WD My Passport for Mac The Most Reliable External HDD for Mac. The WD My Passport external hard drive for Mac comes in a wide variety of capacities, ranging from 1Tb to 4TB. Oct 24, 2019 S izes: 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, 5 TB. Seagate's smaller drives are reliable and speedy and offer great value for money. This smaller drive is one of the most popular and best value out there.
Getting a new, more capacious external hard drive for Mac is good idea. Let’s admit it: cloud storages aren’t for everybody. After all, a “cloud” is just another term for somebody else’s computer. And they cost money. On the other hand, you could upgrade your Mac’s current drive but this is a too extreme approach in complexity. So below we’ve collected a few tips to help you choose the best external hard drive for Mac so you can get most value and a bigger bang for your buck.
But let’s start off with the list of basic parameters. These will outline your search for backup hard drive for Mac:
- Storage capacity
- Data security and backup
- USB speed and data transfer speed
- Raid configuration
- Protective physical layer
- Buffer size
- Failure rate stats
- Warranty
- And yeah, cost, obviously
Tip # 1. Decide between SSD and HDD
External storage solutions come in these 2 varieties. SSD (solid state drives) are like big USB flash drives with multiple memory chips to store data, whereas HDDs are rotating magnetic disks. If you need more room to store gigabytes of data (videos or photos), you should consider getting an HDD. If your purpose is to get more memory for your Mac’s operating system and apps, then an SSD would be just the right option.
SSD: more speedy, more resistant to shocks, thinner (lighter)
HDD: slower, louder, offer more capacity, cheaper (per 1 GB of storage)
To make your choice even trickier, there also hybrid drives. These are regular HDDs with an SSD memory block attached, so you get the best of both worlds — speed and capacity within one device. At this point, think why do you need an external hard drive for your Mac in the first place: if it’s for backup and storing the sensitive data, simply go with an HDD.
HDD: slower, louder, offer more capacity, cheaper (per 1 GB of storage)
To make your choice even trickier, there also hybrid drives. These are regular HDDs with an SSD memory block attached, so you get the best of both worlds — speed and capacity within one device. At this point, think why do you need an external hard drive for your Mac in the first place: if it’s for backup and storing the sensitive data, simply go with an HDD.
Tip # 2. Free up space on your existing drive
Before getting an external Mac storage device, plow through the garbage on your existing one. This might save you dozens of gigabytes worth of data. For the most part, it’s old downloads, large media files (and their duplicates), application cache, old iOS backups and, finally, old apps you never use.
In my experience, the best cleanup results are achieved with a dedicated app. I was skeptical about Mac cleaning apps until I came across CleanMyMac X, as it’s the easiest of all. And really does the job as advertised. My first scan got me around 50 GB back under wrongly deleted volume — I was wondering where my disk space was going!
Here you can download the free version from developer’s site.
Tip # 3. Consider getting a NAS external hard-drive for Mac
There are lots of alternatives even within the HDD domain. If you need to process anything over 2 TB of storage, consider a NAS drive. Network-Attached-Storage (NAS) is a shared storage connected to your network router that everyone within your network can access. It’s a good solution for manipulating large size data, like your media backups.
How do they work? NAS boxes are connected to your router via an Ethernet cable. It’s worth mentioning, that some NAS drives are Mac-friendly and pre-configured to store Mac’s native Time Machine backups. This comes handy to free your macOS from extra copies of itself.
Apple’s Airport Time Capsule (though now discontinued by Apple) is a pretty expensive NAS solution, basically, a WI-FI router and NAS drive in one body. What’s good about it is its native integration with Mac, which makes the messy backup business at least partly human. It can even backup from with multiple Mac hard drives within your network.
Tip # 4. Read about RAID drives before buying HDD for Mac
Having to choose external hard drive for Mac, take a minute to learn about RAID drives. RAID are multiple hard drives that can be combined in one set. If combined properly, 2 hard drives may double write and read speeds because the data gets split between the two. Variations of RAIDs (RAID0, RAID5 etc) specify how exactly the data is split between your Mac external hard drive.
One more use is protection against data loss. Should one drive fail for some reason, the data will be duplicated on a second one. Also, the space issue. 2 hard disks will store 2 times more data, so from your Mac’s perspective, it will look like one single HDD twice as capacious.
Should you bother with RAID when choosing best external hard drive for Mac? Probably not, unless you’re using a ton of data and a quick data extraction is critical to you. For individual use, standard HDD will do just fine.
Tip # 5. Study the failure rate of your external drive
Each manufacturer claims their HDD is the most reliable but the fact is, some hard drives fail more often than others. AFR (annual failure rate) is a scientific method to prove that. According to Google, annual failure rate is 8% for drives after 2 years in service. In other words, one out of 12 drives will fail. Here is a chart by Backblaze that should give you an idea which team wins in the reliability tournament. As you can see, even for one manufacturer the failure rate varies from model to model.
Tip # 6. Choose your preferable speed
It’s not as if it’s Formula One case, but HDD spindle speed issue is pretty vital. There 4 standard options: 5400, 7200, 10000, 15000 rpm. If you make music or videos on your Mac, you might go for the best speed available on the market which is 10.000 — to 15.000 rpm. Though, the faster an external drive for Mac is, the less capacity it offers.
Tip # 7. Buy an HDD that sports USB 3.0 (or better)
Your external Mac hard drive will have many connection options. Anything lower than USB 3.0 is already outdated nowadays, so it should be your minimal starting point. Thunderbolt 3 or USB Type-C is the fastest port on Mac. It’s advertised as being able to copy 14 hours of HD video in less than a minute. So make sure your portable hard-drive for Mac is Thunderbolt-3 compatible.
Tip # 8. Consider portability
Depending on their physical size there are several external drive options. We assume you are not a company and don’t need the large enterprise-class drive (used for running servers). This means you’ll likely be choosing between standard desktop-class drive (with spinning platters) and slimmer SSD options, more resembling USB drives.
Standard desktop drives offer capacities of around 8 TB which should be perfect to store your movies and photos collection. These desktop-class external hard drives for Mac rely on wall power supply and they lack portability. Portable hard drives for Mac, on the other hand, are powered by your computer and can be surprisingly tiny nowadays. Here’s the golden formula to keep in mind: considering capacity, size and cheap price, be prepared that you can’t have all 3 at the same time. Want your drive to be very small and very capacious? Then, there’s no way it can be cheap. And likewise, if you aim at a cheap and capacious drive, it can’t possibly be small in size — you get the idea.
Standard desktop drives offer capacities of around 8 TB which should be perfect to store your movies and photos collection. These desktop-class external hard drives for Mac rely on wall power supply and they lack portability. Portable hard drives for Mac, on the other hand, are powered by your computer and can be surprisingly tiny nowadays. Here’s the golden formula to keep in mind: considering capacity, size and cheap price, be prepared that you can’t have all 3 at the same time. Want your drive to be very small and very capacious? Then, there’s no way it can be cheap. And likewise, if you aim at a cheap and capacious drive, it can’t possibly be small in size — you get the idea.
Extra tips before buying external drive for MacBook Pro
- Locate large hidden files on your Mac with CleanMyMac X. You can download the free version of the app here.
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- After purchase, don’t convert your Mac external HDD to APFS — it’s not supported yet
- Buy a drive that has larger cache (or buffer) size, 32 MB is a golden middle
- Never trust all your data to a single backup volume, it too may fail
I hope this article turned out to be helpful. To share it with your Mac user friends, use the button below.
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Most Reliable External Hard Drives
Contents
- 5.1 Top External Hard Drives
![Most Reliable External Hard Drives For Mac Most Reliable External Hard Drives For Mac](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133913321/115549107.jpg)
So much is the need for this modern mode of communication that items such as external hard drives are made for the purpose of keeping huge amount of data in a safer manner. In a nutshell, it's for data storage. But unlike the built-in one in your computer, this more portable and can be carried anywhere- which of course makes it perfect for those who are always on the go. If you're looking for an avenue to store confidential information in a safer and portable manner, then getting yourself a unit will be a real treat. In this article, we will review top 5 external hard drives for Mac and PC and help you pick the best external hard drive.
Part 1. The 5 Most Reliable External Hard Drives
But with the popularity of this material comes the bigger challenge in making sure that you buy the best. Different brands and variations have now made their availability in the market but if you're after of the most in demand units, then you better have a look at the following:
1. LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2
It's considered as the fastest external storage for those who are using professional Windows workstations and Apple Macs. It's faster than the typical internal flash storage in MacBook Pro and is ideal for people who are power-user.
- PROS: It has two Thunderbolt 2 ports, fast and flexible, semi-portable and has a metal construction for added durability and protection.
- CONS: It requires a non bus-powered AC adapter for use. It has a high per-gigabyte cost. Also, finding a Thunderbolt 2 ports used for computers is rare, which may require the user to spend more time looking.
2. Apricorn Aegis Padlock DT FIPS (4TB)
An item best fit for those people who are after of a combined speed and efficiency in one package. This unit is also equipped with several layers of protection, allowing corporate people to secure their confidential data even more.
- PROS: It has a metal construction with a handy built-in keypad for easier operation. Its storage amounts to 4TB and has added encryption details for added security.
- CONS: Its lock codes are just limited to 5. Also, those who are using bulky desktop units will require AC adapter in order to have power.
3. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive
Perhaps the most in demand in the market when it comes to general use. It's spacious and can hold a lot of downloaded videos, which is a treat to those who are using the drive to transfer stored files from their PC for safekeeping purposes.
- PROS: It has a high capacity that comes with a low price. A Dashboard software is also included in the whole package, which means that you don't have to pay anything additional for it. It's spacious and fast.
- CONS: Requires wall-wart adapter for power.
4. G-Technology G-Speed Studio (24TB)
For professionals who need an extremely large storage unit for photos, videos and other huge files for daily work, then this external hard drive will be an excellent pick.
- PROS: Huge capacity RAID array. It supports 5 several levels of RAID arrays and has swappable hard drive cartridges amounting to 24 TB of enterprise-class drives.
- CONS: Absence of USB port. You also cannot position this horizontally. Large chassis and a design which is not stackable.
5. Monster Digital Overdrive Thunderbolt (1TB)
A spacious external solid-state drive that is ideal for those who are after of combine space, portability and speed. It comes with a Thunderbolt cable that Mac users can always use.
- PROS: Very portable with its pocket-sized form. Has a 450 Mbps throughput.
- CONS: Expensive, and with no USB 3.0 port. It also has no cable pass-through.
Want a summary of the specs? Here's a clearer view on what they can do.
Features | LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2 | Apricorn Aegis Padlock DT FIPS (4TB) | Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive | G-Technology G-Speed Studio | Monster Digital Overdrive Thunderbolt (1TB) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lowest Price | $1,199.00 | $429.99 | $150.99 | $ 2,999.95 | $759.00 |
Storage Capacity | 1000 GB | 4 TB | 5000 GB | 18 TB | 1000 GB |
Rotation Speed Free photo editing for mac. | SSD | SSD | 5400 rpm | 7200 rpm | SSD |
Ports | Thunderbolt | USB 3.0 | USB 3.0 | Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt |
Part 2. How to Recover Lost Data from External Hard Drive for Mac and PC
Choosing the best portable external hard drive that fits you purpose well can save you a lot of hassle when locating the files that you need every now and then. But even by using the most secure storage to keep those confidential information away from prying hands, there are times when certain software upgrades that we do from our end can threaten to delete those files that we are keeping.
Using iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac is an efficient means of recovering those files without losing anything on the process. By installing this software, you'll get the chance to enjoy some of its great features like:
- Flexible recovery options
- Easy-to-follow steps
- Risk-free recovery procedure
- Deep Scanning process
Step 1: After you've plugged your external hard drive into your computer, you then need to run iSkysoft Data Recovery for Mac. From the main window of the program, choose the data types that you hope to recover. Then please click 'Next' to continue.
Step 2: Select the external hard drive disk that you formatted or want to recover. After doing that, click the 'Start' button to proceed with the scanning process.
Step 3: In this software, you have the option to preview all your files. From there, you can just select the specific ones that you want to recover. After selecting, you can just click 'Recover' button on top of the window. Select the folder where you want to save the recovered files. Then, click 'OK' to start recovery.
Best External Hard Drive For Macbook Pro
If you don't find your wanted data from the scanned results, there is a 'Deep Scan' option for you to let the program scan deep into your external drive and find more recoverable files. Get microsoft office for mac. In this mode, you can selectively recover thousands of files like the the screenshot below. Just try!