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Best external hard drive to buy to expand my MacBook pro’s 128gb internal SSD?
- Thread starter Benz63amg
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I have a SanDisk Extreme and a Samsung T5. I think there are newer versions of each (Extreme Pro and Samsung T7). Either one is amazing and while benchmarks put the Samsung ahead they are both really quick.
The Sandisk is more rugged, whereas I feel like the Samsung needs protecting with a carry-case.
The Sandisk is more rugged, whereas I feel like the Samsung needs protecting with a carry-case.
For most users, just about any SSD will work. The Adata SE800 is one I've been using a lot as of late, and it's a good SSD overall with respectable performance, a nice form factor, and a good price.
www.pcmag.com
If you want the absolute best performance you can get from a USB SSD (but don't want to go TB3), the SanDisk Extreme Pro is probably worth a look. As far as I know, it is the best consumer-grade SSD for sustained reads and sustained writes of larger files, and it can hold sustained transfer rates with less thermal or cache depletion effects than other SSDs. For the average user though, that's only a limited benefit in actual use.
ADATA SE800 Review
The ADATA SE800 external SSD is everything you want in a shirt-pocket solid-state drive: sleek, tough, affordable, and snappy. It will make an excellent addition to your kit.
If you want the absolute best performance you can get from a USB SSD (but don't want to go TB3), the SanDisk Extreme Pro is probably worth a look. As far as I know, it is the best consumer-grade SSD for sustained reads and sustained writes of larger files, and it can hold sustained transfer rates with less thermal or cache depletion effects than other SSDs. For the average user though, that's only a limited benefit in actual use.
Which is more reliable? Do they need to be formatted MacOS journaled for best compatibility or APFS? And can TRIM be enabled? Do they produce a lot of heat?(which more, Samsung or Sandisk?)
So you don’t recommend buying a regular passport spinning harddrive right? Only SSD?
What would be the optimal way to format the Sandisk? APFS or MacOS journaled? And would TRIM be enabled by default?For most users, just about any SSD will work. The Adata SE800 is one I've been using a lot as of late, and it's a good SSD overall with respectable performance, a nice form factor, and a good price.
ADATA SE800 Review
The ADATA SE800 external SSD is everything you want in a shirt-pocket solid-state drive: sleek, tough, affordable, and snappy. It will make an excellent addition to your kit.
If you want the absolute best performance you can get from a USB SSD (but don't want to go TB3), the SanDisk Extreme Pro is probably worth a look. As far as I know, it is the best consumer-grade SSD for sustained reads and sustained writes of larger files, and it can hold sustained transfer rates with less thermal or cache depletion effects than other SSDs. For the average user though, that's only a limited benefit in actual use.
Depends on how you are using it and personal preference I suppose. I use HFS+ encrypted for all of my externals with the exception of clone drives designed to be bootable, where I use APFS. I've not enabled trimforce and cannot comment on the specifics of using TRIM over USB in macOS...I am not even sure if it is supported?
I want to use the drive as my backup drive for my photos, music etc. what would be the best format to format the drive to?
As for Trim, I thought that Trim was essential for SSD to function properly to last for years and is highly recommended to be enabled for all SSD drives
I think either APFS or HFS+ would be fine. Backing up that drive would be much more important than which of the two formats IMO. As for TRIM, the SSD controllers are capable of handling wear leveling, and modern SSDs have pretty outrageous endurance levels. I've never had an issue without it. And at least previously, I don't think macOS supported TRIM over USB. That might have changed?
Spinning is fine if it's just for document storage, but an SSD will be better in every way and certainly more durable. Prices are decent these days for 1TB or less.
I don't use APFS based on this but YMMV. The SanDisk runs warmer it's rubber/plastic so doesn't dissipate heat. The Samsung is all metal and is therefore a big heatsink - it stay cool to the touch.
I can't really speak to reliabilty - both have been flawless. The Samsung feels better built but will scratch. The SanDisk can be hooked to a keychain.
You won't go wrong with either of them.
Quick question, would I be able to “Velcro” the Samsung T5 to the back aluminum exterior of my MacBook Pro’s display panel to create more of a permanent integration of the T5 with my MacBook Pro? Or would the constant heat generated by the SSD could potentially damage the display of the MacBook Pro in the long term?
The Sandisk looks bigger than the T5 so I think the T5 would be a better solution. The spinner drives are much cheaper and offer way more storage for the price but they are heavy and I don’t think I could “Velcro” one to the back of my macbook’s display
The Sandisk looks bigger than the T5 so I think the T5 would be a better solution. The spinner drives are much cheaper and offer way more storage for the price but they are heavy and I don’t think I could “Velcro” one to the back of my macbook’s display
How are these T5 SSD’s compared to a usb c thumb drive SSD? Aren’t thumb drive SSD more streamlined and integrated when plugged in?(aesthetic wise) As opposed to a square sized SSD drive that needs to be velcroed to the back of the MacBook Pro?
Instead of the T5 you may want to go for the T7 if price is the same. I would not personally velcro any items to the MBP.
USB flash drives have lower operating speeds. Generally sustained read speeds are much lower, and sustained write speeds are insanely lower (and generally way slower than even a spinning disk hard drive). The exception would be flash drives that have an actual SSD controller. However, these flash drives are physically larger and, as far as I know, are only currently available with USB-A connectors at the moment.
USB flash drives have lower operating speeds. Generally sustained read speeds are much lower, and sustained write speeds are insanely lower (and generally way slower than even a spinning disk hard drive). The exception would be flash drives that have an actual SSD controller. However, these flash drives are physically larger and, as far as I know, are only currently available with USB-A connectors at the moment.
I’ve read terrible reviews on the T7 saying it overheats and produces lots of heat in general and to stay away from it and stick with the T5 instead. The T7 is about 40$ more than the T5 and it looked like a good option but the bad reviews of the T7 turned me off.
As far as the Velcro, why wouldn’t you use velcro? The MacBook Pro being a mobile computer, I want to integrate the external SSD as best as possible, how do most people do it? Obviously can’t have the SSD hanging from the MacBook with the usb c cable attached, is there a better solution to integrating the external SSD with the MacBook Pro to make it less obstructing the fact that there is something external connected to the MacBook?
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If the T5 is cheaper, by all means go for it as it is a great drive that folks love. That said, the average user is probably not going to use these SSDs in a fashion that makes either thermal throttling or write cache depletion a major issue in daily usage.
I would just not personally velcro anything to the MBP. Beyond the weight and the heat and how the adhesive could impact the anodized coating over time, each time you pull the hard drive off, you are putting forces on the screen that are different than what it was designed to take. Will it hurt it in the long turn or will it crack the screen? Probably not, but it's just not a risk I would personally take. If I absolutely had to have mobility where DAS was that big of an issue, I'd probably go either NAS or use iCloud combined with macOS' optimized storage feature where some data is stored on the cloud and only accessed/stored on the local hard drive as needed. That's just me though - others may feel the velcro solution is a great one but it is not something I would personally do.
I was concerned about reviews of the T7 as well and instead picked up the Sandisk Extreme Pro, which benchmarks faster and has two years longer warranty (5 vs 3 years). Both are 2x faster than the T5.
The price was $285 for 2TB (what I got) or $155 for 1TB on Prime Day. Very happy with the purchase.
The price was $285 for 2TB (what I got) or $155 for 1TB on Prime Day. Very happy with the purchase.
When I said velcro it to the back, I meant permanently(as in, I won’t be taking the T5 on and off the back of the MacBook at all) I’ll just leave it there velcroed at all times to sort of “unify” it was the MacBook Pro so it feels less of an external addon, I won’t be ripping it on and off constant in which I case I would agree with you, might cause stress on the screen etc
and yes the T5 is cheaper (about 40$ cheaper), the bad reviews of the T7 say that it is MUCH hotter than the T5 even under normal use such as when copying files such as several gigs etc
by the way, will TRIM be enabled on these external drives by MacOS or MacOS can only use TRIM on the built in SSD? (Trim is the thing that’s supposed to make these SSD’s last much longer)
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