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How to Buy a High-Speed External Solid State Drive

How to · Tech

How to Buy a High-Speed External Solid State Drive

Get a drive that handles heavy files without choking, and time your purchase to get last year's model on sale.

VoAtlas editorial Updated · 3 min read
Typical cost $200 before anything else
Across the 0% window $13.33/mo 15 months, no interest

How we got that: $200 spread evenly across the 15-month introductory window on the Discover it® Cash Back. Checked · at the bank Carry a balance past the window and the standard APR applies to what is left.

A good external solid state drive backs up huge video files and runs games without stuttering. You want something built with a rugged metal case that handles drops, because buying a cheap plastic one now means replacing it in a year.

Wait for major retail deal events like October sales or Black Friday to pull the trigger. That is when manufacturers dump older stock to make room for new releases, meaning last year's top-tier speed drops down to a price you can actually live with.

The 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers is a deadline, not free money. If you still have a balance left when those 15 months are up, standard interest kicks in on the whole original amount.

The steps

  1. 01

    Pick your capacity and speed

    Aim for at least one terabyte if you edit video or carry massive photo libraries. Look for read and write speeds around 1000 megabytes per second so you are not sitting around waiting on file transfers.

  2. 02

    Time the retail sales

    Check price trackers to make sure the sale price is actually a discount. Major shopping holidays are your best bet for shaving fifty bucks off the retail price without settling for a lesser brand.

  3. 03

    Map out your payment timeline

    Divide the total cost by the months you need to pay it off. If you are spending $200, spreading that across the 15-month window comes out to $13.33 per month.

  4. 04

    Use your card terms

    You have a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers to break up the cost without paying extra in interest. Set up an automatic payment that clears the balance before that window closes.

  5. 05

    Test the drive immediately

    Run a disk speed test as soon as it arrives to make sure you got the performance you paid for. Keep the packaging until you verify the hardware is solid and error-free.

  6. 06

    Check the card terms before you commit

    Every figure we publish for the Discover it® Cash Back carries the date a person verified it against Discover and a link to where they checked. Intro windows and APRs change without notice, so confirm the current terms before applying.

    See Discover it® Cash Back terms →

Common questions

How much storage do I actually need?

One terabyte is the sweet spot for most people handling large media files or games. If you only deal with Word documents and basic spreadsheets, you can drop down to 500 gigabytes and save some cash.

Are portable SSDs fragile?

They have no moving parts, so they survive drops much better than old mechanical hard drives. Look for rubberized bumpers or aluminum shells if you plan to toss it in a backpack every day.

Do I need a special cable for top speeds?

Yes, you need to plug the drive into a USB-C port that supports modern data standards. Plugging a fast drive into an old computer port will throttle your speeds down to a crawl.

Is brand name important for SSDs?

Stick to established memory makers who build their own flash components. Off-brands might look cheaper, but they often use lower-quality memory that fails without warning.