Best Internal Hard Drives

Updated February 2019
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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.
Bottom Line
Pros
Cons
Best of the Best
Western Digital
Black 1 TB
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Bottom Line

More expensive than others, but it runs fast and efficiently versus other platter hard drive designs.

Pros

Provides capacity choices ranging from 250 GB to 6 TB. Includes all of the latest hard drive technologies you'd expect to find in this price point. Built with vibration and corruption protection technologies. Designed with large cache memory area for maximum performance levels. Gives you a five-year warranty.

Cons

Carries a higher price point, as this is the top hard drive model from Western Digital.

Best Bang for the Buck
Western Digital
Blue 1 TB
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Bottom Line

Surprisingly low price for an HDD with better than average performance levels from trusted manufacturer.

Pros

Available in capacities ranging from 500 GB to 6 TB. Built with a large cache memory area that enhances the performance level. Works especially well to store photos and videos with its nice transmission speeds. Ships with software that will help you make backup copies in a hurry. Low price for this size of hard drive.

Cons

Offers only a two-year limited warranty. Doesn't have longevity of some other WD drives.

Seagate
FireCuda 1 TB
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Bottom Line

Ships with multiple technologies aimed at improving the speed of the hard drive's performance.

Pros

Offered in either 1 TB or 2 TB sizes. Able to load data more quickly than some cheaper drives by using flash-enhanced storage, which makes this a good option for games that need to access storage often. Will boot your computer more quickly than many HDDs. Includes a five-year limited warranty period.

Cons

Drive will run slower on slightly older computer setups, which may cause gaming errors.

Western Digital
Red 1 TB
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Bottom Line

Designed to work in NAS systems, this hard drive provides huge storage capacity options up to 10 TB.

Pros

High capacity HDD that's especially made for network attached storage (NAS) systems, although it will work in individual computers, too. Can handle the constant workloads that NAS systems encounter. Available in storage capacities between 1 TB and 10 TB. Includes a huge cache area for better speed.

Cons

Comes with only a three-year warranty. Doesn't include any cables, user manuals, or mounting screws.

Seagate
IronWolf 2 TB
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Bottom Line

Excellent performing HDD that's perfect for NAS systems and is available in capacity sizes up to 12 TB.

Pros

HDD that's optimized to work with always-on NAS systems, so it can handle a huge workload over time. Will work in NAS systems up to eight bays or in individual computer setups. Ships in storage capacities between 1 TB and 12 TB. Runs quietly. Will give you a pretty good price per TB of storage.

Cons

Has only a three-year limited warranty. Occasional build quality issues right out of the box.

How we decided

We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

15 Models Considered
8 Hours Researched
1 Experts Interviewed
176 Consumers Consulted
Zero products received from manufacturers.

We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

Why trust BestReviews?
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.

Internal hard drives allow you to store large amounts of data on your computer. At the same time, this drive is always connected to your computer. As such, a hard drive enables you to store photos, videos, and other media that you can access any time you choose. Some hard drives offer vibration and corruption protection, along with a large cache memory area. Meanwhile, hard drive storage capacity varies based on the model and manufacturer. For example, a low-end model's storage capacity usually falls around 250 GB. On the other hand, a high-end model may offer a storage capacity of up to 6 TB.

The team that worked on this review
  • Kyle
    Kyle
    Writer
  • Melinda
    Melinda
    Web Producer
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Western Digital

Black 1 TB

Western Digital

Black 1 TB

More expensive than others, but it runs fast and efficiently versus other platter hard drive designs.
$0
×

Western Digital

Blue 1 TB

Western Digital

Blue 1 TB

Surprisingly low price for an HDD with better than average performance levels from trusted manufacturer.
$46
×

Seagate

FireCuda 1 TB

Seagate

FireCuda 1 TB

Ships with multiple technologies aimed at improving the speed of the hard drive's performance.
$72
×

Western Digital

Red 1 TB

Western Digital

Red 1 TB

Designed to work in NAS systems, this hard drive provides huge storage capacity options up to 10 TB.
$65
×

Seagate

IronWolf 2 TB

Seagate

IronWolf 2 TB

Excellent performing HDD that's perfect for NAS systems and is available in capacity sizes up to 12 TB.
$77

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