Are you thinking of doing an upgrade on your Mac, but without having to invest the amount needed for the new MacBook Pro? One of the options is to increase the storage of your computer through an external hard drive, which can either save your most important applications, photos, videos or documents, or serve as a backup to the computer through the Time Machine function. To know how to evaluate your need and what type of equipment to look for, check out our tips for choosing the best external HD for Mac!
Is External HD really the best choice?
Right-click the drive and choose Properties. On the General tab, next to File system. Check the file system of the drive. Open a Finder window on your Mac, then select Applications. Ensure the external drive. Before reading this article, users had many queries while choosing an external hard drive for themselves. Now, they know about the compatibility of external hard drives with their Mac, and they can choose drives, considering all the factors mentioned above and can invest their money in a good product, as per their needs and preferences. Step 5: Click the icon for your external hard drive in the sidebar on the left. Step 6: Click the Erase tab along the top of the window. Step 7: From the Volume Format menu, choose Mac OS Extended. Step 8: Enter a name for the external hard drive in the Name field. Step 9: Click the Erase button. How to Reformat in Windows.
It is possible that, despite the need for more storage capacity, the external HD is not exactly the best choice. To load system backups obviously, yes, there is nothing to discuss. However, if you just want to upload lightweight files such as photos, music or short videos, cloud storage services like iCloud may be enough.
But if the intention is to be able to take these files without the need to be connected to the internet, you can use a flash drive or memory card. In Brazil, there are several models with different capacities, prices, and brands among them, possibly with some of them serving their purpose. Currently, it is possible to purchase USB flash drives and memory cards up to 64GB of storage in large stores.
Which to choose: HD or SSD?
Choosing between an HD or SSD depends very much on what criteria you want to take when purchasing extra storage. If you want a robust disk, that is, with plenty of space to put things – recommended in case you want to create restore points for backup – we recommend you go behind a standard external hard drive, since high-end hard drives have the greatest capabilities.
On the other hand, if you need good storage, but with an emphasis on file transfer agility and that you can take with you on the road, for example, we already recommend getting an SSD. Although more expensive compared to HDDs with the same storage capacity, its agility to send and read files or programs makes up for it.
What kind of connection to look for: USB or Thunderbolt?
The Thunderbolt standard, exclusive to Mac and present in the most current editions of the Apple computer, is the option that offers faster transfer of files, surpassing USB 3.0, used in the PC. However, an external HD that has this option is not so easy to find in the market, only in the official Apple store, requiring high investment to acquire one.
For those who have older Mac models without the entry, any HDs with USB 3.0 input will serve you. The peripheral will work even if the input of your computer is USB 2.0, due to its backward compatibility. However, the transfer speed will be that of version 2.0.
How do I know if my external hard drive is Mac compatible?
Windows PC and Mac use different reading patterns of the accessories. External storage disks can be purchased in the Mac standard, but this is not mandatory. The Apple computer also reads the Windows standard, although its use is quite limited, and it is recommended to keep it in the Windows standard only if you use both systems on different computers, such as a Windows desktop and a travel MacBook, for example.
f you use only the Mac, you can format the external hard drive to change its reading pattern to HFS +, which is used on the Mac and allows you to use all its functions.
Related posts:
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
How To Choose An External Hard Drive For Mac
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.
External Hard Drive Mac
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.
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!
Are you thinking of doing an upgrade on your Mac, but without having to invest the amount needed for the new MacBook Pro? One of the options is to increase the storage of your computer through an external hard drive, which can either save your most important applications, photos, videos or documents, or serve as a backup to the computer through the Time Machine function. To know how to evaluate your need and what type of equipment to look for, check out our tips for choosing the best external HD for Mac!
Is External HD really the best choice?
Right-click the drive and choose Properties. On the General tab, next to File system. Check the file system of the drive. Open a Finder window on your Mac, then select Applications. Ensure the external drive. Before reading this article, users had many queries while choosing an external hard drive for themselves. Now, they know about the compatibility of external hard drives with their Mac, and they can choose drives, considering all the factors mentioned above and can invest their money in a good product, as per their needs and preferences. Step 5: Click the icon for your external hard drive in the sidebar on the left. Step 6: Click the Erase tab along the top of the window. Step 7: From the Volume Format menu, choose Mac OS Extended. Step 8: Enter a name for the external hard drive in the Name field. Step 9: Click the Erase button. How to Reformat in Windows.
It is possible that, despite the need for more storage capacity, the external HD is not exactly the best choice. To load system backups obviously, yes, there is nothing to discuss. However, if you just want to upload lightweight files such as photos, music or short videos, cloud storage services like iCloud may be enough.
But if the intention is to be able to take these files without the need to be connected to the internet, you can use a flash drive or memory card. In Brazil, there are several models with different capacities, prices, and brands among them, possibly with some of them serving their purpose. Currently, it is possible to purchase USB flash drives and memory cards up to 64GB of storage in large stores.
Which to choose: HD or SSD?
Choosing between an HD or SSD depends very much on what criteria you want to take when purchasing extra storage. If you want a robust disk, that is, with plenty of space to put things – recommended in case you want to create restore points for backup – we recommend you go behind a standard external hard drive, since high-end hard drives have the greatest capabilities.
On the other hand, if you need good storage, but with an emphasis on file transfer agility and that you can take with you on the road, for example, we already recommend getting an SSD. Although more expensive compared to HDDs with the same storage capacity, its agility to send and read files or programs makes up for it.
What kind of connection to look for: USB or Thunderbolt?
The Thunderbolt standard, exclusive to Mac and present in the most current editions of the Apple computer, is the option that offers faster transfer of files, surpassing USB 3.0, used in the PC. However, an external HD that has this option is not so easy to find in the market, only in the official Apple store, requiring high investment to acquire one.
For those who have older Mac models without the entry, any HDs with USB 3.0 input will serve you. The peripheral will work even if the input of your computer is USB 2.0, due to its backward compatibility. However, the transfer speed will be that of version 2.0.
How do I know if my external hard drive is Mac compatible?
Windows PC and Mac use different reading patterns of the accessories. External storage disks can be purchased in the Mac standard, but this is not mandatory. The Apple computer also reads the Windows standard, although its use is quite limited, and it is recommended to keep it in the Windows standard only if you use both systems on different computers, such as a Windows desktop and a travel MacBook, for example.
f you use only the Mac, you can format the external hard drive to change its reading pattern to HFS +, which is used on the Mac and allows you to use all its functions.
Related posts:
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
How To Choose An External Hard Drive For Mac
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.
External Hard Drive Mac
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.
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. Mac photo to adobe premiere. 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.
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.
- 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
External Hard Drive Mac To Windows
I hope this article turned out to be helpful. To share it with your Mac user friends, use the button below. Mac keyboard and mouse price in india.
