We believe that cloud storage is the best solution for keeping your digital media assets safe and tucked away. But migrating content to the cloud is a process—and in the meantime, you’ll need to store that footage somewhere.
There are hundreds of hard drives to choose from, but production professionals have certain requirements, chief among them the ability to handle high throughput. While USB 3 ports can handle 5,000 Mbps, that doesn’t mean any hard drive can. Thunderbolt 3 ports can move media at an awesome 40,000 Mbps, but devices with this capability are pricier—and outclass the majority of hard drives anyway. You need top speed on both the port and the drive. As you may know, Blackmagic Design has a great tool to test disk speeds as you shop around.
Here are some of our top picks for hard drives for production professionals in 2021. (Note: none of these are affiliate links, nor was any of the content sponsored by these companies.)
****The Coolest: Samsung Portable SSD X5 Thunderbolt 3****
We realize this article is ostensibly about “hard drives,” but in reality, few pros are still using them. Solid state drives (SSDs) are superior to hard disk drives (HDDs) in a number of ways, primarily thanks to their speed. SSDs, like flash drives, lack physical moving parts, and can draw up information instantly. Samsung has long been a pioneer in SSD technology. Their X5 model offers thermal protection and password security, and its Thunderbolt 3 connection delivers some of the fastest speeds on the market. Their website claims—with some disclaimers—that you could “transfer a 20GB 4K UHD video from your PC to the X5 in as little as 12 seconds.”
It’s a pretty little thing, too: the design is fairly small, sleek and black, in keeping with Samsung’s attractive brand. Like other top-tier SSDs, though, this one will cost you. 1 TB runs $350, while 2 TB are a comparative bargain at $550.
****The Most Durable: G-Technology G-Drive Mobile Pro SSD****
This G-Drive offers Thunderbolt 3 speeds, like its Samsung competitor above. But where G-Technology trumps its rival is in durability: It’s got an aluminum core and an impressively long five-year warranty, though the company boasts it can withstand a 10-foot drop. (Not that we advise testing that claim.)
Its speed shines at 2,000 Mbps, giving it the power to transfer pretty significant files in just a few minutes. But that’s only with the Thunderbolt model, which will cost you extra. A 1 TB model will cost you about $350, or you can pick up 2 TB for $680.
****The Classic: LaCie Rugged RAID Pro****
LaCie’s Rugged RAID Pro is an industry favorite, and for good reason. Its exterior is extremely durable, and its guts are reliable as well. Combine those features with a more reasonable bang-for-your-buck price tag, and this iconic orange membrane has lived on the shelves of many editors and videographers.
Fancier models will offer Thunderbolt connections at costlier prices, but the RAID Pro model sticks with a classic USB 3 interface and HDD hardware that offers respectable—but not mind-blowing—speeds. The real boon here is the 4 TB storage space, which is a nice amount for the $350 “suggested price” on LaCie’s website.
****The Smallest: ADATA SD700 External Solid State Drive****
This pint-sized SSD drive is as tough as they come—waterproof, dustproof, shockproof—and to top it all off, it fits squarely in the palm of your hand. Because it’s an SSD, it’s also significantly faster than conventional hard drives, though it lacks Thunderbolt connectivity. Instead, it leans into its USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, connecting to Macs and Windows computers, but also Android and MacOS mobile devices, which is a handy feature for a device so tiny, quiet and light.
The downside? It caps out at 1 TB. It comes at an attractive price point of around $170, making it a nice little option for on-the-go pros and quick file transfers. But it’s not exactly a long-term storage solution.
****Ready to move past drives?****
If you’re tired of researching new drives to buy every year, and want to clear some space off your shelves, consider migrating to Alteon Cloud. Our storage pricing is tiered—meaning you only pay for what you use—and our cost per terabyte is significantly lower than buying the same space in physical drives. Organization is easier with customizable metadata and advanced search functions, instead of physically searching for physical drives. As for uploads, Alteon users get to take advantage of IBM Aspera, a rapid-speed file-transfer service. Our Adobe Premiere integration makes it simple to edit straight from the cloud, while making file sharing and remote collaboration easier still. Learn more at alteon.io.