Is this a good portable hard drive for my MacBook Pro?

[rkaria19]

I have a MacBook Pro 13", it's a year old.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buffalo-Min...ternal/dp/B004KSRM18/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

This is a good value external hard drive, 1TB, portable too.

The reviews seem ok, but I wanted to know what you guys thought of this. Anyone purchased this before? Does it look ok?

I usually have small files but sometimes large HD mov video files that can be 5gb in size or so (only a couple).

I sometimes work on PC because my work computers don't have Macs. Will this work with PC as well?

By the way, apologies if this is in the wrong section of the forums.

Thanks

RK.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Buy the HDD with the best warranty, as all HDDs will fail eventually, some sooner, some later. Just make sure you have an extra backup.
And Buffalo does not manufacture its own HDDs, they buy HDDs from Seagate, WD or Toshiba (or someone else) and put it into an enclosure.

As for using it with Mac OS X and Windows, yes you can, if it uses the right file system or if you have proper software available.

____________________________________________________________

Overview of the four major file systems (called "Formats" in Mac OS X) used on Windows and Mac OS X, compiled by GGJstudios. You can use Disk Utility to format any HDD to your liking.

Any external hard drive will work with PCs or Macs, as long as the connectors are there (Firewire, USB, etc.) It doesn't matter how the drive is formatted out of the box, since you can re-format any way you like. Formatting can be done with the Mac OS X Disk Utility, found in the /Applications/Utilities folder. Here are your formatting options:

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)

• Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
• Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac OS X system files.
  [*]To Read/Write HFS+ from Windows, Install MacDrive
  [*]To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
• Maximum file size: 8EiB
• Maximum volume size: 8EiB
• Mac OS X: Mac OS Extended format (HFS Plus) volume and file limits
• You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)

NTFS (Windows NT File System)

• Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
• Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
  [*]To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
  • For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion)
  • For 32-bit Mac OS X, install NTFS-3G for Mac OS X (free) (does not work in 64-bit mode)
  • For 64-bit Snow Leopard, read this: MacFUSE for 64-bit Snow Leopard
  • Some have reported problems using Tuxera (approx $36).
  • Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
• Maximum file size: 16 TB
• Maximum volume size: 256TB
• You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.

exFAT (FAT64)

• Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
• Not all Windows versions support exFAT. See disadvantages.
• exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
• AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
• Maximum file size: 16 EiB
• Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
• You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See "disadvantages" for details.

FAT32 (File Allocation Table)

• Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
  [*]Maximum file size: 4GB.
• Maximum volume size: 2TB
• You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.

____________________________________________________________
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[Macman45]

Just a personal preference here...I dislike USB port powered devices...Try to buy one with it's own dedicated PSU. Buffalo products are okay, many others to choose from too. If you want to use USB, have you considered a caddy with a drive?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Startech-SA...RO1S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334914753&sr=8-2


These have there own independent power, and you choose the side and type of drive you want.

 

[rkaria19]

Any hard drives you guys recommend?

Looking for it to be at least 500GB. Portable would be nice but not essential.

Obviously hoping for a good deal, i'm not filthy rich!

And obviously good speed...

 

[user418]

The Western Digital Scorpio Black has gotten good reviews. Comes in a 500 or 750 GB versions. Check around as prices vary.

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Scorpio-Black-Mobile/dp/B004LR1RPK/ref=pd_cp_e_1