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External hard drives are the best way to preserve large data without paying hundreds of dollars. In fact, you can get 2TB HDDs for under $80.
If you are looking for hard drives on sale, then chances are you are a data collector, and so am I. Over the years, I have saved many movies to hard drives from their original Blu-ray discs. For context, the sizes of Blu-ray movies are exponentially larger than any other video format.
Only hard drives with large capacities are the best way of preserving movies, games, or any other data, as a matter of fact. The larger the capacity, the better it is for users like us. If you are also looking for a large hard drive, we have a list of hard drives that will best suit your needs and budget. You will find this list in the article below.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions. Also, prices mentioned herein are subject to change.
What Are the Top External Hard Drives Available Under $80?
1) Toshiba Canvio Advance 2TB Portable External Hard Drive
The Toshiba Canvio Advance is a 2TB external hard drive with all the bells and whistles you can expect but in a slimmer and more sophisticated body. It comes in multiple colors, and the pricing will vary slightly depending on your color choice. This drive can deliver up to 149.6/156.3 MB/s read/write speeds, which is the top-level performance you can expect from a hard drive. Also, the Toshiba Canvio Advance comes with two years of warranty.
2) Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive
The Seagate Portable 2TB external hard drive delivers similar performance and the same storage capacity as the Toshiba Canvio Advance HDD but at a slightly lower cost. It has a flat design with a black color. The body is made of plastic without any premium materials for the texture or anything, which is probably how Seagate made it even cheaper. Also, it only has one year of limited warranty as opposed to the Toshiba Canvio Advance.
3) Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
The Toshiba Canvio Basics, as the name suggests, is the basic version of the Toshiba Canvio Advance. It delivers the same performance and storage capacity but at a much lower price tag. Therefore, you will have no issue with this drive in terms of actual day-to-day usage, but the lower price comes with some significant downsides.
The fancy design and the premium build materials are now gone. It is also slightly thicker than the Advance model. However, its under-$60 price tag makes it certainly more appealing.
4) Maxone 1TB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive
The Maxone 1TB Ultra Slim Portable is for people who are on a bit of a budget. This 1TB drive currently costs only about $47.69, which is a decent price for a hard drive of this caliber. The body is quite slim and lightweight, making it easier to carry. The surface of the body features a matte finish, so the drive won’t get any smudges or fingerprints. Also, this Maxone drive comes pre-formatted to NTFS to help users access this drive quickly.
5) UnionSine 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive
If you are on an extremely tight budget, we would recommend buying this UnionSine 500GB Ultra Slim Portable external hard drive. It will deliver similar speeds as other drives on this list, but it has only 500GB of storage space. In 2025, a 500GB hard drive is not much, but it’s enough to get you started on new projects. The design of the body actually looks quite amazing, and you will be seriously impressed by it. It’s a great drive for budget users.
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