Storage tips please

[kkop123]

I am a new mac user and recently purchased the iMac retina 27" with a 256GB SSD. I wanted the speed of the SSD and figure I can use an external drive if needed for less frequently needed files.

I don't think I could even fill up the 256GB now even if I tried but I'm wondering what others might recommend for storage for my photos and iTunes library since these would take up the most space. What are others using in the way of cloud external storage for these files?

 

[rkaufmann87]

I am a new mac user and recently purchased the iMac retina 27" with a 256GB SSD. I wanted the speed of the SSD and figure I can use an external drive if needed for less frequently needed files.

I don't think I could even fill up the 256GB now even if I tried but I'm wondering what others might recommend for storage for my photos and iTunes library since these would take up the most space. What are others using in the way of cloud external storage for these files?

I have had great success with OWC (www.macsales.com) Mercury Elite Pro series of EHD. They also have other series that allow up to 32TB of HD storage via Thunderbolt. OWC is a long standing and very well respected vendor of Mac accessories products. No I don't work for them, just a 10 year satisfied customer.

 

[firedept]

I have currently started using Seagate Personal Cloud NAS. Easy to use, simple to get started and many sizes available. Otherwise I use G-Tech drives. They are a little more expensive, but I have never had one fail. Both can do what you are inquiring about.

 

[desmond2046]

I am a new mac user and recently purchased the iMac retina 27" with a 256GB SSD. I wanted the speed of the SSD and figure I can use an external drive if needed for less frequently needed files.

I don't think I could even fill up the 256GB now even if I tried but I'm wondering what others might recommend for storage for my photos and iTunes library since these would take up the most space. What are others using in the way of cloud external storage for these files?

I would just buy a Samsung external SSD with USB 3.0 interface.
1. It is really cheap and very fast. 500Gb for $170 and 1Tb for $350.
2. Thunderbolt 2.0 isn't faster than USB 3.0 in this case because they are both faster than 5Gbps and are not the bottleneck.

 

[daniel-sheard]

I am a new mac user and recently purchased the iMac retina 27" with a 256GB SSD. I wanted the speed of the SSD and figure I can use an external drive if needed for less frequently needed files.

I don't think I could even fill up the 256GB now even if I tried but I'm wondering what others might recommend for storage for my photos and iTunes library since these would take up the most space. What are others using in the way of cloud external storage for these files?

Not sure how big the iTunes library is which you use, but mine doesn't tend to exceed 100GB, so I've ordered a 128GB SD card which will be used purely for my music and stay in the back of the iMac 24/7 (still waiting for the new iMac to get delivered ), hopefully then it saves me 100GB of room on my iMac since I went for the 256GB SSD, hope this helps

 

[twilexia]

I would just buy a Samsung external SSD with USB 3.0 interface.
1. It is really cheap and very fast. 500Gb for $170 and 1Tb for $350.
2. Thunderbolt 2.0 isn't faster than USB 3.0 in this case because they are both faster than 5Gbps and are not the bottleneck.

The Samsung SSD t1 is fantastic for its purpose and size.

If you want something larger and stays on your desk, go for the seagate backup plus fast. It gives you double the speeds of a regular external HDD.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Just buy any USB three external hard drive, as long as you get it from a reputable manufacturer it'll be fine they are all much of a muchness these days and plenty fast enough for movies music and photos. You certainly don't need SSD's and thunderbolt for a few media files.

 

[jptsr1]

I agree. I'm still making use of 4x3tb FW800 drives via thunderbolt adapter and they are plenty fast for just storage.

 

[ScorpionT16]

I got a 27" iMac with a 256GB SSD aswell a couple weeks back...

I have a portable 1TB seagate HDD (old USB 2.0, find it too slow)
I picked up a Samsung EVO 500GB SSD and an external case with USB 3.0. Works perfect, I have my iTunes library and immediate files on there, loads up instantly, quite, and very good transfer rates. iTunes works perfect with it. I recommend it.

I Also have Windows on bootcamp and all my steam games on the external SSD, haven't noticed one bit of difference between the internal and external when gaming. In the future I might just clone the whole windows partition onto the external

 

[Clix Pix]

Another vote for the Samsung external T1 1 TB SSD drive -- very tiny, very fast and is particularly useful for those with laptops since it will travel easily. Since it is so small and has a very short cable it could easily be attached to the iMac with a small piece of tape and remain connected all the time if needed.