There are dozens of different external hard drive for mac backup models in the market, finding the best one really was a challenging task for us. After reviewing all the products we have picked some according to the specific needs of our users. We'll help you find the best external hard drive for your PC or Mac. External hard drives money can buy in 2018. With the best external hard drives, you never have to worry about running out.
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- The best external hard drive for Mac 2018 has lots of storage capacity among other qualities. Whether you will choose a portable one or prefer a NAS, it is up to you.
- A 1TB hard drive can costs a little as £40, a 1TB SSD around £240. An external hard drive is, for many, the best solution.
- Best external hard drive for Macs 2018: 6 we recommend for extra storage Expand your Mac the easy way, and give yourself the perfect place for Time Machine backups.
BestExternal Hard DrivesWindows Central2019
Having an external hard drive around can come in handy if you need to add a little (or a lot) of extra storage space to your PC setup with little hassle. Navigating the sea of external drives can, however, be quite daunting. 2018 word for mac 15.39 recover after power failure. So we've compiled a list of the best picks to get you started.
Light and small: Seagate Backup Plus Slim
Editor's choice
The Backup Plus Slim is one of the smallest and lightest hard-disk drives (HDD) out there, available in four different sizes up to 5TB and four different colors. It's just 0.48 inches thick for easy portability in your laptop bag or pocket, and USB-A 3.0 connectivity means relatively fast transfer speeds.
From $60 at Amazon
Solid-state drive: Samsung T5 Portable
Staff pick
If an HDD just won't do and you have the cash, Samsung's T5 500GB external solid-state drive (SSD) is the best you can buy right now with up to 540 MB/s read and write speeds. This drive has a single USB-C port on it for fast data transfer, but it includes both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A 3.1 cables in the box.
$88 at Amazon
Plenty of colors: Western Digital My Passport
Weighing in at around eight ounces, this HDD measures in at about the same size as your average wallet. It also packs plenty of space, with sizes ranging from 1TB to 4TB. Hwmonitor for mac 2018 football. USB-A 3.0 connectivity means fairly speedy transfers, and Western Digital includes the option to keep your sensitive files protected with 256-bit AES hardware encryption.
From $50 at Amazon
Made for mobility: SanDisk Extreme SSD
SanDisk's Extreme SSD is available in sizes from 250GB up to 2TB, and it's designed to be easily carried around with you. A cutout in the top corner allows you to clip it to a bag or case, USB-C connectivity allows for transfer speeds up to 550MB/s, and it's water and dust resistant so you can worry less about your data.
From $73 at Amazon
Bulk storage: Western Digital My Book Desktop
If you aren't concerned with portability and simply want a solid, self-powered external HDD for your desktop, look no further than the Western Digital My Book Desktop. Get up to 10TB of storage, protect your files with 256-bit AES encryption, and connect with USB-A 3.0 for file transfers.
From $85 at Amazon
Rugged storage: CalDigit Tuff
If you're hard on your hardware, the Tuff drive from CalDigit offers a four-foot drop rating, water resistance for up to 30 minutes in about three feet of water, and a dust- and shock-resistant coating. Use USB-C or USB-A 3.1 to connect, and choose from five different colors, all with 2TB of storage.
From $120 at Amazon
Thunderbolt 3 speed: Samsung X5 SSD
Want the fastest transfer speeds possible (up to 2,800 MB/s read and 2,300 MB/s write) from your external drive? Samsung's X5 SSD uses Thunderbolt 3 to connect for blistering transfers, and it's all wrapped up in a sleek, compact metal body. If you have a laptop with modern ports and don't want to wait around, this should be a great pick.
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If we're picking an external hard drive ..
All of the drives listed above have their perks and will make a great storage option for the right person, but if we're picking one, we suggest the Seagate Backup Plus Slim. It's small enough to easily tote around with you, there are lots of storage options up to 5TB available, and it uses USB-A 3.0 for wide compatibility and respectable transfer speeds. It's also one of the least expensive options on the list, making it ideal for most people.
If you need something with faster speeds that keeps the same sleek form, we also recommend the Samsung T5 SSD. You'll ultimately pay more, but you'll see read and write speeds up to 540MB/s and compatibility with USB-C and USB-A ports. This drive is also surprisingly small, enough so that you can tuck it away into most pockets without much trouble. If 500GB isn't enough, be sure to have a look at the 1TB model.
If you're looking for a storage solution that's quite a bit more robust and expandable, you might be looking for Network Attached Storage (NAS). There's always the option of building your own NAS, but for those who'd rather buy a prebuilt, we've rounded up the best options available now.
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An external hard drive is useful in storing important personal and official files. It may be used for backing up or storing documents when your Mac’s storage space is not enough. An external hard drive simply expands Mac’s storage capacity without having to open the machine to fit it and without the need to carry the extra weight wherever you take your Mac.
Whether you need an external drive to store more data or back up what you already have on the Mac, you need to get the best. A good drive should have some qualities that make it stand out from the rest. What are these qualities? What is the best external hard drive for Mac 2019?
Free publishing software for mac. In this article, we will answer all your questions about buying an external hard drive for your Mac this New Year. Read on and find out more!
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1. NAS drives
A network attached storage (NAS) Driver Is one to which a Mac can connect to via a network without the need to use cables and other physical connections. These drives can be used solely or as more than one drive that mirrors the data stored in each. This means that the data is safer. NAS drives can be used by all users connected to a network to store data and access it.
The best external hard drive needs to support time machine. This is the default backup software that runs on Macs. A hard drive that supports this software makes it easy for you to backup all your files in it. It is always good to have this backup because you never know when your Mac will crash or experience any other issue. With a backup, you will have a way to get all the information back. A good drive will backup the entire system including the operating system.
This is the speed at which the hard drive can rotate to be read from r wrote on by different programs. This is very important as it will determine how responsive the drive is to the actions that you do. In terms of speed, hard drives are generally available as two types. There is the traditional HDD and the new SSD. The latter is lighter and faster than HDDs. However, SSDs cost more than HDDs.
This refers to the number of hard drives there is in the external storage device. While some have only one hard drive, others have two or more. More bays mean more storage space and the option to use RAID performance. However, more bays come at an additional cost.
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) refers to a data storage virtualization technology in which multiple hard drives are used as logical units that increase performance. When you buy an external drive that has two or more hard disks you can use RAID to improve performance. You can even mirror the contents of one disk in the other and as such you will have two copies of the data. This makes it safer as you can get access to the data if something happens to the computer and the other disk.
Best External Hard Drive for Mac 2019 – Our Top Picks
Preview | Product | Rating | Price |
---|---|---|---|
LaCie Rugged RAID 4TB Portable Hard Drive | from $299.00 | ||
Seagate Backup Plus Fast 4TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0, Black.. | $450.00 | ||
Buffalo LinkStation 520 4TB Private Cloud Storage NAS with Hard Drives Included | $286.56 | ||
WD 4TB My Cloud Home Personal Cloud Storage - WDBVXC0040HWT-NESN | from $129.99 | ||
Seagate Expansion Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD - USB 3.0 for PC Laptop.. | $134.64 | ||
WD My Passport for Mac Portable External Hard Drive | $134.99 |
1. LaCie Rugged RAID, Thunderbolt Portable Drive ($348.95)
This portable hard drive is sturdy and has great performance. It is resistant to shock, water and dust. It is perfect for use on the go. The two internal hard drives with a total of 4GB storage have performances of up to 240MB/s. It supports RAID; choose RAID 0 for fast performance or RAID 1 for duplicated data.
With the USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports, you can easily connect to your Mac and also add other peripheral devices. Any computer will recognize this device. Use it to expand your storage and/or backup your data as you wish.
This is a portable Mac external hard drive that has a capacity of 4TB and fast data speeds of up to 220MB/s. Backup anything you want and manage it with the Seagate dashboard software. You can backup data from Windows PCs and Macs thanks to this hard drive’s support for the plug-and-play NTFS driver.
The USB 3.0 port provides connectivity with quick file transfers. There is no need for power supply as the USB connection is enough.
This NAS device will act as the digital hub of your home or office. It has 4TB storage space that can be used for backups. It comes RAID 1 configured to ensure all data remains safe. The data stored here can be accessed from anywhere thanks to private cloud connectivity.
The user-friendly interface makes it easy to manage files. The built-in bit torrent client makes it easy to download files. The two premium grade HDDs in place are durable and have lower operating costs.
This hard drive has 4GB space that can be used to store files, photos, and videos from your phone or computer. Easily connect the hard drive to your router and you will be able to view files stored in the hard disk on the go on your phone or computer. Photos and videos on your phone will be backed up automatically. As for backing up, use the Time Machine to backup and sync all your Mac devices.
This can be done wirelessly whereas backups from external hard drives and flash drives can be done via the USB port available. There are many apps that connect devices to this hard drive making it the best hard drive for Mac that provides easy control.
5. Seagate 8TB Desktop External Hard Drive ($149.99)
Expand the hard drive of your Mac with this the 8GB on this external hard drive. Transfer data fast via the USB 3.0 supported. The installation process is as simple as connecting the power adapter and USB cable and you can start working. As a Mac user, you will need to reformat it. Do this easily by following the application guide provided.
Apple Mac External Hard Drive
If you have been looking for the best portable hard drive for Mac, this is it. It has great looks and works perfectly. The 3TB will store massive amounts of data while the sleek design and light weight make it ideal to be carried wherever you go. It is designed specifically for use with the Mac and is compatible with Time Machine.
Backup all the files on your Mac or iPhone. You can then open the files by simply dragging and dropping them from the Finder. Keep everything secure with the 256-bit AES hardware encryption and WD security software included in this hard drive. The WD build this hard drive sturdy and long lasting. It is shock-resistant.
Best External Hard Drive For Mac
The best external hard drive for Mac 2018 has lots of storage capacity among other qualities. Whether you will choose a portable one or prefer a NAS, it is up to you. If you are a person who is always on the move the prior will be suitable for you whereas people who are mainly at home or office would be better off with the more equipped but less portable drives. Ensure to have a picture of what you are looking for before you decide to buy. Try the above external hard drives and you will be pleased. Just be sure to pick the one that is right for you.