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13" MBP External Hard Drive

H

hanurk

macrumors member
Original poster
I'm going to be entering my first year in college this fall, and I've been recommened to buy an external hard drive for backup reasons. I'm only going to be using the external with time machine on my macbook which has an internal hd of 250gb. What size/brand hard drive would you guys recommend? I'm most interested in the 2.5" for the portability, but I'm not sure if HD speed makes that big of a difference. I would also prefer firewire since I heard it is alot faster than USB 2.0. Any suggestions would be great!
 
1.5 times the size of your internal drive is what I've heard and would recommend for TimeMachine, at the least.

Your backup should not be a portable drive that you travel around with.

I would get a 500gb FW(800) desktop-sized external drive for TM, then whatever 2.5" drive you want for portable storage. If that exceeds your budget, just get the biggest desktop backup drive you can afford. You can partition it for a bit of extra scratch space along side the TM backup.

As for brands, just something with a company that has a good data warranty.
 
Wirelessly posted (BB 8900: BlackBerry8900/4.6.1.101 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/301)

I haven't seen many (any, actually) 2.5" externals with FW800, only FW400 which would require an adapter. If FW is important to you, you will more than likely have to go with a desktop-sized external.
 
I haven't seen many (any, actually) 2.5" externals with FW800, only FW400 which would require an adapter. If FW is important to you, you will more than likely have to go with a desktop-sized external.
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As far as adapters go, don't let that hold you back if you're dead set on the 2.5" because you can just get a ~5 dollar cable that'll go from the FW 800 port on the computer to the FW 400 port on the external. The bigger the better though. You'll fill it up faster than you think.
 
so for college, i wouldn't really need a portable backup hd? I was going to go portable so that I can just carry it around and if I'm writing a paper in a library I can just hook it up so I won't have to worry about losing my paper since time machine make backups. Is my thinking totally wrong here?
 
hanurk said:
so for college, i wouldn't really need a portable backup hd? I was going to go portable so that I can just carry it around and if I'm writing a paper in a library I can just hook it up so I won't have to worry about losing my paper since time machine make backups. Is my thinking totally wrong here?
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I think portable would work well if you're constantly on the run.

But correct me if I'm wrong, but the other members seem to suggest that you have a solid external, somewhat like a main headquarters for all your backup needs.

I have a WD portable 120GB external and hope to carry it with me when I go to college. But I also have a 1TB at home.
 
The g-drives look great but seem a little pricey

and I've heard some bad things about WD (HD failure, dies in less than a month) so thats why I'm kind of on the edge about purchasing one. can anyone change my mind on this?
 
What I intend to do is just use my 250GB in an external enclosure whenever I finally decide to buy a 500GB. At least that way I will get some use out of my 250 for a little while.
 
hanurk said:
The g-drives look great but seem a little pricey

and I've heard some bad things about WD (HD failure, dies in less than a month) so thats why I'm kind of on the edge about purchasing one. can anyone change my mind on this?
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I've been using only WD drives since i started computing in 1995. I've only ever had 1 drive fail, and it was a 1st Generation raptor 150GB. I was using it to transcode video on 24-7 in a poorly vented machine, so thats not a suprise.

Personally I'd stay away from my books. The common problem people have is that the drive says it can't be accessed then wont show up at all on your computer. The problem is not drive failure. Mine did that, and i popped the drive out and its been in my computer for the past year. The controller card failed.

G-Tech are pricey but you really do get what you pay for.

Adam
 
Also have a look at OWC's On-The-Go Pro drives or the bare enclosure. Far cheaper than the G-Drive options, although those do look pretty awesome.

yoyomaster said:
What I intend to do is just use my 250GB in an external enclosure whenever I finally decide to buy a 500GB. At least that way I will get some use out of my 250 for a little while.
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That's exactly what I'm doing. I have the bare OWC On-The-Go enclosure and have a 500GB Momentus 7200.4 on order. When I get it, I'm putting my MacBook's 250GB drive in the enclosure.
 
Search the forums.

I would recommend having a powered one for a variety of reasons, less risk of failure, more options etc. etc.

And like always:

Everyone has their own experiences, but I imagine that most of them are positive. Sure, there are these threads about how person x's drive failed and person y wouldn't buy anything but them. I own three drives that there are plenty of horror stories about.

No one would ever post: "I love my Western Digital 1TB Drive", unless someone posts a horror story about one. Companies ship tons of drives daily, not everyone will be perfect.

The best advice is to find one that has a good warranty and excellent customer service. And then avoid reading these threads so you don't lose any sleep.

Or you could be OCD, anal and paranoid like me and have two back-up drives .
 
I bought a Toshiba 400GB Portable HD for 99$. It is small and thin. I think it will be perfectly portable. BestBuy had some and I got the last one. They sold out fast..
 
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Why not go for the WD My Passport 500GB here?:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Essential-WDME5000TN/dp/B001F9LY14/ref=pd_cp_e_1

I have a WD just like that, and it's beautiful that it doesn't need a power supply. Just literally plug it into your MacBook, and you're good to go.

But I can understand why you'd want a more solid, bigger external, especially if you're living in a dorm.

PS - The WD I mentioned above is cheaper than the LaCie. Just letting you know. 😉
 
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ecstasy said:
Why not go for the WD My Passport 500GB here?:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Passport-Essential-WDME5000TN/dp/B001F9LY14/ref=pd_cp_e_1

I have a WD just like that, and it's beautiful that it doesn't need a power supply. Just literally plug it into your MacBook, and you're good to go.

But I can understand why you'd want a more solid, bigger external, especially if you're living in a dorm.

PS - The WD I mentioned above is cheaper than the LaCie. Just letting you know. 😉
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Umm the OP mentioned distaste for Western Digital...To each their own?

Also, going for one that offers Firewire is probably a plus.
 
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thegoldenmackid said:
Umm the OP mentioned distaste for Western Digital...To each their own?

Also, going for one that offers Firewire is probably a plus.
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Ah, didn't see that there.

But is $40+ worth it for Firewire ports?

I'm sure there's great deals lingering around somewhere. 😀
 
I have a similar question regarding external hard drives. I was looking at 2 Western Digital My Passport 500GB hard drives and one of them states "for Mac," on it and is $10 more expensive than the regular one. I was wondering do I need to purchase an external hard drive specifically "for Mac"? or will the other regular drive do?
regular
for mac
 
TeeRav1 said:
I have a similar question regarding external hard drives. I was looking at 2 Western Digital My Passport 500GB hard drives and one of them states "for Mac," on it and is $10 more expensive than the regular one. I was wondering do I need to purchase an external hard drive specifically "for Mac"? or will the other regular drive do?
regular
for mac
Click to expand...

Essentially the same, I believe.

The System Requirements on the regular state:

Windows 2000, XP, Vista; Mac OS 10.4.10 or 10.5.2 or higher; available USB port

Also, the first review on the regular:

"Great product, small, sleek and highly portable. Use the USB cable for transfers and power to the unit so no additional power cord is needed. Transfers of pics ad vids are fast. Use for Mac requires some set-up and formatting of the drive. Do not purchase one made for Macs cause its more expensive and not needed, all you have to do is format the WD Passport. Can use with Time machine flawlessly."
Click to expand...

Hope that helps. 🙂
 
ecstasy said:
Essentially the same, I believe.

The System Requirements on the regular state:

Windows 2000, XP, Vista; Mac OS 10.4.10 or 10.5.2 or higher; available USB port

Also, the first review on the regular:



Hope that helps. 🙂
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I guess I should've just read the reviews! 😛 Haha but thanks for your help.
 
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