Lacie d2 Professional

From £170/$190 www.lacie.com

If you want to transfer files to or from a hard disk quickly, its rotation speed matters. Measured in RPM, most external drives are rated at 5400RPM. But there’s a rarer breed of faster 7200RPM drives, and the Lacie d2 is one of these. With read speeds of up to 240MB/S and linked to your computer via a modern and fast USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-c port, the d2 offers a compelling compromise between spacious, cost-effective storage while maintaining a decent turn of speed.

PROS Pro-spec disk; USB Type-c connection CONS Pricier than its rivals; not as fast as SSDS