Best Thunderbolt 4 device to use on new MacBook Pro 16?

[Jackbequickly]

My new MBPro arrives today. I would like to get a drive dedicated to TimeMachine for back up my Laptop on a daily basis.

What is your recommendation. It will not be connected all the time so at the end of the day I would do a backup!

Thanks

 

[PaulD-UK]

There isn't really a TB4 chipset for storage devices, as Intel's Goshen Ridge TB4 controller chip is a hub chipset, and only allows data storage at USB 3.2 Gen 2 rates ~ 10Gb/s, if you don't connect to the downstream TB4 port(s).

So the choices are USB4 for maximum speed (40 Gb/s) or Thunderbolt 3 (slightly less than 40 Gb/s).
These devices plug into a TB4/USB4 port.
Or USB 3.2 Gen 2 (which used to be called 3.1 Gen 2) which, as above, is 10 Gb/s.
Or for Time Machine straightforward 5 Gb/s USB 3 is perfectly fast.
These devices need a USB-C/USB-A port, which can be the Mac'c TB4 port, or a hub/dock to power the device externally, which can be more reliable.

As a general rule the most compatible devices, when used with a Mac, are TB3, especially if it has its own PSU.
Good quality USB4 storage should work OK, as should USB 3.2 from a reputable manufacturer - Samsung. Crucial, WD etc.

But at the cheaper end, some bus powered SSD storage can be problematic - there are lots of post about problems in this forum's pages...

 

[Fishrrman]

My recommendation is TO NOT USE thunderbolt for a backup drive.

A USB3 (or USB3.1 gen2) drive will be fine.

Crucial x9 is affordable and FAST. Actually, faster than you'll need for tm.

Don't waste money on tbolt for this!

Actually, I'd recommend CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper as better and more trustworthy backup apps. I've just read too many reports here over the years from tm users who THOUGHT they had a good backup, and then -- in a moment of need -- found that they DIDN'T.

 

[Jackbequickly]

Very interesting. I am listening. Sounds like I just need a fast USB3 external SSD.

 

[VitoBotta]

I agree with @Fishrrman, a Thunderbolt drive just for backups would be an expensive waste of money as you don't need that level of performance for this kind of tasks. Just get a good USB 3.0/3.1 drive and you'll be good to go. Actually if you can spend a bit more money consider a NAS with two drives configured with mirroring so you get some redundancy in case one drive dies.

 

[Jackbequickly]

I agree with @Fishrrman, a Thunderbolt drive just for backups would be an expensive waste of money as you don't need that level of performance for this kind of tasks. Just get a good USB 3.0/3.1 drive and you'll be good to go. Actually if you can spend a bit more money consider a NAS with two drives configured with mirroring so you get some redundancy in case one drive dies.

Thanks. I splurged a bit and bought the Samsung T9. It is working well.

 

[Ifti]

I use external SSDs for my backups (TM as well as CCC on separate drives). Although it doesn't make much difference when backing up, I want any any possible restore, whether in full or part, to be as fast as possible. A reliable SSD brand (typically Sabrent, Samsung, or WD Black, whichever is cheaper at the time) in a decent enclosure (I use Dockcase enclosures).
WD Black drives are cheap on Amazon at the moment - prices have drastically dropped over the past year.