External hard drives with 3 TB in the test
Hard drives are now available in a wide variety of capacities – 3 TB is a size that is not quite as common, but there are still some providers who offer the corresponding hard disks.
3 TB forms the transition between the "small" disks, which are popular above all for private use, and the really large storage solutions, which are primarily suitable for professional use, but also occasionally for an ambitious home user land.
The size is well suited for storing really large amounts of data and can also be used for extensive files such as films, series or even file formats from the industry.
Of course, there are also differences between the individual models available, which can be seen in the 3TB external hard drives but often limited to nuances - we have not yet taken a closer look at a really bad disk with 3 TB storage capacity.
The Best 3TB Hard Drives
| # | Preview | Products | ||
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| 1 |
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i-tec 3TB External... |
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| 2 |
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HURRICANE GD35612... |
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| 3 |
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HURRICANE 3518S3... |
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| 4 |
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Toshiba Canvio... |
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| 5 |
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Seagate Portable... |
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| 6 |
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WD Elements Portable... |
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| 7 |
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WD Elements Portable... |
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| 8 |
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WD Elements Portable... |
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| 9 |
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WD Elements Portable... |
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| 10 |
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Sonnics 3TB Red... |
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But what are the crucial points now – and what should be considered when buying?
The speed
We don't have to explain at length why this point is so important. Just this much: If large amounts of data are stored, they should of course also be able to be called up and uploaded quickly – with 3 TB storage capacity a corresponding transmission speed is therefore important, as is overall performance.
Because it not only depends on how fast the built-in disk is, but also on other factors such as the access time and last but not least the connection used.
With an external hard drive 3TB storage space a USB 2.0 connection is definitely not enough and is also used by very few manufacturers - instead it is USB 3.0 now the standard.
Of course, even faster disks with USB type C, also known as Thunderbolt, are also available - but of course they have to be paid for accordingly. However, USB 3.0 is sufficient for most applications, precisely because an HDD is almost always used with a capacity of 3 TB.
Small details make the difference - even with large capacities
You prefer a 3TB external hard drive searches, will normally store large and often also important data - and will hardly use it in a portable way, because such a volume of data does not normally have to be carried around.
If so, there are of course a few 2,5" external hard drives with 3 TB storage capacity, which are also suitable for portable use and are not necessarily extremely expensive.
Normally there is one 3TB external hard drive however, in the 3,5" format and intended for use on the desktop - and here, in addition to the performance, there are above all two points that can be decisive for the purchase:
- Safety. A very important issue, especially when the hard drive is to record sensitive company data or even be integrated into a network - which is why some manufacturers have specialized in supplying external hard drives with special security standards.
- Design. Actually not a decisive point, but when used on the Desk somehow interesting - but most manufacturers do not hide themselves here and just wrap their models with large storage capacities in it Housing made of aluminium.
Another factor may also be the power consumption - but for most users this is at most secondary if the rest of the overall package is convincing.
3 TB external hard drives – now also available cheaply
Storage capacity has definitely gotten cheaper over the last few years and is still getting cheaper – today you can get by with well under 50 euros per TB of storage space if you don’t have extremely high requirements. Of course, you can also spend several hundred euros for this amount.
In the external hard drives with 3 TB As a home user, you can expect to spend between 100 and 150 euros for a solid model - if you then have special requests, you will of course have to pay more and can quickly spend a multiple.
There are a large number of 3 TB hard drives from the major manufacturers that can convince with their reliability, sufficient performance and a really chic design - in our overview you can of course also find top models that are primarily suitable for professional use.
