The Best SATA Hard Drives of 2024

Selection of best hard drives for value, capacity, performance, and features

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SATA hard drives are the backbone of any PC or laptop build; they store your operating system and core files as well as games, documents, and applications you use and work on daily.

These are the best ones.

Best Overall

Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSHD

Seagate-firecuda-gaming-sshd-2tb-7200rpm

Amazon

Pros
  • Affordable

  • Great warranty

  • Good performance

Cons
  • Not as fast as true SSD

  •  Limited storage capacity options

Finding a hard drive that perfectly balances storage capacity, performance, and price can be a tall order. The Seagate FireCuda hybrid drive comes the closest to that ideal. It uses a blend of traditional hard disk and more modern solid-state drive technologies to give you the best of both worlds.

The 2TB size is perfect for typical office work, creative professional projects, and gaming applications. Our reviewer liked how this drive gave the stability of traditional hard disks and the performance and speed of solid-state models at an affordable price. The included 5-year warranty gives you additional peace of mind by protecting your data from accidental loss or corruption.

Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSHD

Lifewire / Zach Sweat 

Most Secure

Seagate BarraCuda 8TB

Seagate-barracuda-8tb-5400-rpm

Amazon

Pros
  • Large capacity

  • Good warranty

  • Integrated security

Cons
  • No bracket or cables included

Seagate also offers the BarraCuda hard disk drive, which offers excellent storage capacity and reliability, even if it lags behind its FireCuda cousin. With a capacity of up to 8TB, there is plenty of space for games, raw photo and video files, graphic design programs, and even use in servers. It uses multi-tier caching technology to load programs, files, and demanding applications much faster than its predecessors.

This means you'll be able to spend more time getting work done or playing games instead of waiting for Photoshop or Call of Duty to launch. Seagate offers a data recovery program that allows you to create cloud-based backups of your drive, protecting your work and personal data from accidental loss or file corruption. Integrated encryption software further protects your information from unauthorized access and theft.

Best Performance

Western Digital Black 4TB Hard Disk Drive

Western-digital-black-4tb-35-inch-performance-hard-disk-drive

Amazon

Pros
  • Fast read and write speeds

  • Good warranty

  • Large storage capacities

Cons
  • Pricey at higher capacities

Western Digital is one of the most recognizable brands in PC storage, and their Black line of hard drives is designed from the ground up for high-speed performance. It comes in capacity sizes from as small as 500GB for everyday office work to a truly impressive 10TB for creative professionals and gamers.

The 6TB model has extra cache DRAM for faster read and write speeds, and all models feature a dual-core processor to improve performance and cache loading. WD also uses its proprietary StableTrac technology to prevent damage to mechanical parts that may cause loss of files or data corruption. You can read our full review to learn more about the WD Black hard drive.

Western Digital Black 4TB HDD

Lifewire / Zach Sweat

Gaming

Samsung 860 EVO

Samsung-860-evo-25-inch-ssd

Amazon

Pros
  • Good performance

  • Reliable storage

  • Good size options

Cons
  • Uses older SATA 3 connectivity

  • Pricey at larger capacities

The Samsung 860 EVO is an excellent option for anyone wanting to upgrade their PC build with an SSD but still needs an affordable storage solution. You can choose a capacity from as small as 250GB to as large as 4TB to suit your work or recreation needs. It's compatible with Windows, Apple, and Linux-based computers, so you won't have to worry about having any issues with your computer recognizing the new drive. Content creators will love that this SSD is 4K ready, making it easy to shoot and edit raw UHD files. Its updated V-NAND technology allows the 860 EVO to read and write data almost eight times faster than its predecessor. You can look at our review to learn more about this SSD.

Samsung 860 EVO 2.5-inch SSD

Lifewire / Zach Sweat

Fastest

WD Black 6TB

Wd-black-6tb

Amazon

Pros
  • Good warranty

  • Fast file transfer speeds

  • Large storage capacity

Cons
  • Pricey

Whether you're a gamer who wants applications to launch in a blink or a creative professional who needs quick access to raw and finished files, the WD Black 6TB hard drive delivers. It offers a data transfer rate of up to 218MB/s, allowing you to quickly and easily transfer and save files. The proprietary Dynamic Cache Technology optimizes the drive's cache algorithms in real-time to help prioritize your most-used files and programs over everything else. Western Digital backs this drive with a 5-year warranty that covers mechanical failure or DOA units.

Best Endurance

Samsung 860 QVO

Samsung-860-qvo

Amazon

Pros
  • Apple and Windows compatible

  • Integrated encryption

  • Monitoring software included

Cons
  • More expensive than EVO models

For anyone who needs a storage drive that can stand the test of time, the Samsung 860 QVO is the best option. This SSD is one of the best on the market and most affordable. You can choose a capacity size from 1 to 4TB, efficiently storing everything from spreadsheets and Word documents to games and 4K video files. Integrated AES 256-bit encryption software protects your work and personal data from unauthorized access and theft.

The Samsung Magician software suite is also included, allowing you to monitor performance, drive health, and read/write speeds to catch and address problems before they cause any catastrophes. It's compatible with both Apple and Windows-based computers, so no matter what your home or office uses, there shouldn't be any issues with your PC recognizing the drive.

Pros
  • Affordable

  • Integrated encryption

  •  Installation instructions included

Cons
  • May not be compatible with older computers

The Crucial MX500 is a good choice for anyone looking to upgrade their PC build or buy their first SSD. You can choose a storage capacity from 250GB to 2TB, making this SSD a solid option for everyday office work or PCs mainly used at home. Integrated encryption software keeps all your personal information safe, and the micron 3D NAND technology allows faster cache access to your most-used programs and files.

Since this drive uses solid-state technology, it has a maximum read/write speed of 560MB/s; this means you can almost instantaneously access files and programs or transfer information from other storage devices. This SSD comes with step-by-step instructions for easy installation and Acronis True Image software for transferring files from an existing boot or storage drive.

Pros
  • Great price

  • Can create cloud-based backup

  • Decent capacity

Cons
  • Uses older tech

The WD Blue is more budget-friendly than competitors and its Black model cousins. The 1TB option retails for under $100, making it the perfect, affordable option for anyone building a PC on a tight budget or not wanting to spend money on features and storage they don't need. It features integrated vibration protection technology that helps insulate the platters from bumps and shuddering, protecting your data from loss and corruption. You can create a cloud-based copy of your drive with WD's Acronis True Image software to instantly recover your boot or storage drive in case of failure.

Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSHD

Lifewire / Zach Sweat

What to Look For in a SATA Hard Drive

If you're a PC gamer or creative professional, invest in a hard drive with a high capacity or a solid-state drive for faster access to your most-used programs. For typical home and office use, a lower capacity, traditional hard disk drive should have plenty of storage space for Word documents, spreadsheets, and the occasional photo folder.

Speed

Although SATA (serial advanced technology attachment) hard drives are slower than SSDs (solid-state drives), you can still get a component with respectable speeds. The average speed for a desktop hard drive is about 7,200 revolutions per minute (rpm), but some high-performance models run up to 10,000 rpm.

Capacity

Large capacity is likely crucial to you if you work in a technical or creative field. Hard drive capacities have continued to grow over the years, and capacity on traditional SATA HDDs is very inexpensive. For backing up large media libraries, you'll likely want to start your search in the 8-10TB range, though, for everyday usage on a desktop, 2-5TB is probably sufficient.

WD Black 4TB Performance Hard Drive

Lifewire / Zach Sweat

Form Factor

Because SATA hard drives have spinning parts, they can be only so small. For desktop devices, they generally measure 3.5 inches, and for laptops, 2.5 inches.

FAQ
  • What's the difference between HDD and SSD?

    HDD stands for hard disk drive, and SSD stands for solid state drive. An HDD is a traditional storage device for desktop and laptop computers, using mechanical components like reading arms (similar to the arm of a record player) and platters on which data is stored. A solid-state drive is newer tech, storing data on flash-memory chips rather than mechanical parts. This prevents damage and corruption due to mechanical failure, but SSDs are often much more expensive than traditional HDDs.

  • Should you buy an internal or external drive?

    If you use multiple computers at home and work, an external drive may be the best choice for storing data that needs to be moved around. External drives connect via USB and work much like flash drives, allowing you to drag and drop files, copy documents, and even create backups for your boot drive in case of catastrophic computer failures. Internal drives are best for your main computer, staying in place to be your boot drive or main storage device for raw images and documents that don't need to be moved around. These kinds of drives are designed to be dropped into a desktop or laptop and left there, rather than constantly plugged in and disconnected like their external drive cousins.

  • How much storage should you buy?

    That depends on what you need the hard drive for. If you're a creative professional who deals with raw photo and video files or large graphics, you'll want to invest in a hard drive that offers at least 1TB, if not more. Gamers will also want to invest in a high-capacity hard drive because many modern games have huge download files. For more typical office work, a 500GB hard drive is plenty of storage for documents, spreadsheets, and other files.

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