are Lacie external HDD's worth the extra money?

[TrancyGoose]

I am very much torn.
I can get a Lacie drive, 4 TB at extra 30 EUR that looks prettier and seems it will blend nicely with the mac.
And I can get a WD digital myPassport Ultra for Mac, and pay 30 EUR less for same storage amount.

Is it worth paying the extra money for Lacie? Will it benefit me in any way? Can you tell me your experience with Lacie drives, I am sure someone had to have them? Plan is to unload Logic library there, and use it as storage basically, no complex tasks requiring faster speeds.

 

[Stephen.R]

They’re not worth more in terms of actual functionality or reliability, just because of being LaCie (read: seagate).

You’re paying for the name/style, and occasionally they have had Mac specific niceties - but in a post FireWire, tb3/USB-c world there’s much less for them to “specialise” on in terms of actual functionality like that.

 

[TrancyGoose]

They’re not worth more in terms of actual functionality or reliability, just because of being LaCie (read: seagate).

You’re paying for the name/style, and occasionally Mac specific niceties.

Thank you! But what would be thoce niceties? Legit question, I don't see them. Both drives I'm looking at are USB-c to USB-C and sold "for mac". What am I missing?

 

[Stephen.R]

One thing I should add - they used to (my last LaCie was bought over a decade ago and the only one I have left - but still working- is from about 13 or 14 years ago) use a lot of aluminium bodies, while WD used a lot of plastic, which made the LaCie’s better at heat dissipation.

 

[Stephen.R]

Thank you! But what would be thoce niceties? Legit question, I don't see them. Both drives I'm looking at are USB-c to USB-C and sold "for mac". What am I missing?

Sorry I edited the post after to answer this question a bit.

they used to be one of the reliable choices for FireWire (and other less common ports like esata) drives when the mainstream choice was usb2.

It’s possible there’s still a benefit if they’ve retained the aluminium bodies; all the WDs and Seagates I’ve had in plastic bodies have had failures - either the board or the drive.

the LaCie I still have from about 2007 or 2008 I think, is a good example of the type of thing I mean. It still works to this day, with the original twin 2.5” drives (in a hardware raid0), and will run over fw800 bus power.

 

[TrancyGoose]

Sorry I edited the post after to answer this question a bit.

they used to be one of the reliable choices for FireWire (and other less common ports like esata) drives when the mainstream choice was usb2.

It’s possible there’s still a benefit if they’ve retained the aluminium bodies; all the WDs and Seagates I’ve had in plastic bodies have had failures - either the board or the drive.

the LaCie I still have from about 2007 or 2008 I think, is a good example of the type of thing I mean. It still works to this day, with the original twin 2.5” drives (in a hardware raid0), and will run over fw800 bus power.

Thank you! Look at this:

This is the WD drive I am looking at:

WD 4TB My Passport Ultra for Mac Portable HDD USB-C with software for device management, backup and password protection

Equipped with USB-C technology, the My Passport Ultra for Mac portable drive offers an easy way to expand your storage. Its modern metal design complements your Mac, and out of the box, it’s formatted for macOS and Time Machine compatibility.

www.amazon.co.uk

Looks aluminum body, no?

Comparison:

LaCie Mobile Drive, 4TB , External Hard Drive, Moon Silver, USB-C, 2 year Rescue Services (STHG4000400)

Sleek design. Extensive storage space. The LaCie mobile Drive reflects how much room there is in a generous loft or large landscape. There's plenty of storage space for your photos, playlists, documents, and more. And thanks to Mac, Windows, USB-C compatibility, that data is easily accessible. On...

www.amazon.co.uk

which does lot significantly more sexy, I admit.

 

[Stephen.R]

The WD one describes the body as “metal cover” but a review says it’s just plastic.

the LaCie one is apparently aluminium, https://www.lacie.com/www-content/datasheets/pdfs/lacie-mobile-drive-DS1997-2-1812US-en_US.pdf

It’s a long time since I bought a mechanical drive like that so I can’t comment on their relative qualities internally, but I’d definitely aim for the solid aluminium body over the plastic.

 

[Fishrrman]

"are Lacie external HDD's worth the extra money?"

No, not really.

What kind of Mac do you have?
Does it have USBc ports?

 

[TrancyGoose]

"are Lacie external HDD's worth the extra money?"

No, not really.

What kind of Mac do you have?
Does it have USBc ports?

M1 MB pro, two thunderbolt 3 ports, also I do have a anker hub

 

[Fishrrman]

I'm thinking that if you want a fast external drive, a USB3.1 gen2 type drive is the way to go.

I believe the Samsung t7 is one of these.

But it's also possible to "build your own", using:
- an nvme "blade" drive
- a USB3.1 gen2 enclosure.
VERY easy to do -- some of these just "snap together".

 

[Stephen.R]

I'm thinking that if you want a fast external drive, a USB3.1 gen2 type drive is the way to go.

I believe the Samsung t7 is one of these.

But it's also possible to "build your own", using:
- an nvme "blade" drive
- a USB3.1 gen2 enclosure.
VERY easy to do -- some of these just "snap together".

OP specifically said they want to offload data, doesn't need high speed.

They're considering 4TB drives, and you suggested one that's double the price, at half the capacity.

 

[TrancyGoose]

OP specifically said they want to offload data, doesn't need high speed.

They're considering 4TB drives, and you suggested one that's double the price, at half the capacity.

Yup! I already have a small 1TB SSD from NETAC, which does me just fine for faster speeds I think I will go for Lacie, I'll pay the extra for the aluminum body and better looks! Thank you!

 

[justashooter]

Does it have to be mobile, the description "form factor 3.5 inch", but it is bus powered so it has to be a 2.5 inch drive.

I believe you get better reliability with a 3.5 inch hard drive, and I prefer OWC products over Lacie.

OWC Mercury Elite Pro 4TB 7200 RPM Storage Solution w/USB 3.2 5Gb/s

The Mercury Elite Pro is up to the task with its rugged, solid aluminum enclosure holding a high performance 3.5-inch 7200RPM hard drive with up to 16TB capacity. It can be used for a variety of personal and business needs including: Pro-level video editing projects Time Machine and File History ...

www.amazon.com