SD Cards, Portable SSDs, High Capacity Hard Drives

At this point in your life, you've probably bought some kind of a data storage device to keep all these digital memories including photos, videos, or creative projects you're working on.

The brands we recommend are all highly rated but their prices do differ slightly. Choose the one that speaks to you.

SD Cards

We've separated the SD cards into a few main categories based on your usage requirements: Cost, High Capacity, Speed.

Low Cost (generally slower speeds)

These cards are usually good for general users who don't care about anything but the cost. They are reliable, or easily replaced if needed. You're sacrificing read + write speeds but for the basic storage user, it's probably not noticeable.

Low cost cards are usually under $30 so you're more likely to get a good deal when they are on sale or clearance.

High Capacity (slower the speed, lower the cost)

SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I SD Card - 1TB, 170mb/s, V30, 4K UHD

Get the latest used deal for SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I SD Card - 1TB, 170mb/s, V30, 4K UHD.

SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card - 512GB, 170mb/s, V30, 4K UHD

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High capacity SD cards range in price because you can buy based on speed. Most users are ok with the lower speeds and just want to store lots of data on one card. Getting the best of both worlds is possible, but it will cost you dearly.

High Speed (high data read + write speeds)

SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Memory Card (SD Card) - 128GB, 300mb/s, V90, C10, 8k, 4k

Get the latest used deal for SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Memory Card (SD Card) - 128GB, 300mb/s, V90, C10, 8k, 4k.

SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card - 512GB, 200mb/s, V30, 4K UHD

Get the latest used deal for SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Memory Card - 512GB, 200mb/s, V30, 4K UHD.

SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Memory Card - 64GB, 300mb/s, V90, C10, 8k, 4k

Get the latest used deal for SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-II Memory Card - 64GB, 300mb/s, V90, C10, 8k, 4k.

If you're recording "raw" data from high megapixel cameras, 8k+ video, or any kind of raw format, you probably want a high speed SD card. With higher quality comes more throughput of data (bytes). This is probably geared towards professionals rather than the general consumer and often come with what feels like a bigger price tag when compared to the "economy" models.

Portable SSDs

SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD - Up to 1050MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 - External Solid State Drive

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SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD - Up to 1050MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 - External Solid State Drive

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SanDisk Professional 4TB G-Drive SSD - Ultra-Rugged, IP67 Dust/Water Resistant, Portable External NVMe Solid State Drive, Up to 1,050 MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2

Get the latest used deal for SanDisk Professional 4TB G-Drive SSD - Ultra-Rugged, IP67 Dust/Water Resistant, Portable External NVMe Solid State Drive, Up to 1,050 MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2.

SanDisk Professional 2TB G-DRIVE SSD - Ultra-Rugged, IP67 Dust/Water Resistant, Portable External NVMe Solid State Drive, Up to 1,050 MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2

Get the latest used deal for SanDisk Professional 2TB G-DRIVE SSD - Ultra-Rugged, IP67 Dust/Water Resistant, Portable External NVMe Solid State Drive, Up to 1,050 MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2.

WD 4TB My Passport SSD External Portable Solid State Drive, Grey, Up to 1,050 MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen-2 and USB-C Compatible

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Portable drives offer convenience for an on-the-go backup of files while on vacation or on-location shoots and productions. They provide fast, reliable storage in a lightweight and small size. The speed of SSD drives allow you to work directly off the drive as well. This can be a great solution until you can upgrade your computer again.

High Capacity Drives (HDD, External Desktop Drives)

SanDisk Professional 18TB G-DRIVE Enterprise-Class Desktop Hard Drive HDD, Ultrastar Drive Inside, Up to 195MB/s, USB-C (5Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen 1

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SanDisk Professional 12TB G-DRIVE Enterprise-Class Desktop Hard Drive HDD, Ultrastar Drive Inside, Up to 195MB/s, USB-C (5Gbps), USB 3.2 Gen 1

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WD 5TB My Passport Ultra for Mac Silver Portable External Hard Drive HDD, USB-C and USB 3.1 Compatible

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WD 5TB My Passport for Mac Portable External Hard Drive HDD, USB-C and USB-A Compatible, Blue

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A high capacity drive is generally target users who are storing lots of data (possibly as a backup) or need more of a long term storage option. These drives are good for content producers or creatives who generally have lots of past projects. They can also work well for media center drives. They can come in a portable format (smaller, up to 5TB) which runs on USB power, or the true high capacity (up to 18TB) that require an external power source.