Portable HDD vs external SSD: which one?
**Portable HDD**: $50–150 for 1–5TB. Slow (150–220 MB/s), durable, cheap per TB. Best for backups, media archives, cold storage. **External SSD**: $100–200 for 1TB. Fast (1000+ MB/s), portable, expensive. Best for active work (4K video editing while traveling). For most people: Portable HDD. For content creators: External SSD. Both are reliable.
Capacity: 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB?
**1TB**: $50–70. Enough for 200 photos + 20 HD videos or documents. Smallest/lightest. **2TB**: $60–90. Recommended starting point. Photos, videos, documents + backup. **4TB+**: $100–150. Backup everything (photos, video archive, media library). Best value per TB. Rule of thumb: Buy 2× the capacity you think you need.
Seagate Portable vs WD My Passport: which brand?
**Seagate Portable**: Slightly faster (220 MB/s), includes 2-month Seagate+ subscription, durable. **WD My Passport**: Slightly slower, colorful finishes, good build quality, compact. Both are reliable (low failure rates). Pick Seagate for speed, WD for reliability track record. Price is similar.
USB 3.0 vs USB 3.1: does it matter?
**USB 3.0**: 5 Gbps, good enough. Most portable drives have this. **USB 3.1**: 10 Gbps, overkill for HDDs (drives max at 220 MB/s = 1.76 Gbps). Pay extra if your PC has USB-C, otherwise USB 3.0 is fine.
Backup software: Time Machine, Windows Backup, or Backblaze?
**Time Machine (Mac)**: Free, automatic hourly backups. Plug in drive, forget it. **Windows Backup**: Free, file history backup. Works but less comprehensive. **Backblaze**: $60/year, cloud backup. Best for disasters. Portable drive + Backblaze = true redundancy.