@ShakeAndBake-xD For externals, I've got mostly Seagate backup plus drives. They're slow, but take up little space and work really well so far. Also a few WD MyBook, which have been performing well and plotted quickly if I remember right.
@ShakeAndBake-xD At lower capacities with a good CPU, Blago's miner is fast enough, but in situations where you have larger capacities (50 - 100 TB or more), jminer will scan your drives faster if you have a decent GPU. My rig for example: