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Big 5TB portable external hard drive drops in price ahead of Black Friday

Big storage, if an HDD is what you want
Kevin PocockContributor
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Western Digital WD 5TB ElementsSave 21% NOW
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Big 5TB portable external hard drive drops in price ahead of Black Friday
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Black Friday is a sensible time to look for added storage, portable or otherwise. But we’ve already seen a shift in cost for the Western Digital WD 5TB Elements. The big external hard drive rocketed to $275 this month. But a new Amazon deal has cut the price back down to a more likable level. The drive is now available for $217.19, which may be helpful if you need a simple, capacious portable drive to take with you.

Prices and savings can change. Check the retailer for the current price.

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Why we’d pick the Western Digital WD 5TB Elements

A capacious drive

This drive offers a massive 5TB of storage space. That’s useful if you need to carry large files with you, like media or creative works. Or if portable backups (for example, of whole drives) are something you’re keen to have on hand. A 5TB drive offers a serious amount of storage that is usually tricky to fill.

Plug and play

This portable hard drive connects via USB 3 (USB 3.2 Gen 1/USB 3.0) and comes ready to plug and play with Windows laptops and desktops. Simply connect the drive for access to massive storage. If you’re a Mac user, you can also use the drive, but you will need to reformat it before it functions.

Pretty compact

In terms of portability, this drive is well suited to being carried in a pocket or luggage. It measures just 4.35 inches (L) x 3.23 inches (W) x 0.82 inches (Th) and weighs only 8.23oz. That’s small and light enough to be a truly portable drive on which you can store a massive amount of data.

What to consider before you buy

Although there is a lot of space available with the Western Digital WD 5TB Elements, it is a portable hard drive. That means you can’t expect fast data transfers, and if that is a key requirement, then a portable SSD is more likely the better option. Having said that, you’ll get more storage for the same money with an HDD-powered drive, so the choice is yours.

Prices and savings can change. Check the retailer for the current price.

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Kevin has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs, and all things consumer tech. And more than 17 years experience in tech journalism.

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