# 💾 How fast are the read/write speeds of the Seagate 8TB Expansion Desktop drive?

*Published: 2024-06-26 | Updated: 2024-10-22 | Source: https://shopsavvy.com/answers/how-fast-are-the-readwrite-speeds-of-the-seagate-8tb-expansion-desktop-drive*

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## Product: Seagate 8TB 3.5" Expansion Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
**Brand:** ‎Seagate

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](https://www.shopsavvy.com/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fk%3DSSD%26tag%3Dssw.ans.tx-1-20), 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](https://www.shopsavvy.com/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fk%3DSSD%26tag%3Dssw.ans.tx-1-20) or a smaller, USB-powered drive.

## Current Prices

| Retailer | Price | Availability |
|----------|-------|-------------|
| Amazon | $146.12  | Check |
| B&H Photo-Video-Audio | $146.12  | Check |
| Best Buy | $149.99  | Check |
| Newegg Business | $149.99  | Check |
| Newegg.com | $149.99  | Check |
| Quill | $149.99  | Check |
| Walmart | $149.99  | Check |
| ShopBLT.com | $159.41  | Check |
| Altex Electronics | $159.99  | Check |
| Connection | $161.22  | Check |
| CDW | $165.99  | Check |
| antonline.com | $168.49  | Check |
| Tecisoft | $175.57  | Check |
| oempcworld.com | $178.85  | Check |
| Dell | $199.99  | Check |
| Lenovo | $199.99  | Check |

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*Where this comes from: This answer is based on ShopSavvy's product database, real-time pricing from thousands of retailers, and analysis of user reviews to give you a well-rounded picture.*