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Recommend a portable SSD for documentary filmmaking?

The Cockney Rebel

The Cockney Rebel

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jul 17, 2010
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Hello all.

I just started three college courses:

  1. Documentary filmmaking
  2. Introduction to Journalism
  3. Photojournalism
I am going to be using my 17PM for all of my video footage, and image taking.

I have three Macs: An M2 MBA, an M2 MBP & an M4 iMac.

I plan on buying a portable SSD, to store my entire library, and hopefully seamlessly switch between my three Macs.

I haven’t bought a HD since owning my 2008 iMac, and preferred Western Digital drives. Goes without saying I am now completely unknowledgeable when it comes to SSDs (speed, connection etc) and USB-C standards.

On my first perusal of SSDs on Amazon, this drive appears to be the sweet spot, from my limited understanding of external SSDs.

Can anyone please advise?

Thanks in advance for any help offered.
 
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I would recommend also getting a large desktop drive to backup your data.
I personally use LaCie Professional HDD for Time Machine and data clones.

www.seagate.com

LaCie d2 Professional Desktop External Hard Drive | Seagate UK

Discover the LaCie d2 Professional, featuring high-capacity, high-speed desktop storage built for creative pros. Ideal for 4K video, photo libraries and backups.
www.seagate.com

If your feeling flush, there is also the ‘2 Big’ series of drives.
 
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R S K said:
Your link doesn’t work. But I would highly recommend Samsung T7 or higher or any Crucial.
Click to expand...
Here it is, bud:

Screenshot 2025-11-15 at 12.54.15 pm.png


I edited the link, and it now works.

Thanks for the recommendation, and you're not the first person to recommend Samsung's T7 to me.

Seems it's the same RW speeds as the one depicted above, but the one above is water, dust and drop resistant. That appeals to me, as I may be using it whilst on the go, and travelling with it to and from college.

Do you have any thoughts on the Sandisk Extreme, shown above?

Thanks again 👍.
 
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After more research, I'm leaning towards the T7 Shield.

Edit: Ordered the T7 Shield, in beige. 2TB

Thank you all for your advice.
 
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Let's put it in real world terms: Any SSD, even the WORST of them will get you 700+ MB/s which translates to, conservatively estimated, 7+ streams of 4K ProRes RAW without even breaking a sweat. Something I'm guessing will never be even vaguely relevant to you at any point, let alone in the near future.

So in this scenario there is literally no such thing as a "bad" SSD. Even a normal HDD will provide multiples of what anyone could need for any average project. So if just some fancy shmancy case that you can throw off a bridge and using your bathtub is of greater relevance to you, then go for it.
 
I’d prefer something faster than that. I’d go for a Thunderbolt 3/4 or 5 enclosure like the Acasis TBU405AIR and a WD SN850X NVMe with 4TB. That’s super fast!

You can get around 3500MB/sec versus with something like the USB3 T7 Shield you could get max 950MB/sec from the USB3 but will more likely be around 600MB/sec for the SSD inside, which is way slower.

For long-term backups, I’d use an external hard drive where the USB3 connection doesn’t slow down the disk’s speed.
 
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genexx said:
I’d prefer something faster than that.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry… WHA??! For what exactly??! What exactly is it you're doing??

To suggest that 1000 MB/s is somehow "too slow" for ANYTHING you could be doing in video editing is just pretentious nonsense.

But then: You have a "hackintosh" (🤦🏼‍♂️). Go figure.
 
lin2log said:
I'm sorry… WHA??! For what exactly??! What exactly is it you're doing??

To suggest that 1000 MB/s is somehow "too slow" for ANYTHING you could be doing in video editing is just pretentious nonsense.

But then: You have a "hackintosh" (🤦🏼‍♂️). Go figure.
Click to expand...
Ok relax and put the fangs away. First, the OP never mentioned using the drive for video editing ON the drive, but rather for storage and to use the drive between 3 Macs.
The Cockney Rebel said:
I plan on buying a portable SSD, to store my entire library, and hopefully seamlessly switch between my three Macs.
Click to expand...
Second, genexx didn't suggest 1000MB/s is too slow for video editing, he only stated he'd prefer something faster and noting other alternatives. The 1000 is or isn't too slow for video editing rant is all you.

genexx said:
I’d prefer something faster than that. I’d go for a Thunderbolt 3/4 or 5 enclosure like the Acasis TBU405AIR and a WD SN850X NVMe with 4TB. That’s super fast!

You can get around 3500MB/sec versus with something like the USB3 T7 Shield you could get max 950MB/sec from the USB3 but will more likely be around 600MB/sec for the SSD inside, which is way slower.

For long-term backups, I’d use an external hard drive where the USB3 connection doesn’t slow down the disk’s speed.
Click to expand...
Nothing in there about video editing at all. Besides, the OP has already decided on a (slow) drive. ;-)
 
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Boppi said:
Ok relax and put the fangs away. First, the OP never mentioned using the drive for video editing ON the drive, but rather for storage and to use the drive between 3 Macs.

Second, genexx didn't suggest 1000MB/s is too slow for video editing, he only stated he'd prefer something faster and noting other alternatives. The 1000 is or isn't too slow for video editing rant is all you.


Nothing in there about video editing at all. Besides, the OP has already decided on a drive.
Click to expand...
I was actually going to reflect on the angry tone, but thought I was maybe imagining it.
 
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Boppi said:
I've been using this as my backup drive for a few months. Flawless performance and super fast. It's MagSafe too so you can slap it on the back of your phone.

www.corsair.com

EX400U 1TB USB4 External SSD

USB4 storage drive offers high-speed external storage in a portable solid state drive form-factor for Mac, PC, and iOS devices.
www.corsair.com www.corsair.com
Click to expand...
Do they offer a 2TB version of compact styles like that for a lower price? Saw the 2TB one is $209 and I seen Amazon sell $100 and under 2TB external drives, but I prefer something like that.

I’m considering getting a desktop one (not wanting to spend too much on server-based storage or NAS) because my friends with the same MBP as me like to leave their external drives at home. It’s also useful for backing up macOS data in case our MacBook Pros get stolen or lost, especially since we bring it to school and travel every day . My desk is small, so if I have to use a tower external drive, it’ll probably have to be under my desk or on the side table.

The MagSafe ones can also double as an external drive for iPhone recording in ProRes or to stick it on any metal surface, like how I rack up my MagSafe accessories on the metal bed rails.


I am contemplating on getting an external SSD for Time Machine this holiday season.
 
If I were to use the USB C-C cable that came with my iMac, would it slow performance?

I ask, because the cable is longer than the ones included with the drive.

Also, when formatting, what file system do you use?

Thanks in advance.
 
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The Cockney Rebel said:
If I were to use the USB C-C cable that came with my iMac, would it slow performance?

I ask, because the cable is longer than the ones included with the drive.

Also, when formatting, what file system do you use?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
https://support.apple.com/en-us/111750  states that it’s a 240W USB-C cable for the longer one that came with the iMac. However, the read/write speeds are 480 Mbps, and it doesn’t have Thunderbolt.

You use APFS when you format the external drive using Disk Utility.
 
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The Cockney Rebel said:
Yes, able to use Standby for the first time.

You can switch the fan off, if you don't want to use fast charging.

The old on is in my drawer.
Click to expand...
Perfect. If that gets a great deal on Amazon or something I’ll give it a try. Right now I’m still using an Amazon branded Lameeku iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods dock but you have to supply your own cables. It also has an Apple Pencil holder if you use the stand with your iPad.

I use it with standby and it’s on my nightstand.

Is the fan rly worth it though? The beta iOS versions especially in some iOS 26 betas my iPhone 15 Pro does get hot flashes sometimes with regular usage.

Are you using the external ssd for Time Machine? Was seeing if this budget one on target is worth it:
www.target.com

Western Digital 2TB WD_BLACK P10 Xbox Series Game Drive - Pink: HDD, Micro USB, Multi OS Compatibility

Read reviews and buy Western Digital 2TB WD_BLACK P10 Xbox Series Game Drive - Pink: HDD, Micro USB, Multi OS Compatibility at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.
www.target.com www.target.com
 
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