a few informed/experienced suggestions for ext hd ub

[lasloduncan]

ready to buy an external hard drive for my iMac for backup etc..assume it should be at least 1tb- seems like there are a couple relaivble brands about the same money? am i missing anything. --amazon??? thank you.

 

[yjchua95]

ready to buy an external hard drive for my iMac for backup etc..assume it should be at least 1tb- seems like there are a couple relaivble brands about the same money? am i missing anything. --amazon??? thank you.

Western Digital tends to be very reliable. Seagate, on the other hand, is the opposite of that.

 

[Weaselboy]

ready to buy an external hard drive for my iMac for backup etc..assume it should be at least 1tb- seems like there are a couple relaivble brands about the same money? am i missing anything. --amazon??? thank you.

They are all pretty much the same. Just decide if you want a 2.5" portable, or a 3.5" desktop drive, and the size you want, then buy whatever is on sale.

Once you get the drive just use Disk Utility to format the drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and you are all set.

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd suggest you consider buying an external enclosure, such as this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VKTJGW...UTF8&colid=R75PP4I2A0BE&coliid=I3DOKZ31SP7539

Then, buy a "bare" HDD of your own choosing.
It seems that as of late, HGST (Hitachi) drives seem to get high marks for reliabilty.

The advantages of doing it this way are:
- You "put it together" (all you need is a screwdriver and a couple of mins), so if there's ever a problem, you know how to take it apart for diagnosis
- Upgrading the drive is easy, as well.

I'd suggest 2.5" form factor.

Another path to consider:
For backups, you might consider a USB3/SATA docking station (many, many are available for around $25).
Now, you can get one or more "bare" drives, and swap them around in the dock as required.

Even if you're going to use Time Machine, I would also recommend that you create at least one "bootable cloned backup" using either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
If you ever get into an "I can't boot!!!!" moment, having such a backup will prove to be invaluable -- can get you back up and running in about 2 minutes...

 

[rkaufmann87]

ready to buy an external hard drive for my iMac for backup etc..assume it should be at least 1tb- seems like there are a couple relaivble brands about the same money? am i missing anything. --amazon??? thank you.[/QUOTE

To be honest the best EHD for the money is OWC's Mercury Elite Pro series. They are extremely reliable, much better than the mass produced Seagate and WD brands. They are also competively priced.

 

[olemed]

Another path to consider:
For backups, you might consider a USB3/SATA docking station (many, many are available for around $25).
Now, you can get one or more "bare" drives, and swap them around in the dock as required.

I have a question about this - where does one store the drives when not in use? Is there a suggestion method of storage to reduce dust exposure and any static? I was wondering if a simple plastic container would be enough.

 

[DemonMF777]

I have a question about this - where does one store the drives when not in use? Is there a suggestion method of storage to reduce dust exposure and any static? I was wondering if a simple plastic container would be enough.

They make simple, cheap plastic containers for them

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+case.TRS0&_nkw=3.5+hdd+storage+case&_sacat=0