When it comes to the Seagate 8TB Expansion Desktop External Hard Drive, the read and write speeds fall between 160MB/s to 180MB/s. This is pretty standard for desktop hard drives and should work well for things like backups, file transfers, and storing media. It's not as fast as an SSD, but it balances speed and storage capacity nicely.
The drive uses a USB 3.0 interface, which really helps in getting those higher speeds compared to the older USB 2.0 connections. This is especially useful if you're handling large files or doing big backups. The manufacturer even points this out, saying that you’ll get the best performance with USB 3.0.
Do keep in mind, it requires an external power source, which isn't great for portability. That's common for desktop drives like this one since they need more power than just a USB connection can give. Some people find this a bit inconvenient, but others value its reliability and consistency in performance, especially for big data tasks.
So, if you need a lot of storage and are okay with it being stationary—maybe for stuff like home backups or maintaining a big media collection—this drive is a solid choice.
But if you’re looking for something you can easily move around, you might want to look into an SSD or a smaller, USB-powered drive.
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How we researched this
Where this comes from: this answer draws on the product's published specifications and the reviews ShopSavvy collected for it, alongside prices from 16 retailers in ShopSavvy's price data, most recently seen May 21, 2025.
Where to Buy
| Retailer | Price | Last seen | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| $146.12 | May 21, 2025 may have changed | ||
| $146.12 | May 21, 2025 may have changed | ||
| $149.99 | Oct 22, 2024 may have changed | ||
| $149.99 | Oct 22, 2024 may have changed | ||
| $149.99 | Oct 22, 2024 may have changed |
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