As you get closer to 8TB of storage, you’ll be looking at spending $150 or more. You won’t be able to find many quality HDDs that hold 4TB of space for under $100. If you’re looking for anywhere between 2TB and 3TB of storage space, you’ll be spending within this price range.
#Best portable hard drives for mac air for mac#
In this range, you’ll find quality external drives that hold 500GB to 1TB of storage for Mac computers. Overall storage space will typically play the main role in the final price you’ll pay for an external hard drive. Their max transfer speed is about double that of USB-C at 40 Gb/s. Their strength is in their speed and power as well as their ability to chain more than one device to a single computer. Thunderbolt connections are the latest in data and power transfer, and they are popular amongst Mac devices. External HDDs that are not specific to Macs may also work, but you’ll need to reformat them first, which could take some time.Įven though Mac computers are capable of reading hard drives that are formatted for Windows, if you intend on using your external HDD as a bootable disk or want to use it to backup files with your Mac’s Time Machine, you must format it to be entirely Mac compatible.īestReviews Electronics Expert Thunderbolt The capacity of your backup external hard drive for Mac is essential.
Here are the factors we considered in the process. Our experts have years of experience, and they know where to look when it comes to backup hard drives. You want to ensure every detail meets your preferences. This is because when you initially connect an external HDD made for Mac (to a Mac computer), you won’t be required to format it before you begin transferring files. Picking the best backup hard drive for Mac requires considering its properties carefully. Key considerations Formattingįor Mac users, buying an external HDD already formatted for your system makes getting started much easier.
#Best portable hard drives for mac air windows#
There are varying levels of storage capacity in an external hard drive, and the overall size of the HDD depends on the model. The majority of the alternatives on this list of the finest external hard disk models will work throughout platforms whether you have a Windows PC, Mac computer system, Play, Station 4 or Xbox so long as the drives are properly formatted for the best platform. Others will need to be plugged into the wall. Some external hard drives get power directly from the computer connection. Flash drives are external drives, but they aren’t as fast, and they don’t usually store as much space as their larger external hard drive relatives. flash drivesĮxternal hard drives are basically hard drives (HDD) or solid state drives (SSD) that are wrapped in their own protective casing and connect to your computer from the outside as opposed to the inside. The drive inside it (Western Digital SN550) is also DRAM-less, which could result in more tear & wear on the memory cells.ĭo you have any suggestions or are happy with the SSD you are currently using for your Macbooks? It would be helpful to know what your experience & thoughts are.There are hard drives that may hold volumes like 3TB, 6TB, and 10TB, but they are much less common than the standard hard drives that hold: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, and 18TB. So far, the Sandisk Extreme v2 1TB would meet my requirements (water & dust resistant, rugged exterior, fast enough, small enough to be portable) but I am concerned about users reporting very high temperatures and don't know how that would affect the longevity of the SSD. I've considered going the DIY route and get an enclosure + SSD, but I can't seem to find water-resistant, dust-resistant, rugged and metallic enclosures from reliable brands. I'm interested in SSDs that are more likely to have a longer life-span and are reliable, rather than drives with crazy speeds that get hot easily. Digital My Passport 4TB external hard drive 2 Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt external hard drive 3 G-Technology G-Drive USB 3.0 4TB external hard drive 4 Samsung T3 SSD 5 Buffalo MiniStation. I need 1TB, durability, longevity and reliability for a maximum of 150 euros (170$). AppleCore 1 Click Smart Backup 512GB Portable Solid State External Hard Drive for Mac Computers, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, Data, Photo, Music, Document Backup, USB 3.0, Time Machine, 4.2 out of 5 stars 23.
![best portable hard drives for mac air best portable hard drives for mac air](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/02Jo0q6yb1HVY4eL9GFfbSU-3.fit_lim.size_625x365.v1569480596.jpg)
It would mainly be used as storage and occasionally for music production sessions, where I would use it for plug-ins and sample libraries that wouldn't normally fit on the 256GB internal SSD. 1-16 of 321 results for 'macbook air external hard drive' RESULTS. I've been looking recently for the most suitable portable SSD to go alongside my base Air M1 and would benefit from your expertise and/or experience with external SSDs, to help me make a decision.