Finding the best external drive for Mac can be quite difficult. Why? Because most of the drives available on the market are designed for computers with Windows based, and when using them on Macs, certain problems arise. You need to understand that these two operating systems are not the same and use completely different file systems. Windows uses NTFS while Macs use HFS+, this is the main reason why some hard drives work fine with one OS but not with another.
Most reviews on the Internet focus much more on Windows hard drives than Mac hard drives, so I wrote this review to try to remedy that. Before I get into the review itself, I would like to give you some tips on what to look for when choosing the best hard drive for Macs.
What to look for when choosing the best hard drive for Macs?
Performance
Performance refers to the speed of data transfer. This speed is usually measured in megabytes per second, and the higher the MB/sec value, the better. Some drives support faster interfaces such as USB 3.0, but most drives only support USB 2.0.
Higher speed interfaces include FireWire 400/800 and eSATA. Performance also refers to how efficiently a drive transfers data without causing errors.
Memory
Memory capacity determines how much data can be stored on disk. Typically the memory capacity ranges from 500GB to 3 terabytes. As a general rule, the more memory the better, and you'll likely need more in the future. free space.
Functions
The most important one is the plug and play function ( plug and play), which makes working with the disc much easier. More modern drives have more features. Some drives have the ability to set a password to access the drive. Some include programs Reserve copy, which provide the ability to restore data in case of accidental deletion. Choose hard drives with the features you'll really need.
Compatibility
Most external drives can work with operating systems Windows systems. If you are a Mac user, be sure to check the disc's compatibility with your operating system before purchasing.
Appearance
For some people appearance disk has great importance. This includes the size, shape, and materials the disc is made from, such as plastic or metal. Portable hard drives weigh less and are smaller in size and can be carried anywhere, while desktop drives are heavier and bulkier and are mostly used near your PC.
Guarantee
Some hard drives come with a 1-year warranty, others 2-3 years. If possible, it is better to buy a drive with the longest warranty period.
Price
Price plays a big role when choosing a hard disk, since most people are willing to pay for HDD only a certain amount. When choosing the best external drive for Mac, it is very important to pay attention to the cost per gigabyte. The less one gigabyte of memory costs, the more valuable the drive is. If the price between a 1TB drive and a 2TB drive is only a few dollars, then it makes more sense to buy a larger drive to expand storage in the future. It is also worth paying attention to the presence of certain functions, reliability and performance of the hard drive.
Review of the eGo 1TB hard drive from Iomega
If you do not have enough available memory for secure storage your files, then buying an external drive would be the best solution for you. What if you're a Mac user? There's no need to worry about that because the eGo 1TB from Iomega is specifically designed for Mac computers, the perfect answer to your needs. This is a desktop hard drive where you can store all your files.
The eGo drive has a memory capacity of 1TB. If this volume is not enough, you can look at models of this disk with a capacity of 2TB. With The Iomega eGo drive, you'll never have to worry about running out of space to store your files. You can store your collections of HD movies, music and photos on it.
Appearance
The eGo drive looks great in silver and will perfectly match the color of the latest Macs. The drive measures 11.2 x 15.2 x 22.3 cm, and weighs 1.7 kg, a little bulky, but thanks to its vertical design, it won't take up much space on your desktop. The well-polished aluminum housing not only looks good, but also serves as an additional heat sink. The front panel has many holes for normal air ventilation, which helps cool the drive under intense use. There is also an LED indicator of the drive's operation on the case. The rear panel has a power switch, a USB 2.0 connector and two FireWire ports.
Functions
The drive supports Macs in plug-and-play mode. and play), and formatted in HFS+. To start working with the drive, you just need to connect it.
It can also be formatted for use with Windows OS. The drive comes with instructions on how to properly format it.
The drive supports USB 2.0, as well as the FireWire 400/800 interface, which provides maximum speed data transmission.
The drive comes with a one-year subscription to Trend Smart Surfing for Mac, which provides greater virus protection when surfing the Internet.
The drive also comes with the option to use the MozyHome online backup service, which allows you to save your most valuable files in the event of a hard drive failure.
The disc comes with a 3-year warranty, unlike other hard drives, which are guaranteed for only 1 year.
What's included?
Clear operating instructions that can be used as a reference guide.
The power supply that supplies energy to the entire system.
To help you enjoy faster connections, cables for USB 2.0 and FireWire 400/800 are included.
The eGo 1TB desktop hard drive itself from Iomega
conclusions
If you need high speed and a flexible choice of interfaces, then the eGo 1TB drive is best for you. This is a reliable and stable drive. This drive also generates little heat and is quiet. If you need a drive with more storage capacity, then this drive is sure to have enough space to store your entire collection of movies, music, photos and programs.
Thanks to the plug-and-play function, the drive is extremely easy to use. The drive is loaded with features and comes with a FireWire cable and pretty much everything you need to use the drive. The cost of this drive is a little higher than other external drives for Macs, but I think the price of this drive is completely justified. As proof of the high reliability of its product, Iomega provides a 3-year warranty on the drive.
Review of the G-Drive mobile 500GB hard drive from G-Technology
If you're looking for the best portable hard drive for Mac, the G-Drive mobile 500GB is yours. the best choice. The drive looks very stylish and is lightweight, which makes it easy to carry this drive anywhere. G-Drive is designed for use with Apple's MacBook, but it will also work great with any Mac computer.
Appearance
The G-Drive drive is based on a Hitachi hard drive with a 2.5-inch form factor and a rotation speed of 5,400 MB/sec. The disk body is made of aluminum, which gives it not only strength, but also allows for better heat dissipation and keeps the disk temperature low. The drive measures 12.7 x 8.1 x 2 cm and weighs less than 500 grams, making this pocket-sized hard drive easy to carry anywhere.
G-Drive can be powered by USB or FireWire, so there is no need for a power supply. The aluminum body comes in silver and black colors with the letter “G” logo located on the acrylic sheet. There is an LED disk operation indicator on the front panel. On the rear panel there are ports for USB 2.0 and for the faster FireWire interface. The drive stands on six rubber feet that prevent the drive from sliding on the table.
Functions
G-Drive does not have large quantity features because this drive was designed with speed and ease of use in mind. The presence of an 8MB cache significantly increases its speed by reducing the access time to frequently requested data. Using a durable aluminum housing, rigid Hitachi disk with a 2.5-inch form factor, it has a very low weight, which makes it more portable and allows you to easily carry the drive anywhere.
The drive has many ports, there is a port for USB 2.0 and two ports for the FireWire 400/800 interface. The presence of many ports allows you to choose the most convenient and fastest method of data transfer in each specific case. The drive is formatted in HFS+ and supports Time Machine, which you can start using with the drive right away. G-Drive is fully plug-and-play, and to start using the drive you only need to plug it in.
What is included? In addition to the 500GB G-Drive itself, the kit includes a USB 2.0 cable, a FireWire 800 to FireWire 800 cable, and a FireWire800 to FireWire 400 cable (6 pin connector). The disc also comes with a user manual, which can be used as a reference guide if necessary. G-Technology provides a 3-year warranty on the drive, while other drive manufacturers only provide a 1-year warranty.
How fast is G-Drive?
During testing, G-Drive showed very impressive operating speed. When transferring a large file via USB 2.0, the read speed was 35 MB/sec and the write speed was 31 MB/sec. When transferring a large file over the FireWire 800 interface, which is known to be much faster, the disk read speed reached 61MB/sec, and the write speed reached 53MB/sec. The G-Drive results exceeded the average speed of 40MB/sec, but other drives were unable to overcome this milestone. This shows how much faster the G-Drive operates compared to other drives. This drive is definitely one of the fastest portable hard drives available today.
conclusions
500GB G-Drive is great for backup important files. Thanks to the high data transfer speeds of this drive, you can quickly store your entire collection of photos, music and movies in the 500GB memory. The stylish aluminum case gives the disk not only a beautiful appearance, but also durability.
The drive is lightweight and small in size, so you can easily carry this portable drive in your pocket. The drive has great functionality and high performance, what more could you want from the best portable hard drive for Mac?
Review of the G-Drive Mobile USB 500GB drive from G-Technology
If you're looking for a high-speed portable hard drive for your Mac, you'll want to check out the G-Drive Mobile USB 500GB drive. This drive is USB powered, so no adapter is needed to operate it. alternating current, just plug it in and start working. The drive can only work with USB interface, and if you don't need to use FireWire and eSATA interfaces, then this drive is perfect for you.
The disk has 500GB of memory available in which you can store your valuable files such as movies, music, photos and programs. The disk is based on a drive from Hitachi with a rotation speed of 5,400 MB/sec. The all-white aluminum casing makes the drive not only very beautiful view, but also serves as an additional heat sink, cooling the disk under intense load.
The G-Drive measures 12.7 x 8.1 x 2 cm and weighs only 250 grams, so you can easily carry this pocket-sized drive anywhere. On the front panel there is an LED indicator of disk operation, and on the top there is a logo in the form of the letter “G”. On the rear panel there is a single port for the USB interface.
G-Drive drives gained a reputation among consumers after the company was acquired by Hitachi. The company is committed to developing high-performance hard drives to provide users with what they are looking for. The drive is formatted in HFS+ for Mac users, and can work with Time Machine. The drive is plug-and-play, making it as easy to use as possible.
What is included? In addition to the G-Drive drive itself, the kit includes a 0.6 m cable for the USB 2.0 interface in white. The company provides a 3-year warranty on its drive, unlike its competitors, which only provide a 1-year warranty.
Performance
The advantage of this drive is the presence of a built-in 8MB cache memory, which significantly increases the performance of the drive. Cache memory reduces data access time and allows you to transfer files at higher speeds. The drive completed the test for transferring a 1GB file in just 37 seconds.
In the 1GB folder copy test, the G-Drive performed impressively, completing the test in just 56 seconds, 10 seconds faster than the LaCie Rikiki drive and 4 seconds faster than Seagate's FreeAgent GoFlex drive.
As we expected, the drive again performed excellently in the Photoshop low-memory test. The drive completed the test in 4 minutes 20 seconds, 6 seconds faster than the LaCie Rikiki drive, but slightly behind the Seagate FreeAgent drive. With such performance, the G-Drive is undoubtedly one of the fastest portable USB hard drives.
During the test, the surface of the case warmed up a little, and the drive made relatively little noise; a quiet hum could be heard.
conclusions
The G-Drive Mobile drive has fast performance that exceeds the speed of other more expensive competitors. If you need a portable external drive for Macs with USB support and don't have much need for a FireWire interface, then this is your best choice. The only drawback that I see in this disc is the lack of software for working with the disc. G-Technology does not see any particular need for it and openly reports it, while other manufacturers include it in the kit, which automatically leads to an increase in the cost of such drives.
The G-Drive has received almost perfect reviews from those who use the drive. A fast and very reliable drive that is sold at a fairly low price. There's no reason not to add this great hard drive to your shopping list.
There are many external hard drives for iPhone and iPad. From compact and mobile to bulky, but quite capacious. We offer a small selection of popular drives that significantly expand the amount of memory available for iOS gadgets.
In contact with
Kingston MobileLite Wireless MLWG2
Not being a storage device per se, this model creates a multifunctional gateway between smartphones and tablets on the one hand and memory cards, plus flash drives on the other. The plural is not used in vain - it supports the creation of a single additional memory capacity of up to 2 GB and parallel data transfer to 8 communicators.
Streaming, Internet bridges, exporting files to social networks and clouds via wireless network, without physical connection to your iPhone or wall outlet. Built-in battery capacity Kingston MobileLite Wireless MLWG2 is 4640 mAh, equivalent to 13 hours battery life. Or the gadget can be used for emergency recharging of the same iPad. Cost – $30.
SanDisk iXpand
Not miniature, not so capacious, not even cheap - the advantage of this flash drive is its higher data transfer speed when connected to the Lighting connector than its analogues on the market. And also the connection method itself via a flexible cable, designed for use with a wide range of cases for iOS devices.
The available memory capacity ranges from 16 to 128 GB, the cost of the top version on Amazon reaches $150. As bonuses, automatic synchronization of photo and video materials in the smartphone’s memory when a drive is connected, as well as the presence of a USB 2.0 port, are stated, but simultaneous operation with Lightning is not supported.
Leef iBridge
It stands out from other drives with its original shape - at one end of the “fishing hook” there is a Lightning connector, at the opposite end there is a standard USB port 2.0. This partly solves the problem of lack of free space, say, if you need to increase iPhone memory without taking the last one out of your pocket.
However, when transferring files, you will have to alternately connect first to the communicator, and then to the PC or Mac. The storage capacity varies flexibly from 16 to 256 GB, price tags are adjusted accordingly, ranging from $60-400. Taking into account the modest dimensions, 63x19x18 mm and 10 g of weight, the reviews are mostly positive, with a transition to enthusiastic ones.
SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive
A combination of a drive, adapter and router - you can store information in the device itself, synchronize data between your smartphone and desktop, play streaming video and edit documents online. Dual connection, wireless for communicators and USB connection for Mac, its own memory capacity is 64 gigabytes, but can be expanded without unnecessary delays by connecting SDHC/SDXC memory cards.
Other useful options include a built-in battery with the ability to be powered externally, password protection of the communication channel, and multi-stream HD video broadcasting. In the Russian segment Apple Store SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive sold for RUB 9,790.
Mophie Space Pack Cases
Following tradition, it improves its family of multifunctional cases, appearing on the market with versions for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and the latest iPad models. The essence remains the same - having dressed the gadget in a protective shell, its owner simultaneously receives a backup power source in the amount of up to 100% of the device’s energy consumption. And a small USB cable to replenish the charge when connected to a computer.
Of course, memory expansion is also provided; there are a lot of available options, from 16 to 128 GB. It all depends on the chosen configuration - a case with both battery and memory for the iPhone 6 will cost $149.95 for the 32 GB version and $299.95 for 128 GB. But there are also “half” versions, more precisely, they are available for pre-order, and covers are available for free sale Mophie Space Pack Cases will appear by July 2015.
LaCie Fuel
A confident mid-ranger for those who value memory capacity and data transfer speeds – it reaches 5 Gb/s. The drive is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, USB 3.0, supports technology, can transfer data to 5 gadgets simultaneously and be used as an Internet access point.
When the batteries are fully charged, it powers itself for up to 10 hours, but it is not able to recharge the same iPad. Due to dimensions 115x115x23 mm and weight 0.3 kg LaCie Fuel difficult to classify as portable and mobile devices, but this is compensated by the amount of memory - interested buyers are asked to choose between 1 and 2 TB. For $179.99 and $235.47, respectively.
My first acquaintance with SSDs occurred in 2010, when a 13-inch MacBook Pro was . Yes, yes, the same one that preceded the active promotion of ultrabooks and the refusal optical drives in laptops. It also spawned a wave of clones, forcing competitors to bang their heads against the wall in attempts to create a solution with a similar set of characteristics. They were able to, but only after a couple of years, but Apple also does not stand still, releasing the ideal, in my humble opinion, laptop Retina MacBook Pro 13″. But let's return to the SSD. The solid-state drive managed to significantly increase the performance of the laptop, and the newcomer, weak even compared to the one-year-old MacBook Pro (the 1.3-gigahertz low-voltage Core 2 Duo in the Air was significantly inferior in performance to its full-fledged analogue even in the Pro model of the previous generation), demonstrated miracles of speed during everyday work with OS. Applications launched literally in the blink of an eye, the system flew, everything was fine, except for one thing - an SSD is much more expensive than a traditional mechanical hard drive, and users who were accustomed to storing hundreds of gigabytes of information on their computer had to curb their appetite and put their personal files in order. But it’s not always possible to refuse this or that content, and in this case an external drive will help. A Mac can work with any device of this kind, but it’s nicer when an accessory is created specifically for Apple technology. My Passport for Mac from W.D. just from this series and I will talk about it in this article.
Silver, but not metal
WD specialists tried to create a product that is maximally adapted to Apple devices, and we are talking not only about functionality, but also about design. Actually, this is not the company’s first experience in producing accessories for Mac. It is enough to remember such products as and. The shape of the new product resembles the latter: convex top and bottom panels, corners rounded under the so-called “magic radius”, and black and silver color design. Although in in this case more silver than black.
It seems that the drive is hidden in a metal case, but in fact it is high-quality plastic with an aluminum finish. Although silver is only the top and bottom panels, side face - black. I like this solution, the accessory looks similar in style to the MacBook, but at the same time it has its own original design, which WD has been using for portable external drives for many years.
There are no extra holes, decorative elements or buttons on the My Passport for Mac body. There is only a Micro-USB 3.0 connector with a power circuit - it is slightly wider than a standard port:
Thanks to the use of such a connector, there is no need for external unit power supply or using two ports simultaneously on a laptop or PC (in the past, external drives were often equipped with a special cable with two full-size USB plugs- one of them was used to power the drive). It's also worth noting that the USB 3.0 port outputs 900 mA versus 500 mA for USB 2.0, so efficient work There is no need to worry about the drive, and situations when it may not be detected or may not start due to lack of energy do not arise.
As for the dimensions, My Passport for Mac fits easily into your pocket and does not take up much space in your bag. In size it is slightly larger than / and weighs only 150 g:
I will also add that the thickness of a 1 TB drive is 15 mm, while the twice as capacious model is 6 mm thicker:
In progress
My Passport for Mac comes with an interface USB 3.0, which means impressive speed. In fact, the device operates with the highest possible performance for a mechanical hard drive when the data exchange rate is 90–100 MB/s. For comparison, the built-in drive in the MacBook Pro (regular models, not Retina) operates at approximately the same speed. That is, if you wish, you can make an exact copy of the hard drive or SSD built into your Mac through Disk Utility and by connecting My Passport for Mac to another Apple computer, load your workspace from an external drive. In this case, the speed of the system will be very good level. In the past, I conducted a similar experiment with a USB 2.0 drive, but the speed was uncomfortable. Now there are no problems.
What is important is that the accessory in question is literally “out of the box” formatted in the file system Mac OS Extended(formerly known as HFS Extended). That is, without unnecessary movements, you can either make an exact copy of the system that I mentioned above, or work with Time Machine, automatically creating backups personal data. Naturally, nothing will prevent you from reformatting the drive into any other file system, be it NTFS, exFat, etc.
If your computer does not support USB 3.0, then it does not matter. The standard is backwards compatible and My Passport for Mac works without problems with USB 2.0. Unless the data transfer speed will be approximately three times lower than the maximum and will be about 30 MB/s.
But still, when the drive is operating at full speed, working with it is much more pleasant. DVD rips are “uploaded” in 15–20 seconds, backup copies are updated quickly, music tracks and photos are copied in just seconds. At the same time, the device operates quietly, does not make noise, does not hum or vibrate. Its active status is indicated only by an inconspicuous indicator near the USB port.
1 TB is enough for most users, including for backup copies of Time Machine, and for additional content. If you want to carry everything you own with you, then your choice is a flagship with 2 TB disk space. You can throw a dozen TV series into it, and several dozen films, and an archive of working software, and an entire personal photo album, and a favorite music collection with hundreds of hours of sound. The gadget can also be used to work with large video files in Final Cut or iMovie. Amateur video editing of My Passport for Mac in USB 3.0 mode is quite satisfactory.
To work with the drive, no additional software is needed, but the kit still includes a proprietary utility WD Drive Utilities, providing access to some additional features. Thus, the program allows you to quickly check the status of the hard drive via SMART, carry out full diagnostics, set a timer to automatic shutdown in idle mode, format or register the gadget with WD technical support.
Let's sum it up
An external drive for a Mac user is a very important accessory that I recommend everyone to buy. Firstly, you will always have a backup copy of your personal data. Moreover, the backup process occurs automatically thanks to Time Machine, and we are not talking about the banal saving of files. The backup copy stores your entire workspace with applications, documents and settings. What if something happens to your computer - anything can happen in life - in this case, you can always easily and without unnecessary movements restore the system on any other Mac in the same form as it was on your computer. The same applies to moving to another Mac.
My Passport for Mac, thanks to its large volume, will not only allow you to create and store backup copies, but also eliminates the small volume built into modern Mac SSD. Of course, you can order a custom configuration with a 768 GB or terabyte SSD, but this costs too much money. It’s cheaper and more profitable to buy an external drive, especially since thanks to USB 3.0 support, the operating speed of the review hero is comfortable for any task.
Nowadays they are used almost everywhere cloud technologies data storage. The cloud is fast, convenient and most importantly, always at hand. However, we still cannot do without physical storage devices. Hard disks and SSD drives are used as system drives, and regular flash drives are still in use. Some drives are ready to use right out of the box, others need to be formatted; In addition, the kit includes proprietary utilities that the manufacturer recommends using. In this article you will learn how to properly prepare external drive to work in OS X.
The first time you connect an external drive to your Mac, it will automatically be mounted and ready to go. However, before relying on it, there are a few important things to check.
Note. I don't have a disk on hand to mock, so I'll show everything using an old USB flash drive as an example, but don't worry, in the case of hard drive The setup procedure will be similar.
The first point to consider is that most likely your new disk will be formatted in FAT32, instead of the most common extended and ntfs (for Mac and Windows, respectively). FAT32 is good because it has support for both reading and writing in both OSes. This is the easiest method if you need a universal drive, although it has some limitations.
First, FAT32 lacks journaling support, which would help prevent data corruption. Second, it does not support assigning file system permissions. Additionally, FAT32 drives typically have an MBR partition scheme, which does not work with Apple CoreStorage and therefore will not allow on-disk encryption. Thirdly, FAT32's file size limit is 4GB, which by modern standards is very, very bad.
Sometimes a disc comes with special software that can be used to partition the disc and create backup copies of data. It can be convenient, but I still wouldn't recommend using it since OS X has all the tools you need to do so. Third-party disk management tools may cause compatibility issues that may result in data loss.
If you're only going to use your external drive with your Mac or other Macs, it's best to format it to the extended format that OS X uses by default. If there is a need to connect to Windows machines, then definitely use FAT32.
Disk partitioning
For all manipulations with drives, OS X uses Disk Utility, which is located in the folder Programs - Utilities. Well, let's launch it and start partitioning our external drive.
Step 1. Selecting a disk and number of partitions
Select our disk in the sidebar on the left and specify the partition table. If you need several volumes, indicate their number in the drop-down menu Partition scheme or using the button + , if there is an unallocated area on the disk.
Clue. If you select a disk in the sidebar, Disk Utility will display all of its partitions. For your primary drive they will be grayed out because it is not possible to format or change the partition table for boot disk. These options will be available for all other connected devices.
Step 2. Specify the partition scheme
The default partition scheme is usually GUID, but it’s better to open Options and check that this is indeed the case. And in general, for any operations with a disk, the proverb “Measure twice, cut once” is more relevant than ever, especially if the disk already contains some data.
Step 3. Check and confirm all changes
Once you've checked all the settings, the final step is to apply them. Click the appropriate button and wait for the process of partitioning our disk to complete.
Once the changes take effect, the drive will be ejected and remounted into your Mac's file system. Now he is completely ready to work.
Something else
If you want to go further, you can test the drive to make sure there is no bad sectors and other errors. For this you can use third party applications, such as Drive Genius or Tech Tool Pro, because Disk Utility does not have such functionality. But there is still one trick that will help you check disk errors using it. This method is based on Securely erase disk. As you may know, such erasing is done by writing each sector with zeros, thereby allowing us to understand whether there are bad sectors if the operation fails.
It is worth noting that the secure erase procedure and other similar hard drive operations that check each sector of the disk take quite a long time (several hours).
I wish all your disks trouble-free operation, may they work quickly and please you, dear readers. If you still have any questions about setting up external hard disk in Mac - ask them in the comments.
If there is a need to format a hard disk or USB flash drive so that the devices are compatible with Mac and Windows, then this is easy to do. It is important to know that formatting the device will delete all data, so in order not to lose information, it is better to make a backup copy right away.
To format the device you need:
- Run Disk Utility, find /Applications/Utilities/ ;
- Connect your device;
- Click on the disk name in the left corner of the Desktop and then click the Erase button;
- Click on the “Format” drop-down menu, select “MS-DOS (FAT)”. Here you can rename the device;
- Click the “Erase” button to format your device for compatibility with Mac & Windows PC.
Formatting is usually a quick process, but it all depends on the size of the files on the device you are formatting.
As a result, a flash drive or external hard The disk will be compatible with Mac OS X, Windows 95, 98, Windows XP, Vista, 7, and even Windows 8. This formatting method is ideal for USB flash drives, external hard drives that are designed for use under multiple operating systems.
The main disadvantage of using FAT32 is its file size limit. So, the device to be formatted should have no more than 4 GB. If you use exFAT to format a device larger than 4GB, it will result in incompatibility with older versions of OS X and Windows.