If you keep important files on your macs hard drive, its prudent to assume that eventually the hard drive will fail, or that you will accidentally delete a file. How to use seagate external hard drive on mac, 16 ways. Seagate backup plus 1tb thunderbolt portable external hard drive for mac. The best thunderbolt 3 ssd and hard drives for your macbook. How to transfer your old macs data to your new mac imore. External drive connected to your mac, such as a usb, thunderbolt, or firewire drive. Learn more about backup disks that you can use with time machine. Experience the mindboggling speed of thunderbolt 3 with up to 40gbs. Lets look at the technologies powering the portable thunderbolt hard drives in. Lacie 4tb rugged raid pro usbc hard drive lacie 2tb dji copilot boss hard drive previous gallery image.
Thunderbolt 3 ssd backup drive whether using conventional 2. Best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc image credit. Its shockresistant for drops of up to four feet, and dust and waterresistant. Or your thunderbolt or firewire cable to your hard drive. Its strength is in its speed and power as well as its ability to chain more than one device to a single computer. Apr 10, 2019 to use time machine to make a backup of your mac, you need any of these types of storage devices. Akitio has delivered a nice range of standalone thunderbolt and thunderbolt 2 and 3 drive enclosures for homebuilt storage solutions using the ssd or hdd drives of your choice. Lacie 5tb rugged portable drive thunderbolt usbc model stfs5000400. Plus you can take advantage of two integrated highspeed usb 3. The rugged ssd pro includes just a single thunderbolt 3usbc interface, but most of its high price is down to the use of the latest nvme solidstate drives, which provide. The first hard drive i bought was a seagate, way back in 1989.
The wd my book thunderbolt duo is designed specifically for thunderbolt 1 connections delivering transfer speeds of up to 10gbps. Seagate backup plus 1 tb thunderbolt portable external hard. How to back up a mac hd to a usb memory key your business. The plugable thunderbolt 3 nvme external ssd is a solid state drive that offers one terabyte or two terabytes of external storage for those who like to create on the go. The mac line comes with a program called migration assistant, which makes it super easy to move data across your computers or even from a time machine backup. Feb 08, 2020 the lacie rugged mini is designed for allterrain use. The best external drives for your mac or pc youtube. Lacie 4tb rugged raid pro usbc hard drive with builtin sd card reader previous gallery image. As a simple, flexible, and fast io technology, thunderbolt. Dont forget that you will need a hdd more than double the size of your backup for time machine, so that if you leave a backup for a while, the main backup will remain on the drive while the new full backup is made. The best thunderbolt 3 ssd and hard drives for your. This is another product aimed at people who own macbooks or. The backup plus hub is designed for the mac and is the most affordable 8 tb drive, followed by the wd my book. Take advantage of the newest, fastest connectionsnow and in the future.
Looking for a superfast and superspacious storage device to match your apple mac pro. Thunderbolt connections are the latest in data and power transfer and popular amongst mac devices. Best thunderbolt portable hard drives for mac colour my learning. Aimed at multimedia professionals, the caldigit av pro 2 is a welldesigned, macformatted external drive that comes in ssd and spinning disk versions, and includes both a usb hub and thunderbolt. Developed by intel in collaboration with apple, thunderbolt technology transmits data and display signals in both directions at the same time using the same cable. The backup plus thunderbolt portable drive for mac features a unique adapter system that lets you quickly and costeffectively upgrade or change the drives interface. The lacie rugged thunderbolt can withstand some dust, dirt, and. Diy thunderbolt ssd storage alot of folks want to cobble their own thunderbolt data backup drive together with the hdd or ssd drive of their choosing. Feb 09, 2020 if your mac is running mojave or catalina, they will look slightly different but the process should be similar. Backup plus for mac desktop drive 4tb stdu4000100 4tb 4096.
Jan 09, 2020 this drive is already formatted for mac and fully compatible with thunderbolt 3. Best external hard drives for macs in 2020 techradar. Tucked around the back are two thunderbolt 3 ports one for connecting the dock to your mac, and a second port for additional thunderbolt. The aluminum case is protected by a rubber sleeve for extra. This portable raid solution comes in black, white, gold, gray, and silver, and features a rugged enclosure thats designed to be taken on the road with you. We think it offers creatives the perfect balance of speed, reliability, portability and price for both mac and pc users. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc users. Thunderbolt 3 and usb typec are the latest innovations in the external storage market, but. With its distinctive rubber bumpers and brushed aluminum chassis, the drive offers drop resistance up to 5 feet, crush resistance that can withstand up to a 1ton car, and ip54 water. You can avoid losing data by backing up files on a regular basis.
Lacie d2 thunderbolt 3 6tb external hard drive desktop hdd thunderbolt 3 usbc usb 3. Shop for seagate backup plus 1 tb thunderbolt portable external hard drive for mac stbw401 at best buy. Oct 18, 2019 when you connect an external drive directly to your mac, you might be asked if you want to use the drive to back up with time machine. And then depending what you plan to use your seagate drive for you can decide. Best thunderbolt raid systems for imac pro of 2020 imore. If you want to make use of your macs thunderbolt port, then this is the best external hard drive for macs. How to backup macbook pro to external hard drive, pro magic. External usb, thunderbolt, or firewire drive connected to your mac external drive connected to an airport extreme base station 802. Of course, with a 7200rpm hard disk drive, thunderbolt 3 is drastically overkill. Backup plus for mac desktop thunderbolt 3tb hard drive stcb3000400 3year limited warranty. Seagate backup plus 1 tb thunderbolt portable external. The mobile drive has a single usbc port on the back, but lacie includes cables for both usbc and the older usb 3. If you are not sure how to get your hard drive connected to your macbook pro. Backup disks you can use with time machine apple support.
With a highcapacity, enterpriseclass 7200rpm hard drive, the gdrive device is plug and play on mac, and. Mar 21, 2020 right now, our top pick for best external hard drive is the western digital my passport 4tb, which is a mechanical hard drive. The fastest and largest external hard drive for modern desktop macs. The included hub will give you much easier access to usb ports. Lacies 6big thunderbolt 3 strike a balance between cost, design and. An encrypted backup is accessible only to users with the password. At the moment the 10gbe adapter connects to the opposite side of my macbook so separate bus and i use this to backup the above drives. Lacie external hard drive set up guide for mac 2019.
To use time machine to make a backup of your mac, you need any of these types of storage devices. Once you plug in a hard drive and set up time machine, it will work automatically in the background, continuously saving copies of all your files, applications, and system files i. Backup plus hub external hard drive for mac 8tb seagate. Western digital, owc, akitio and lacie in particular are delivering a great selection of pro and consumer thunderbolt drive solutions to date. Buying guide for best external hard drives for macs. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or instore pickup. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc. For the average consumer, cheaper thunderbolt mac backup drives with 1st generation 10gbps thunderbolt ports and single hdd hard drive or ssd module are affordable for the mac masses. Backing up drive via thunderbolt 3 macrumors forums. Backup your mac with a portable or desktop hard drive. This drive is already formatted for mac and fully compatible with thunderbolt 3. Choose from thunderbolt technology included, usb 2. Lacie rugged drive with integrated thunderbolt cable usbc usb 3.
Whether you prefer hdd or ssd, youre looking for your first drive or your third, an external drive is usually a great solution for data backup and file storage on both your mac and pc. To take advantage of the insanely highspeeds, a solidstate external thunderbolt 3 backup drive using pcie ssd modules deliver the ultimate mac backup performance. The seagate backup plus hub for mac is available in capacities up to 8tb. Lacie 4tb rugged raid pro usbc hard drive with builtin sd card reader next gallery image. May 09, 2019 aimed at multimedia professionals, the caldigit av pro 2 is a welldesigned, mac formatted external drive that comes in ssd and spinning disk versions, and includes both a usb hub and thunderbolt. Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac.
With a highcapacity, enterpriseclass 7200rpm hard drive, the gdrive device is. Select encrypt backup disk recommended, then click use as backup disk. Best external drives for mac and pc interchangeable 2020. With crossplatform compatibility, exceptional reliability and speed, you can back up just about everything.
You can connect two devices using thunderbolt, firewire, ethernet, or even just using the same wifi network if you dont have the required cable. The rugged ssd pro is the fast, featuring a seagate firecuda nvme ssd with up to 2800mbs in transfer speeds. May 08, 2020 the mac line comes with a program called migration assistant, which makes it super easy to move data across your computers or even from a time machine backup. Moving files off your computer will also help tune up your pc a little bit and will protect your important files from potential damage. Oct 10, 2019 right click on your seagates drive icon. First, use the usb cable or usbc cable if youre on the newest mac model with thunderbolt 3 ports that comes with your external drive to connect that drive to your mac. When youre planning to use your seagate drive only for your mac. You will find it worthwhile for very quick backups. There are a few reasons to reformat your drive this way.
External drive connected to an airport extreme base station 802. Thunderbolt 3 provides up to 4x the speed of the fastest usb connection, support for one 5k or two 4k monitors, singlecable docking, external graphics support, up to 100 watts of power delivery, plus daisy chain support for up to 6 thunderbolt 3 devices all delivered through a usbc port. Or you know your external hard drive is not formatted to mac os extended journaled file system and need a little help. Thunderbolt 3 provides up to 4x the speed of the fastest usb connection, support for one 5k or two 4k monitors, singlecable docking, external graphics support, up to 100 watts of power delivery, plus daisy chain support for up to 6 thunderbolt 3 devices all delivered through a. If you see ntfs or exfat then youll know which kind of drive you have. Gdrive with thunderbolt 3 an ultrafast, highperformance storage solution featuring thunderbolt 3 and usb 3. Now its time to backup iphone to usb drive, an external hard drive that wont affect your storage on mac. Right now, our top pick for best external hard drive is the western digital my passport 4tb, which is a mechanical hard drive. The best thunderbolt 3 ssd and hard drives for your macbook pro, macbook air, mac mini, or imac. Thunderbolt 2 external hard drives and storage solutions.
Even some macspecific drives are still sold with usb 3. Protect your macs data with a backup drive macworld. Macbook tb3 8tb drive tb3 4tb drive i backup the above drives to my nas via a 10gbe thunderbolt 3 adapter. Likewise, if you need to use a backup hard drive to restore your data, it can save you hours of time, money and headaches. However, if you want a thunderbolt 1 10 gbps or a thunderbolt 2 20 gbps external drive for mac and are willing to pay that bit extra, here are the two best thunderbolt external drives for mac. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag. If you have a late2011 mac with thunderbolt, or a 2012 model that supports usb 3. The gdrive desktop storage is perfect for storageintensive applications like audiovideo editing or digital photography. If your mac is running mojave or catalina, they will look slightly different but the process should be similar. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc users in. The backup plus thunderbolt portable drive for mac features a unique adapter system that lets you quickly and costeffectively upgrade or change the drive s interface. Backup plus desk mac with thunderbolt 4tb stcb4000401 3year limited warranty. Moreover, the thunderbolt 3 drives you can buy are constrained by the maximum throughput of the drive itself, rather than the. How to backup mac to an external hard drive 5 steps.
Apr 15, 2020 if you want to make use of your mac s thunderbolt port, then this is the best external hard drive for macs. Mar 04, 2020 at the moment i have a macbook pro 16 connected to an 8tb and a 4tb thunderblade v4 via a tb3 chain, so both drives taking up one tb3 port on my computer. Then look down the list youre shown till you get to format. Safekeep all of your music, photographs, movies and more. This is the best for professionals and video editors the lacie 2big dock thunderbolt 3 is much more than just a hard drive. Topselling external thunderbolt ssd drives for macpc. A lot of mac users say this is the best external drive they have ever purchased. If youre looking for a macfriendly external hard drive thats built for durability, take a look at lacies rugged thunderbolt usbc portable hard drive. Lacie rugged external thunderbolt and usb typec portable hard drive manual for macbook pro, imac, mac mini, mac pro, macbook air, and others.