external hard drive mac and pc compatible

The PS5 can store and play PS4 games from an external drive, but not PS5 games the Xbox Series X can store Series X games, but you'll have to transfer them to the main SSD to actually play them. One important note for console gamers is that the newer PS5 and Xbox Series X (and Series S) consoles are much more restrictive about using external drives. Ideally, you'll want redundant backups either off-site or using cloud storage for key data and large files (such as family photos) in case of theft or fire. But if they don't happen to be included, you can easily buy dongles for about $10.Īnd remember: A single backup doesn't cut it. Many of them include cables or adapters to accommodate USB-C and USB-A ports. Unless otherwise indicated, all the PC drives mentioned here are compatible with Windows but can be formatted for a Mac. But a lot of the time they'll be designated as working with a specific platform out of the box and sometimes come with backup software that's platform-specific. Most of the options on this list of the best external hard drive models will work across platforms - whether you have a Windows PC, Mac computer, PlayStation or Xbox - so long as the drives are correctly formatted for the right platform.

A solid-state drive doesn't have moving parts and the external SSD drive has up to four times faster read and write speed, but it costs a lot more per gigabyte. Prices have dropped significantly in the last few years, with even the high-capacity, state of the art, all-around best external hard drive models tipping the scales at 5TB but costing just over $100. Luckily, there are plenty of high-quality external hard drives for a variety of budgets.Ī traditional hard drive or mechanical drive that uses 'old' hard drive technology, with mechanical platters and a moving read-write head to access data, is adequate for most people thanks to speedier USB-C and USB 3.0 (as well as 3.1/3.2) interfaces.

Buying a PC with extra internal storage often requires that you pay a lofty sum. Opting for an external hard drive is one of the most cost-effective ways to maximize your storage, too.

If you always seem to be running out of storage on your gaming console or your PC, it might be time to buy an external hard drive.

External hard drive mac and pc compatible