Although a large-capacity HDD array and/or the cloud are better choices for archival storage, having a speedy SSD drive at your disposal is ideal for accessing and storing your most recent projects while on the go. All that static silicon is a great option when on location and/or working on time-sensitive assignments, as beyond being durable they are compact and typically have faster read and write speeds. This means SSDs are typically smaller and faster than an HDD. Why choose the best SSDs over a traditional large-capacity HDD?īecause an external solid state drive forgoes the physical spinning platters of traditional hard disc drives, it also avoids the space needed for a spindle, an arm with a magnetic read/write head, etc. We also emphasized portability and stuck only to portable SSDs since internal SSDs are an entirely different can of worms. We focused on drives from reputable companies with solid reputations for not losing data. To choose the best SSDs, we relied on hands-on testing, personal experience, spec comparisons, editorial reviews, and user feedback to find drives with the right mix of portability, reliability, and affordability. The writers and editors at PopPhoto are constantly moving photo and video files around, which makes fast transfer speeds and reliable drives crucial to our process. Best large-capacity: VectoTech Rapid 8TB External SSD.Best rugged: LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB Solid State Drive.Best overall: SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD.Ultimately, the best SSDs to be a lot more reliable when you are traveling around than using a drive with a spinning disc.

Made up of flash memory chips soldered on a circuit board, an external solid state drive (SSD) lacks the moving parts found in traditional external hard disc drives (HDDs) which makes the SSD less susceptible to damage from shock, plus gives it the ability to run quieter and faster. If you’ve been capturing memories with your camera for a while, you know there are two types of drives: one that has already failed and one that is about to fail. Whether you’re backing up files in the field or just trying to keep your laptop’s internal drive free from clutter, an SSD drive can help.

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