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Are you a content creator or PC gamer who needs a high-capacity external hard drive but doesn't want to spend a fortune? Right now at B&H Photo, you can save $210 on the 18TB WD Elements external HDD, bringing the price down to $320. And with that much storage space, you'll have plenty of room for your entire digital game library, raw and rendered video and photos, digital art, music, documents, and even backup copies of your operating system.
Also: The best external hard drives you can buy
Since this is a hard-disk drive rather than a solid-state option, it will have slower data transfer speeds, but it's a decent trade-off for getting so much storage space. The USB 3.0 connection allows for plug-and-play compatibility with Windows PCs as well as macOS, though you will have to reformat the drive to be compatible with macOS files. If you prefer Linux, you may be able to reformat the WD Elements external HDD to work with your operating system, but depending on which distro you use, it might not let you take full advantage of your new storage drive.
Read more: This SSD docking station is one of my best investments for my PC
The drive has a dedicated power button, letting you shut off the unit when you don't need it and helping save power consumption. It also has a security lock tab, which allows you to secure your drive to your desk with a tether cable to prevent theft. And for data protection, the WD Elements drive lets you encrypt individual files and folders and set up password-protected access to drives and programs. This makes it a great option for shared work computers or home computers that double as a workstation or gaming PC.
The WD Elements 18TB external HDD is backed by a 2-year warranty that covers replacement and refunds for damaged and defective units, and you can add a digital data protection plan for file recovery if anything is accidentally deleted or if your drive is damaged. With USB 3.0 connectivity, you'll get more reliable data transfers and faster access than USB 2.0.
Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.
Traditional hard-disk external hard drives are an established Tech, which means that they're much cheaper than solid-state storage drives even without the help of discounts and sales. But with an over 40% discount on a very high-capacity drive, you're getting a great value on enough storage space to back up your personal computer ten times over. Or on a dedicated drive for offloading your digital game library or video and photo files to free up space on your PC's main hard drive.
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Also: How we rate deals at ZDNET in 2025