I needed to purchase a new external HD for my MacBook Pro. I want it primarily for Aperture and iMovie as I've already burned through 250GB of HD space for these 2 program libraries. Wanted to see if anyone else is using an external drive and how their experience is with these 2 programs.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Advice on new External HD
- Thread starter littlebudha
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I got a WD Elements 2TB External HD for my Macbook Air because I figured I needed space and something to backup all my info.
I do some video editing and production on the side and each project can take up to 100+gb sometimes, but I usually delete the clips after I render the video. It's nice having those files on your computer, but an external is necessary if you are doing video editing because you need to keep records of what you've recorded.
I do some video editing and production on the side and each project can take up to 100+gb sometimes, but I usually delete the clips after I render the video. It's nice having those files on your computer, but an external is necessary if you are doing video editing because you need to keep records of what you've recorded.
Thanks for the quick response... I forgot to mention I would prefer a portable or mobile drive and something that's fast.
If you want fast, portable and available right now, you need to go FW800.
G-Tech has a portable model that I've used. It's pretty nice. If I were buying now, I'd probably get something from Other World Computing. They have a wide range of portable drives, including bare enclosures so you can insert your own drive.
G-Tech has a portable model that I've used. It's pretty nice. If I were buying now, I'd probably get something from Other World Computing. They have a wide range of portable drives, including bare enclosures so you can insert your own drive.
I'm on the same boat. Need a 1TB Portable external hard drive w/ Firewire 800 that's bigger than my current 500gb FW800 one one. This isn't for back-up purposes and since the cheaper USB 3.0 doesn't seem to be supported with my mid-2010 MacBook Pro i5 seems this is my only choice. I think our only options are:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go ($165)
and
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/EliteALmini/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB ($168 for the 1tb or $249 for the 1.5TB (which I think is too pricey for now)
Anyone know which one I should go with?
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go ($165)
and
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/EliteALmini/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB ($168 for the 1tb or $249 for the 1.5TB (which I think is too pricey for now)
Anyone know which one I should go with?
How does the Air handle the video editing? Any problems or hiccups or ??
Oh, and which MBA is it?
Thanks.
Everyone already has the right idea -- I just want to add my +1. G-Tech drives are great, better than LaCie and WD. I even tried a Glyph but sent it back and got two G-Techs. I use a G-Tech G-RAID mini. It's great over FW800 and especially portable because it uses bus power. It has a rugged design and even a little fan on the bottom to keep the drives and controller cool. I have a G-SPEED Q for my primary storage. It's built of an insane 1/8" aluminum one-piece body. I'd recommend any G-Tech drives, but the G-RAID mini and G-DRIVE mini are bus powered so you should get one of those. I think G-Tech also makes a few external SSDs.
G-Tech drives are especially cheap at B&H, http://www.bhphotovideo.com/.
I read a lot of bad reviews about LaCie drives. The controllers would fail at a pretty high rate. I didn't like the Glyph drive because the warranty wasn't worth it with a RAID 1 set and the build quality wasn't as good as the reviews say.
As for use, I don't do video, but I do audio and graphic design. The drive is definitely as fast as FW800 will allow. It even has an eSATA port, which you probably can't utilize, but it's there and it works.
There are some budget options out there, like OWC and a bunch of plastic enclosed drives on Newegg and Amazon. Some get bad reviews; some are probably as reliable as the disks inside. G-Tech is not the cheapest option you can find, but I can say I've tried them and have been satisfied. They have a great warranty and since Hitachi owns G-Tech, you get a little discount on the disks. It might cost 10-15% more, but you get some piece of mind.
G-Tech drives are especially cheap at B&H, http://www.bhphotovideo.com/.
I read a lot of bad reviews about LaCie drives. The controllers would fail at a pretty high rate. I didn't like the Glyph drive because the warranty wasn't worth it with a RAID 1 set and the build quality wasn't as good as the reviews say.
As for use, I don't do video, but I do audio and graphic design. The drive is definitely as fast as FW800 will allow. It even has an eSATA port, which you probably can't utilize, but it's there and it works.
There are some budget options out there, like OWC and a bunch of plastic enclosed drives on Newegg and Amazon. Some get bad reviews; some are probably as reliable as the disks inside. G-Tech is not the cheapest option you can find, but I can say I've tried them and have been satisfied. They have a great warranty and since Hitachi owns G-Tech, you get a little discount on the disks. It might cost 10-15% more, but you get some piece of mind.
I don't believe that Seagate uses 7200rpm drives in their GoFlex line. I think their portable line uses 5400rpm drives and the desktop line uses 5900rpm drives.
I can't seem to find the information concretely, but his post made me do some research. From what I gathered:
GoFlex Pro and Turbo have 7200rpm drives. The others do not. But again, i'm not 100% sure of this.
Can I ask, do you like the goflex as a ext. hdd? Do you use the FW800 adapter? Is there any size restriction if you are transferring files from mac to hd or pc to hd?
Appreciate any input.
^ well I'm convinced and about to pull the trigger on the G-Technology G-DRIVE 1TB External Hard Drive w/ eSATA, USB 2.0, Firewire 400, Firewire 800 Interfaces 0G00199 from Amazon for $185. You mentioned B&H Photo but they only have the G-Technology 1TB G-RAID mini Portable Hard Drive Array not a 1TB g-drive. It's $20 more than the OWC options, but with a vouch like this, seems it's the way to go.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.