has a weight of 1g, however the Seagate Backup Plus and the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb are both 860g external hard drives (140g lighter), the Western Digital My Book - 4TB is a 1kg external hard drive (30g heavier) and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB is a 250g external hard drive (750g lighter). More ...
'Weight' denotes the weight of the external hard drive, measured in grams (g).
A heavier hard drive will be bulkier, and more annoying to carry around.
The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb has a hard drive capacity of 2GB (as does the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB), but the Seagate Backup Plus and the Western Digital My Book - 4TB are both 4TB external hard drives (2TB bigger) and the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb is a 5TB external hard drive (3TB bigger). More ...
'Hard Drive Capacity' denotes how much data the hard drive can hold, measured in gigabytes (GB).
A bigger hard drive capacity means that it can hold more files and data at once.
The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb has received a Kagoo Score of 84, but the Seagate Backup Plus scored 85.
The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb is $21 more expensive than the Seagate Backup Plus and $26 more expensive than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB.
The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb is only stocked by 2 sellers, however the Western Digital My Book - 4TB is stocked by 3 shops and the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB is stocked by 3 retailers. More ...
The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb is two years older than the Seagate Backup Plus, two years older than the Seagate Backup Plus - 5Tb, three years older than the Western Digital My Book - 4TB and five years older than the Western Digital My Passport - 2TB.
Buffalo external hard drives have an average rating of only 86.7%, however Seagate has an average rating of 94.9% and Western Digital has an average rating of 95%.
The cheapest price that we could find for the DriveStation Velocity - 2Tb in the US is $120.89 but in total we found only 2 prices for it.
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Out of stock
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$109.99
Delivery unknown
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2 Year Warranty
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$120.89
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Go to Store |
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12TB
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500 Mbit/s
DATA TRANSFER
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7,200 RPM
HARD DRIVE
ROTATIONAL |
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3kg
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4TB
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960 Mbit/s
DATA TRANSFER
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247g
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2TB
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140 Mbit/s
DATA TRANSFER
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5,400 RPM
HARD DRIVE
ROTATIONAL |
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140g
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