Toshiba and WD external hard drives are quite good Seagate’s external hard drives are the cheapest, but they are less reliable Hitachi drives are consistently reliable. The most famous hard drive brands are Seagate, WD (Western Digital), Toshiba, and Hitachi (acquired by WD in 2012). Similarly, the brand of drive also makes a difference. Owing to the moving parts inside of external hard drives, a slight knock or drop can cause a great deal of damage. ConfigurationĮxternal hard drives are mechanical – using a mechanical arm with a read/write head to move around and read information from the right location on a storage platter – and its lifespan mostly depends on the wear of the mechanical structure. How do these factors affect external hard drive lifespan? Let’s see them one by one. The average external hard drive lifespan is about 3 to 5 years, provided that no physical damage occurs. How long do external hard drives last? This mostly depends on how you use it and other factors like configuration, brand, size, and environment. Can you use it forever? Definitely, the answer is no.

How Long Do External Hard Drives Last – 3 to 5 YearsĮxternal hard drives have many uses. How Long Do External Hard Drives Last FAQ.How to Deal with Unusable External Hard Drives?.How to Protect Your External Hard Drive from Failure?.How Long Do External Hard Drives Last – 3 to 5 Years.

Backup seagate external hard drive