Seagate

Seagate Expansion Desktop

Ranked #8 in Hard Drives

442 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

Reliable, affordable desktop option.

Consolidated from 13 independent outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

11 positive sources
2 mixed sources

See the sources

Flagged as a product to avoid

1 of 10 research runs entered this as a product to avoid rather than a pick. A trap is a product buyers genuinely cross-shop but should not buy, ranked honestly alongside the real picks rather than dropped to the bottom. Why the boards include them

Check price

Pros & cons

✓ Solid performance for price
✓ USB-3.0 interface
✓ Good reliability record
✓ Large capacity
✓ Dependable speed

✗ No optical drive support
✗ Limited software bundle
✗ Only a 1-year warranty in the US - the shortest in the category
✗ Ships with no backup software
✗ Known drive-lottery enclosure

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found.

Evidence 6 articles, 6 video reviews and 1 community source

11 positive sources

Zidoo forum Article

I did a bit of testing with the 24Tb Seagate installed in my PC last night and didn't observe any of the occasional micro-stutter I'd seen on the old 6Tb WD drives I'd upgraded from. I'll keep testing and if the performance with the drive installed in the PC has resolved the issues I had with the old drives, I'll just keep it set up that way.

Read B

Best Buy Best Buy · 853K subscribers · Sept 2025

This Expansion Desktop Hard Drive is no exception, and I think it's just one more must-have product from Seagate.

Watch P

This Seagate model is the one I’d choose for myself if I was in the market for a new external hard drive. It’s speedy—120 megabytes per second—and was easily recognized by my Mac and PC desktops and laptops when I plugged it into the USB port. Its simple aesthetics and black color blend nicely into any decor.

Read M

Micro Center Micro Center · 111K subscribers · May 2025

Data hoarders, do you use cloud storage or are you strictly local? Maybe you are probably both, but for local storage, this Seagate 24TB Expansion Drive is a MONSTER of a storage drive.

Watch P

PC Gamer Article · Sept 2022

With the largest version offering 20 TB of HDD space, you'll never be left wanting with the Seagate Expansion Desktop Drive. You'll need to sacrifice portability, of course, and it's not one for outright speed.

Read B

BarTech TV BarTech TV · 33.5K subscribers · Apr 2018

It's as fast as, if not faster than, any of the other 3 1/2 in external drives I tested. Although 2 1/2 in portable drives seem to be more popular these days than the 3 1/2 in desktop drives, due to their portability and the fact that they can be powered by the USB cable with no need for an external power supply, 3 1/2 in drives still have a number of advantages.

Watch L

Linuxano Linuxano Editorial Team · reviewer · May 2026

In 2026, it’s available up to 28TB — making it the go-to choice for home media servers, Linux NAS setups, and anyone archiving truly massive datasets.

Read C

Christopher Pack Art Christopher Pack Art · 1.1K subscribers · Jul 2020

You can hear it sometimes while it is in use, but other than that everything is working great with it the few weeks I have been using it. The gopro footage I was talking about has already taken up like 4TB on it!

Watch C

Chicagotribune Article

Our favorite model is the Seagate Expansion Desktop External Hard Drive, which delivers the best mix of value and performance levels.

Read T

Tech Chef Tech Chef · 770 subscribers · May 2025

The Seagate Expansion 24TB External Hard Drive delivers massive storage capacity in a sleek, plug-and-play design, perfect for serious data hoarders and creative professionals alike. With fast transfer speeds and broad device compatibility, it’s a powerhouse solution for backing up and organizing your digital life.

Watch R

Rotten reviews Rotten reviews · 7 subscribers · Aug 2026

It can be a great option for expanding your computer's storage without replacing your internal drive.

Watch

2 mixed sources

Bhphotovideo Allen Rated · reviewer

The price makes this an attractive choice, but I have encountered one problem that might be relevant to other users. I use a couple of Seagate drives attached to my MacBook, and unfortunately, when I move the computer—as one naturally does with a portable computer—the data cable often becomes unplugged from the drive. The connection seems rather flimsy, especially considering that the cable itself is quite substantial. For that reason, I think this drive may be better suited to a stationary computer setup rather than one where the computer is frequently moved. My largest drive has also developed some problems.

Read F Facebook Facebook post

A Gizmodo deal notes it costs $0.01 per GB with over 200,000 five-star reviews, but several commenters express skepticism about long-term reliability.

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Frequently asked questions

It ranks #8 of 18 on our hard drives tier list, in C tier. That placement draws on 13 independent outlets.

None of the 13 sources with a clear view is critical of it. No optical drive support. Limited software bundle. Only a 1-year warranty in the US - the shortest in the category. Ships with no backup software. Known drive-lottery enclosure.

On our hard drives board, Seagate Expansion Desktop ranks #8 (C tier) ahead of Seagate One Touch Hub at #10 (D tier). Seagate One Touch Hub: Redundant features at a higher price.

On our hard drives board, WD Elements Desktop ranks #2 (A tier) ahead of Seagate Expansion Desktop at #8 (C tier). WD Elements Desktop: Best overall value, high capacity, solid performance.