Rank #4 in Best 2TB External Hard Drive: 8 Ranked, and the Speeds That Don't Add Up
Toshiba Canvio Partner 2TB Portable Hard Drive
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The Toshiba Canvio Partner is the 2TB portable drive at number four in this guide. It is a 2.5-inch, 5400 RPM disk in a black plastic case, priced at £100.93 and rated 4.5 out of 5 across 12,648 Amazon ratings. The listing says it works with Mac and Windows, that it needs no software or drivers, and that it will also connect to a PlayStation 4. The rating histogram in the listing is lopsided in the usual way: 73 five-star entries against 5 one-star.
The number worth interrogating is the speed. The spec table quotes a read speed of 625 Megabytes Per Second. The bullet text quotes a data transfer rate of up to 5Gbps. Those are not two measurements of two things — 5 Gigabits per second converts to 625 Megabytes per second, so the same figure is listed twice, once as though it described the disk and once as though it described the cable. The same spec table also lists a media speed of "> 300 MB/s" and a rotational speed of 5400 RPM on a 2.5-inch platter, which is the part that actually governs how quickly files move. Two other fields read oddly as published: "Specific Uses For Product: stress" and a cache memory size of "2" with no unit given. Everything on this page is taken from the Amazon listing, not from testing we carried out.
How those 12,648 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.5 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £100.93 |
|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 from 12,648 ratings |
| Listed read speed | 625 Megabytes Per Second |
| Data transfer rate | 5 Gigabits Per Second — the same figure as 625 MB/s, stated differently |
| Rotational speed | 5400 RPM |
| Form factor | 2.5-inch |
| Media speed (as listed) | > 300 MB/s |
| Specific uses for product (as listed) | stress |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“I needed a realible external storage devise after a failure of two ,yes two, SeaGate external drive...up to now all fine.I managed to transfer 300 gb of files after paying an hefty £720 To have the files retived from the SeaGates.Time will tell if Toshiba Canvio Partner keep it up with espetation”
Verified purchase“It's been months now and this thing zips nicely. No complaints. I got a case for it to keep it from knocking (have lost previous drives to falling just a few feet and being rendered useless) It's size is good, easy to use and transfers fast.”
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best 2TB External Hard Drive: 8 Ranked, and the Speeds That Don't Add Up.
Questions people ask
What capacity does the Toshiba Canvio Partner offer?
2TB. The listing says that is enough for documents, photos, music and videos.
How fast does it transfer files?
The listing gives the same speed twice in different units: a read speed of 625 Megabytes Per Second in the spec table, and a data transfer rate of up to 5Gbps in the bullet text. 5 Gigabits per second is 625 Megabytes per second.
What speed does the disk inside spin at?
The spec table lists 5400 RPM and a 2.5-inch form factor.
Do I need to install software or drivers?
No. The listing says you plug the Canvio Partner into a USB port and it is ready to use out of the box.
Is it compatible with Macs and consoles?
The product name says Mac and Windows compatible, and the spec table lists the Sony PlayStation 4 as a compatible console model.
Does it protect against knocks?
The listing says the drive features shock sensors to protect your data against accidental drops or bumps.
Comments
Reader comments are not checked against the manufacturer's claims above.
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