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Jun 1, 2023 · Best reliable desktop drive. The Seagate Expansion External Hard Drive is a USB 3.0 addition with support for USB 2.0 in older setups. Compatible with Windows and Mac from the box, the drive ...
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- File-System Considerations. Before we get to Thunderbolt 3, we need to address a basic building block of hard drives that has always affected compatibility, and probably always will: the file system.
- External Drives: SSDs vs. Spinning Platters. Once you've settled on a file system, you then have to determine which storage medium you want: solid-state or spinning disk.
- Does Thunderbolt 3 Matter, or Will USB-C Do? So, to recap: Faster, smaller (both physically and in terms of gigabytes) solid-state drives come at a premium, while spinning drives offer a much better value while sacrificing speed.
- Other External-Drive Considerations. Drives intended for PCs sometimes come bundled with software that will automatically back up your files to the drive when it's connected, but such software isn't as much of a consideration for Mac users, who already have an excellent built-in backup option in the form of Time Machine.
People also ask
What is the best external hard drive for Mac?
Should I buy an external hard drive or SSD for my Mac?
Should I buy an external drive for my Mac?
Which external hard drive is best?
- How Much Storage Do I Need?
- Portable Or Desktop?
- Rugged Drives For Travel
- What Extra Features Do You Need?
- Which Connector Do You Need?
- Wireless and Nas
Hard drive storage is relatively cheap. Unless you are really out to save your pennies, the smallest size of hard drive we’d recommend is 1TB. Upgrades to 2TB, 3TB, and even 4TB are also cost-effective–the price per megabyte goes down the higher the capacity, so making the bump up to the next model is a good idea. Each terabyte can store around 11,...
If you think you’ll be happy with a 1TB to 4TB hard drive, you can buy a portable drive. These use small 2.5-inch disks, and they fit happily into a coat pocket. Portable drives are usually bus-powered, too. This means you just need to plug them into your desktop or laptop, no separate power supply is required. There’s just one cable, and the drive...
Some portable drives offer ruggedization. Shock protection is the most important kind for a hard drive, as unlike an SSD they have moving parts that can be permanently damaged following a drop. Rugged drives usually have some form of rubber coating that soaks up impact forces, and a toughened enclosure that won’t dent, crack or collapse under any n...
Buy a larger drive, though, and you’re more likely to get other features. Desktop units may have a built-in “hub”, letting you plug-in memory cards or peripherals using USB ports. These are particularly useful if your current setup has limited connectivity, or the USBs you do have just aren’t that handy.
Matching the hard drive’s connector to those of your laptop or desktop is also essential. You’ll get a cable in the box, but it will either terminate with a USB-A or USB-C shaped plug, as seen here: Unless you have an old Mac or MacBook that only offers the old USB-A port, you’ll will want the newer USB-C connector, which also doubles up as Thunder...
Not every hard drive needs to be plugged in: you can also opt for a network-attached storage (NAS) drive which enables to to wirelessly transfer files and backups. These network-attached storage drives connect to your home Wi-Fi to share their data with other devices in your home. That might be a smart TV, Apple TV, a tablet or laptop. A NAS is par...
Oct 13, 2023 · Best rugged solid-state drive: Samsung T7 Shield 4TB Portable SSD. Best rugged hard-disk drive: SanDisk Professional 4TB G-Drive Armor ATD. Best to match your Mac: LaCie Mobile Drive 4TB External ...
- Heather Kuldell
Oct 18, 2023 · The best external hard drive for Mac fills this gap very well, and it's not only a cost-effective measure but, for many Mac models, the primary method to elevate storage capacity. To help you sort ...
Oct 23, 2023 · Step 5: Safely ejecting the G-Drive from your Mac. After using the G-Drive External Hard Drive on your Mac, it is important to safely eject it to avoid any potential data corruption or loss. Follow these steps to properly eject the G-Drive from your Mac: Ensure that all file transfers or operations involving the G-Drive are complete.
