Plex is a media software solution that manages your digital files, giving you access to them and streaming movies on other devices. Plex lets you create your own private library so any file can be accessed at any time without having to carry it around with you all the time. With this type of accessibility comes to ease–you will never have trouble finding what show or movie you want because everything is available in one place!
It is safe to say that the amount of storage space available for you to easily store all your data has greatly increased these days. The best storage solutions for Plex are hard drives that have a variety of features to ensure they’re reliable. These will allow you to store everything on them and work with them for days without having issues!
At a Glance:
This post has given you the best options for hard drives to use with Plex, so it is up to you now. We have researched and tested the most popular choices ourselves as well, so we can vouch that these are all good products. With a lot of research and consideration put into this article, our goal was not only to provide information but also empower readers by giving them a list of easy-to-purchase items they should consider purchasing if they want the best experience possible when using Plex. I hope you found my blog helpful!
- Our Recommendations for Best Hard Drive for Plex
- Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive USB
- Seagate (STEB8000100) Expansion Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD
- LaCie Rugged External Hard Drive
- WD My Cloud EX2
- Seagate IronWolf 8TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD
- WD 4TB My Cloud EX2
- Seagate Expansion External Hard Drive
- WD 14TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive
- Seagate IronWolf NAS 5900RPM Internal SATA Hard Drive 1TB
- Seagate IronWolf 110 SSD
- Summary for Best Hard Drive for Plex
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Buying Guide of Best Hard Drive for Plex in 2022
- Conclusion
Our Recommendations for Best Hard Drive for Plex
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Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive USB
The Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive USB is a great option for people looking to store large amounts of data. The hard drive has plenty of room, and it also features fast transfer speeds that will allow you to quickly access your files.
Toshiba’s Canvio Basics Exclusive 2TB is a portable external hard drive that can be used to take your movie and series collections on the go or make system backups, including office documents and holiday pictures. On top of this, a durable carrying case made out of high-quality fabric protects its matte black casing from dents and scratches. Via the USB 3.0 connection, you’re able to transfer an average-sized video file in about 15 seconds which makes it perfect for those who work with lots of content editing quickly!
Add storage to your laptop or PC with the simple plug-and-play operation. Ready for use and no software installation required, you’ll have intuitive drag & drop files from device to computer!
Store up to 4TB of your massive collection of photos, music, and videos in one place on a storage device with the capacity. Now you can save all those memories without worrying about running out of space!
Pros
- Lots of storage space on one affordable product!
- The casing is made up of sturdy plastic.
- Great portability.
Cons
- It can not help in data recovery.
Seagate (STEB8000100) Expansion Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD
The Seagate 8TB Expansion Desktop External Hard Drive is an excellent device for those with a Windows or macOS system that needs more storage space. It automatically recognizes any machine it’s plugged into and has no setup required, so users can start saving data right away!
This incredible hard drive can store 8 TB of data and is compatible with USB 2.0 connections, as well! You just drag-and-drop files from your computer to the external hard drive using a 4′ cable that’s included in the package.
The Seagate Expansion drive is a user-friendly way to add data storage when you need it. Drag and drop files right out of the box, or even import them from an external hard drive with USB 3.0 technology for fast speed in transferring your important documents without any lag time!
You’ll be able to store all your data in a safe place with this Expansion drive. Installing is as easy as plugging it into the power cord, and then any USB 3.0 port for quick access to saving files within seconds!
Pros
- Easy to attach with laptop because of its USB 3.0 support.
- Has an attractive design that suits almost every room perfectly.
- Very easy to install.
Cons
- It is a little noisy and slower.
LaCie Rugged External Hard Drive
Designed specifically for the everyday user, this 4TB Rugged Mini USB 3.0 External Hard Drive is an excellent storage option when on the go. In addition to a shock and pressure resistant design, it features a rubber sleeve for increased protection against drops or falls – making it perfect wherever you are!
The LaCie Rugged External Hard Drive is the ultimate storage device. With its impact-resistant design, it can withstand any periods of forces that come in contact with it; even a car driving over them!
The 8TB size makes these external hard drives perfect for storing large amounts of data like movies or music libraries while still having enough space to store work files without worrying about running out of room. Data transfers at 130MB/s which ensures your transfer speeds are quick, secure, and reliable every time you plug into your computer’s USB 3.0 interface.
Rugged Mini is the perfect storage solution for any videographer. With up to 5TB of space, this rugged drive has enough room for all your footage and a massive content library.
Pros
- lt is so easy to carry and it weighs 3.2 pounds only.
- It is very suitable for Apple or PC laptops.
- Comes with HDMI and Thunderbolt connectors.
Cons
- It does not work well with PlayStation or Xbox.
WD My Cloud EX2
The WD My Cloud is a device that you plug into your TV and connect to the internet. It lets you watch videos on any DLNA-certified media player in your house, or listen to music from anywhere with an Ethernet connection (even if it’s across town!). The 2TB version can store up to about 16 hours of video content which means less streaming buffering for all!
With the ability to achieve 110 MB/s read and 70MB/s write, this is a perfect external hard drive for the Plex media server. It’s slower than some internal drives but still quick enough with Gigabit Ethernet connection speeds.
The 3.5-inch drive bay is easy to open and swap out without needing any tools, but if you want to install 2.5-inch drives or SSDs then it requires an adapter tray as well as a SATA data/power extension cable for the installation process.
With the EX2 Ultra, users can store and share digital content with friends or colleagues.
The dual 4TB drives are mirrored so that if one fails, your data is still safe on the other. This system scored very well in our testing for throughput speeds which led to a seamless streaming experience at 2160p resolution as well as fast backups!
The new NETGEAR EX2 Ultra storage solution has been designed to help you manage all of your media files from any device anywhere without sacrificing quality – even when stored locally but also accessible remotely through NTFS/CIFS networks (such as during business travels). Thanks to its Marvell Armada 385 CPU and 1GB of memory it’s no surprise this box manages some impressive numbers.
Pros
- Easy setup.
- Quick and easy file transfer.
- Can easily connect devices to one storage.
Cons
- No data superfluity.
Seagate IronWolf 8TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD
NAS drives are a great option for those looking to store their data in the cloud. The drive is especially geared towards people with dedicated storage servers, and it has an increased workload rate that can handle more simultaneous plex users than your average hard drive.
The WD Black 8TB Hard Drive is a news release that offers users with different needs the ability to customize their storage options as they please. The drive also has a high cache of 256 MB and handles 180 TB/year workload rates for most basic tasks, but falls behind in burst speeds when compared to other hard drives on the market.
Many people use external hard disk plugs instead of traditional backups because it’s cheaper than buying an additional internal HDD or SSD at significant cost savings. Upgrading your computer’s existing hardware can be expensive, so this option lets you save more money without sacrificing performance too much!
The Seagate Ironwolf is the perfect drive for NAS (Network Attached Storage) storage, especially if you have multiple users accessing Plex Media. With rotational vibration sensors and 7200 rpm speeds, this can provide decent performance with minimal wait time.
If you plan to have more than 8 drives in your Plex server, then the Seagate IronWolf Pro version is recommended. With great performance and high endurance for long periods of time, it can handle large workloads with ease thanks to its health monitoring system.
Pros
- The Storage Space Is Reliable And Large.
- NAS hard drives are designed to provide power, performance.
- This Ironwolf 8TB has a 64MB Cache.
Cons
- Required compatible NAS software and, this can be difficult for some people.
WD 4TB My Cloud EX2
If you’re looking for a simple external solution to your dedicated Plex media server, then the WD My Cloud EX2 is an option that may be worth taking into consideration. This desktop NAS drive has 2x 3.5″ drives and comes with its built periods-in processor, RAM, and Gigabit Ethernet connection which ensures quick transfer speeds when storing files onto it as well as giving the increased overall performance of any other system connected from this device.
The WD RED NAS is an affordable home media server that offers plenty of features. For example, it supports Plex Media Server so you can stream your content to any device with internet access or even use the drive as a DVR and record video on its four USB ports!
The Western Digital Red NAS hard disk has achieved transfer speeds up 110 MB/s read and about 70MB/s write which makes this storage unit slower than our internal drives mentioned earlier. This is because of network bottleneck but despite that, it still provides many useful features for being in a dedicated home media center like support for Plex Media Server where you will be able to watch movies streamed from anywhere around the world at maximum quality
The drive is built with two drives, which provides you a lot of data security in the RAID 1 configuration. You can change it to RAID 0 for 8 TB if desired but this does not come recommended by experts. Plus, Cloud-enabled storage allows access remotely as long as connected to the internet and your stored files are accessible from any location on earth!
Pros
- The capacity is large.
- It has an easy setup process.
- It has fast transfer speeds.
Cons
- This is not the cheapest option on the market.
Seagate Expansion External Hard Drive
If you’re looking for a hard drive that offers fast read/write speed but won’t burn through your wallet, consider the Seagate Expansion 1TB. It’s compatible with USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports so it should work on any Windows laptop or PC as well as gaming consoles like Xbox One! This device is perfect if you need to store games externally – just plug in this portable disk and save them without worrying about running out of space again!
The Seagate Expansion External Hard Drive is not only available in a variety of shapes and sizes but also at different levels of storage. Whether you need to store 10 gigabytes or 16 terabytes, the expansion drive has something for everyone.
One thing that makes this external hard drive so great is how versatile it can be depending on your needs: if portability matters more than having unlimited space then there are smaller options that will work better; alternatively, if getting as much data stored safely into one place is important then larger drives with high capacities might suffice.
Seagate Expansion offers a cost-effective way to store your files, without hurting the performance of your computer. These drives are made with quality materials that help them last for years and come in several different sizes so you can accommodate all types of storage needs!
Pros
- Reliable and safe way to store important files.
- Comes with two pre-loaded backup utilities.
- Set up is very easy.
Cons
- Comes with a short warranty.
WD 14TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive
The WD My Book Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive is the perfect accessory for storing all your files in one safe place, and it has more than enough space to store everything you could ever need – 14TB worth of data! It’s also easy-to-use: plug into any Windows or Mac computer via a simple connection cable and use the included software (WD Backup on windows computers & Time Machine on Macs) to back up whatever happens from now until eternity with just 2 clicks.
The WD My Book Desktop hard drive is the perfect addition to any home or office and ensures your data stays safe. The USB 3.0 port means you can transfer files quickly, while it comes formatted for both Windows computers and Macs so there’s no need to reformat when setting up this storage device!
The Western Digital My Book desktop hard drive makes backing up a breeze, simplifying everything from transferring files on either PC operating system (it exFAT formats with ease) all the way down to store them securely in its 256-bit AES hardware encryption.
This drive not only has 256-bit encryption to keep your data safe and sound, but it also plugs into any device easily. It even comes with a 3-year warranty in case anything goes wrong! You can be sure that the files on this flash drive are protected from hackers or anyone who tries to take them off without permission.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Genuine storage solution.
- Offers the best compatibility.
Cons
- Bulky design.
Seagate IronWolf NAS 5900RPM Internal SATA Hard Drive 1TB
This drive has been designed with 24×7 operations in mind, meaning you never have to worry about it failing you when your life depends on what’s stored within its hard drives.
Seagate makes some of the best quality data storage solutions available today—and they’ve outdone themselves again with one of their newest offerings: The 1TB Ironwolf 5900 RPM SAS 2 3 5” Internal High-Performance Hard Drive from Seagate offers up all sorts of perks such as protection against vibrations or rapid temperature changes.
With a 1TB storage capacity and 180 MB/s data transfer speed, this IronWolf hard drive can be the perfect solution for your growing media library. There’s no need to worry about system crashes with its MTBF rating of up to one million hours or 600,000 load cycles due in part to an impressive 1 in 1014 non-recoverable read errors per bits read. The workload rate reaches as high as 180 TB per year which means there is plenty of space left over for all other files on your computer if needed!
This IronWolf Hard Drive has been equipped with a SATA III 6 Gb/s interface providing users ample storage capacities at speeds upwards of 179MB/S making it ideal for transferring large amounts of data.
Pros
- Can store large amounts of data.
- 3 years warranty.
- More reliable and affordable.
Cons
- The lack of durability may cause problems in the future.
Seagate IronWolf 110 SSD
The Seagate IronWolf 110 SSD is an enterprise-class drive that promises accelerated read and write speeds with the exclusive Durawrite technology. The flash storage also has a longer lifespan thanks to this same proprietary tech, which provides amazing performance for NAS usage scenarios as well!
The Ironwolf 110 SSD is the perfect match for NAS and server workloads that require high capacity at a low cost. Flash also unlocks three advanced data protection features: deduplication, compression, and erasure coding. These techniques can increase effective storage capacities by 4x or more depending on your environment’s needs!
This drive can easily handle large volumes of traffic without bogging down performance or dropping a single packet. The 3.84TB capacity offers an endurance rating of 7000 TBW, which means it can take more than 15 years before its life expectancy runs out!
The Seagate Ironwolf 110 was designed with heavy business users in mind; boasting maximum transfer rates as high as 560 MBps for reads and 535 MBps writes on top-end models – not bad considering most consumer-grade SSDs only reach around 500 Mbps (although those are limited.
Pros
- Wide capacity range.
- Hight stability and durability.
- 5-year warranty.
Cons
- Not affordable.
Summary for Best Hard Drive for Plex
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Frequently Asked Questions
How big of a hard drive do I need for Plex?
The 7,200RPM motor has enough power to go through your most demanding tasks and the 64MB of cache ensures that you’ll get consistent performance.
Are external hard drives good for Plex?
Plex is a great tool for saving space on your computer, and an external hard drive can help you to take advantage of this. Plex drives are especially useful in that they have plenty of room available for storing all sorts of data aside from just the files needed by Plex itself!
Does Plex use a lot of RAM?
Plex is an open-source media player that doesn’t require much RAM to run. For the average user, a measly 2GB will suffice. In today’s world of high-definition videos and 4K images, any old PC with just 2GB worth of memory would be laughed off as being laughable – then again it all depends on what your needs are for Plex! If you’re looking at multitasking between apps or having many tabs opened in Chrome; one might find themselves frustrated if they only have access to limited resources (like those lucky enough with 8 GBs).
What is Plex and do I need it?
Plex is a multimedia management system and software program that includes an “app store”
that allows users to access specific media from five other sources. The different media types include Live TV, Music, Photos, Video, and TV shows across devices on both mobile platforms and home computers. You do not need Plex if you have these services already available to you elsewhere.
How do I install Plex Media Server on my cloud?
To get started with Plex Media Server, first, log in to your device and navigate over to the Services area of My Cloud Home’s control panel. Once there, select the entry for “Plex” service followed by clicking on Enable button. The installation process will start automatically as soon as you click enable from that window; be sure not to exit out before it is complete! After completing this step successfully, launch an internet browser so we can use its interface.
Is 8GB of RAM enough for Plex?
8GB of RAM is the bare minimum that Plex requires to function, but it may cause performance issues. A better suggestion would be 16GB of RAM because this will allow Plex to run smoothly. If you have 16GB or more, then 8GB is still sufficient but depending on how much Plex has to load at once could lead to a crash.
Can you install Plex on a NAS?
Plex Media Server can be installed on your everyday computer, or you could purchase a NAS device and install Plex onto it. You can also run the program from any other Windows-compatible computer out there!
Buying Guide of Best Hard Drive for Plex in 2022
The size of the external drive you want for Plex is a crucial factor to consider. If it will be at home, then go with larger sizes; if not, get smaller ones so that it’s more portable and easier on the go in case you need to travel anywhere.
Compatibility should always be taken into account when deciding which hardware will work best with various operating systems like Windows, iOS, or Linux. This means reading through technical specifications before deciding on what’s best for you.
Choosing the right hard drive for your needs can be a difficult choice, but an important one. How much storage do you need? It all depends on what exactly you’re storing! You might want to look into buying external drives if these are less expensive than internal ones or if they have more available space and come with huge warranties.
Conclusion
The best hard drive for Plex is one that has a high MTBF to provide you with the highest reliability. You can combine an SSD and NAS HDD together as well, which will give users of this software access to both worlds. Having multiple people on your storage may hinder some benefits from using an SSD though- they have lower life cycles than regular HDDs if there are many users in use at once!
Ultimately, it’s important to remember what type of media server you require before buying any specific hardware because each person’s setup needs differ depending on their individual needs.
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