And now we bring you a holiday gift idea that is 99% on the spot — who doesn’t need that extra data storage space? External Hard Drives are dime-a-dozen, that’s why it’s hard to pick out the good ones. Well, never fear, MacPCWiz to save the day for you. And here we go with our top 10 best External Hard Drive deals for you (with help from Gadgetophilia.com).

#10

Iomega Prestige 500 GB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive

• USB 2.0 interface; plug and play
• Stylish and durable: stylish drive – available in a dark silver brushed finish; sturdy aluminum construction with included stand
• Software: EMC retrospect HD (PC) license is included for file backup (software available via download)

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#9

LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Hard Disk 320 GB

• 320 GB, rugged shock resistant case, 3-year warranty
• Triple interface: FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB 2.0
• No power adapter required
• Software: one-year online backup service providing unlimited off-site backup storage

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#8

Western Digital 1TB My Passport Studio II

• Dual-drive storage system – RAID 0 (striped, 2x500GB), 5-Year Limited
• FireWire 800 combined with RAID speed
• Uses WD’s GreenPower drives, uses about 30% less energy than standard systems
• Pre-configured to RAID 0 (Striped)

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#7

Seagate FreeAgent Desk 1 TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

• USB 2.0: up to 480 Mb/s
• 7200 RPM
• Simple software, energy efficient, encryption available
• Dynamic display, brushed metal externals

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#6

Toshiba 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

• USB 2.0: Up to 480Mb/s
• Compact/ Lightweight: Just 6 oz./ Black and Grey
• Internal Shock Sensor and Ramp Loading Technology
• Simple Solution for Backup or Increasing Computer Storage

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#5

Maxtor 320GB Black Armor 2.5-Inch External Hard Drive

• Pre-loaded security and backup software
• Seagate Secure hardware based encryption technology: Government certified as the strongest data security available for an external storage device
• Removal of the USB cable from your computer auto locks the drive
• Hint feature offers a reminder in the event of a forgotten password

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#4

LaCie Hard Disk 1 TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

• 1 TB USB external hard drive, design by Neil Poulton
• USB 2.0 interface, Plug and Play functionality for both Macs and Windows
• Includes one-year online backup service providing unlimited off-site backup storage

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#3

Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive

• 5,400 RPM Spin Speed, 8 MB Cache Buffer
• USB 2.0: up to 480 Mb/s
• Optional dock system for cable-free usage
• One of the thinnest external HDDs in the market

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#2

Western Digital My Passport Elite Portable 500 GB USB 2.0 Hard Disk Drive (Titanium)

• Soft-touch Finish with capacity gauge
• Backup and Sync Software
• Bus-powered, no need for power cord
• Remote access through MioNet® Key software – remotely accesses files from any of your computers with MioNet software installed. Free for the life of the drive (Windows only)

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#1

Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 1 TB 3.5″ USB 2.0

• 1 TB external hard drive, USB 2.0/FireWire 400
• Simple Maxtor user interface for drive management, security, and backup scheduling
• Maxtor DrivePass¿ and data encryption
• Sync data between 2 or more computers on the same operating system
• Drive and power management utilities; 5-year limited warranty

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What we look for in an external HDD

If you checked out your gadget stores for that early holiday shopping peek, you will know this for a fact: there is no lack of options for portable Hard Drives. You will have to be smart about your purchase. ]

For our choices we looked for 1) a balance of capacity and portability – an external hard drive is only good when it is available to you, if you can even bring it along. Now you may have seen those 2TB to 4TB monsters out there, but those are pretty much bound to one place. An external hard drive is there for you to bring along, IN CASE you might need the data you’ve stored.

We also looked for 2) balanced connectivity options – USB 2.0 should be basic. anything lower than that is just slumming it. Additional FireWire 400 or FireWire 800 ports are nice, but only if you have the ports for it. e-SATA is a bus not too common, but it should be one of those looking for recognition in the next few months. Bus-power (not needing a separate power cord) is almost a must for portability, so you don’t have to look for a near-by power socket to get a specific file out of there.

After that, 3) accessories, added features, back-up software, and warranty – shoudl be the things that you look for. Most companies know that an external HDD is good for just about one thing — storing data. It’s how they diversify and work to improve on that basic proposition that makes a good product.

So there you have it, MacPCWiz’s Top 10 External Hard Drives for your holiday season shopping and gift ideas. And if you want to be nice to us, that Lacie Rugged All Terrain HDD looks really nice to test out.