External Hard Drive for Mac Book

Gary

Gary

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Gary
Being nearly a complete novice at Apple stuff... what is a reasonable external hard drive for a Mac Book? The daughter would like one that plugs in with the USB port and is easily transportable. Not sure what storage quantiy she needs but most likely in the 5 -10 gig range. Priorities are: 1.) ease of use; 2.) portability; 3.) price.

Any suggestions? There are lots of choices.

Gary
 
In the 5-10 gig range, just get a flash drive.

I like the lacie all-terrain rugged drives, but I backup a larger amount than just 5-10 gig.
 
Bob Noel said:
In the 5-10 gig range, just get a flash drive.

I like the lacie all-terrain rugged drives, but I backup a larger amount than just 5-10 gig.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I did mis-type the size - she needs greater than 500 GB since she does a lot of picture and graphic work.

Gary
 
Gary said:
Being nearly a complete novice at Apple stuff... what is a reasonable external hard drive for a Mac Book? The daughter would like one that plugs in with the USB port and is easily transportable. Not sure what storage quantiy she needs but most likely in the 5 -10 gig range. Priorities are: 1.) ease of use; 2.) portability; 3.) price.

Any suggestions? There are lots of choices.

Gary
Click to expand...

suggestion number 1: forget that you're getting a hard drive for an Apple.

A USB Will work on a macbook period. USB is universal and I have yet to run into a USB hard drive that cannot be mounted by an intel macbook.

suggestion number 2: do get USB and nothing less.


I'd suggest the Western Digital Mypassport. it's a tiny external that would workout great.

I also suggest newegg.com

what you're looking for is just a USB External. if you search for 2.5" HD you will more than likely get a hard drive that does not need to be plugged into a power source, which for a laptop is great. if you get 3.5", you will 99% of the time need to plug into the wall which is great since it's cheaper, but you lose the portability.

Hopw I helped, I know I can talk a lot sometimes.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=


search results for 2.5" external hard drives on newegg.


I just recommend western digital because I'm a loyal western digital customer. I love WD
 
also one word of advice:

Always go bigger than you need. seriously.

you might want 750GB, cough up the 20 bucks and go for the terrabyte or 1.5 TB

you will not regret it.

if i had a dime for everytime I bought a hard drive thinking "my god I'll never fill it" I'd be a rich man

I have 5TB at home, I'm a junkie
 
I am using a 500g USB hard drive from Seagate and I can plug it in to either Mac or Windows. Makes moving files around very easy. The thing is about the size of a smart phone too. Nice to carry on trips.
 
What Rich said. Western Digital. The passport is nice and comes is pastel colors, but the 1, 1.5 & 2TB WD Element models are cheap, too and have the good WD green drives inside.

After having enough with them being DOA due to handling and packing, I've given up on getting drives from NewEgg.

Amazon does good job in getting them to you.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...e&sprefix=western+digital+external+hard+drive
 
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Gary said:
Being nearly a complete novice at Apple stuff... what is a reasonable external hard drive for a Mac Book? The daughter would like one that plugs in with the USB port and is easily transportable. Not sure what storage quantiy she needs but most likely in the 5 -10 gig range. Priorities are: 1.) ease of use; 2.) portability; 3.) price.

Any suggestions? There are lots of choices.

Gary
Click to expand...

Gary, what kind of Mac Book? Do you know year/model? Most of them will have Firewire ports, which I prefer to USB. As elmetal said, it's the smaller units that use 2.5" laptop drives inside that you'll be able to power off the bus without external AC power (note: his Amazon link went to a desktop model).

Here's a huge list from one of my favorite Mac shops, OWC.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go

The 2.5" laptop drives currently top out at 1 TB. If you can cut back a little on the portability aspect and accept a bit of a larger unit with AC power brick, then you can hit 2TB for desktop models with 3.5" drives in them. I have one on my desk now. It measures 7.5" by 5" by 1.5". The smaller ones are like 5" x 3" x 0.85".
 
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If there's a Costco nearby, it has WD drives in 500GB, 750GB, 1TB and bigger.

The little 500 GB WD Passport is $90. The larger (2 TB, larger physical size and needs external power) is $200.

I have a 3-4 of the 500 GB passports for various uses. One is exclusively for live backups. Another is for business projects, etc.
 
mikea said:
After having enough with them being DOA due to handling an packing, I've given up on getting drives from NewEgg.
Click to expand...
:frown3: Really? That's too bad. I've ordered a handful from them in the past, and I've been eyeing that Samsung 1TB notebook drive for a little while now.
 
rpadula said:
Gary, what kind of Mac Book? Do you know year/model? Most of them will have Firewire ports, which I prefer to USB. As elmetal said, it's the smaller units that use 2.5" laptop drives inside that you'll be able to power off the bus without external AC power (note: his Amazon link went to a desktop model).
Click to expand...

Not sure of the model, but it is a Mac Book (15" display - I realize that's probably not helpful) and we bought it in January of 2008. I believe that it does have a Firewire port, which if I understand correctly, is much faster than a USB. She does want portability, so if it can run on power from the Mac Book - that is a distinct advantage. Sounds like the 2.5" drive is the way to go.

I really do appreciate all the help - from everyone!

Gary
 
elmetal said:
I'd suggest the Western Digital Mypassport. it's a tiny external that would workout great.

I also suggest newegg.com

what you're looking for is just a USB External. if you search for 2.5" HD you will more than likely get a hard drive that does not need to be plugged into a power source, which for a laptop is great. if you get 3.5", you will 99% of the time need to plug into the wall which is great since it's cheaper, but you lose the portability.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=


search results for 2.5" external hard drives on newegg.


I just recommend western digital because I'm a loyal western digital customer. I love WD
Click to expand...

Did see that one in my search - it is a likely candidate.

Gary
 
Gary said:
Not sure of the model, but it is a Mac Book (15" display - I realize that's probably not helpful) and we bought it in January of 2008. I believe that it does have a Firewire port, which if I understand correctly, is much faster than a USB. She does want portability, so if it can run on power from the Mac Book - that is a distinct advantage. Sounds like the 2.5" drive is the way to go.

I really do appreciate all the help - from everyone!

Gary
Click to expand...

Gary, it could be one of these from around 2008:

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP499

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP4

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP13

The better news is that Apple considers 15" models "Pro" models, and these all have a FW800 port on them -- even faster!!!
 
rpadula said:
I'd look at the one that also has FW800 if you don't mind the extra 20 bux. All 15" Macbook Pro models going back to 2006 had it. It's 2x faster than FW400. You might want to double-check and see if she has it.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MS8U5500GB8/
Click to expand...

Danged if I know which model. :dunno: The $20 bucks isn't a problem so long as I reasonalby sure it would work. She has all the paperwork on it - oddly enough, I do have what I think is the serial number. Guess I could call, but it wouldn't be as much of a surprise.

Gary
 
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Gary said:
Danged if I know which model. :dunno: The $20 bucks isn't a problem so long as I reasonalby sure it would work. She has all the paperwork on it - oddly enough, I do have what I think is the serial number. W87481ZM0HB. Guess I could call, but it wouldn't be as much of a surprise.

Gary
Click to expand...

ok, that's a 2007 13" macbook (not a macbook pro).

I believe it has a firewire 400 port (I also have an '07 macbook).

Note that there are firewire drives that can be powered from the firewire port. If you go to http://store.apple.com/us/browse/ho...orage?n=portable&mco=MTM3NjIwNjc&s=topSellers, you can see several options for portable storage. Many of those have usb as well as firewire interface. One example that I use is the lacie rugged drive, which has USB 2.0, firewire 400, and firewire 800. I have used these drives with my macbook as well as my macbook pro for several years without issue.
 
Gary said:
Danged if I know which model. :dunno: The $20 bucks isn't a problem so long as I reasonalby sure it would work. She has all the paperwork on it - oddly enough, I do have what I think is the serial number. Guess I could call, but it wouldn't be as much of a surprise.

Gary
Click to expand...

Gary, I'm going to show you how awesome Apple is. You can go here:

https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do

and put in that serial number. (Actually, I'd remove that from your post). I just tried it, and it reveals your daughter's as the Late 2007 model, but a 13 incher. Only FW400, so the one you originally chose from OWC would be fine (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/MS4U5500GB8/)
 
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I would strongly advise FW EVEN if he had FW800 (which the computer does not)

and for a simple reason: future compability.

I have a firewire drive in my house and it's pretty much useless for using with multiple computers because there is only 1 computer in my house that has firewire.

Think about the future, if for whatever reason your daughter's next laptop is not a mac, I can guarantee you it won't have firewire. and when she brings the drive to her friends house and they don't have a mac, 95% of the time they won't have firewire and it defeats the purpose of the drive being so portable.

just my 2c
 
elmetal said:
I would strongly advise FW EVEN if he had FW800 (which the computer does not)

and for a simple reason: future compability.

I have a firewire drive in my house and it's pretty much useless for using with multiple computers because there is only 1 computer in my house that has firewire.

Think about the future, if for whatever reason your daughter's next laptop is not a mac, I can guarantee you it won't have firewire. and when she brings the drive to her friends house and they don't have a mac, 95% of the time they won't have firewire and it defeats the purpose of the drive being so portable.

just my 2c
Click to expand...

Ok - I understand you point - I think!! Are you advising against Firewire (FW)?. Thank you for the help!! :thumbsup:

Gary
 
Gary said:
Ok - I understand you point - I think!! Are you advising against Firewire (FW)?. Thank you for the help!! :thumbsup:

Gary
Click to expand...
affirmative!

Firewire just is not very commonly seen outside the apple bubble, and I would be very hard pressed to say you will have luck with the compability of the drive in the future outside of an apple computer.

but anyway, I digress. USB should not only be fantastic for the usage, but also for anything else that might happen be it bringing it to a friends house, to your house, or to a new computer when she gets one
 
I am in no way anti Apple while saying it, in case some of you were thinking it. I have a late 2006 macbook and I LOVE it.

I just know from experience that finding a computer with firewire that is not a mac is nearly impossible.
 
elmetal said:
affirmative!

Firewire just is not very commonly seen outside the apple bubble, and I would be very hard pressed to say you will have luck with the compability of the drive in the future outside of an apple computer.

but anyway, I digress. USB should not only be fantastic for the usage, but also for anything else that might happen be it bringing it to a friends house, to your house, or to a new computer when she gets one
Click to expand...

OK!! As you can see, when it comes to Apple stuff, I'm not very adept at figuring out the options!

BTW - Nicole has become a committed Apple fan, don't think a team of wild horses could make her switch! She's drooling for an IPad - maybe for graduation!

Gary
 
elmetal said:
I am in no way anti Apple while saying it, in case some of you were thinking it. I have a late 2006 macbook and I LOVE it.

I just know from experience that finding a computer with firewire that is not a mac is nearly impossible.
Click to expand...

A lot (most?) of the portable FW drives also have USB interface.
 
The problem with MOST portable hard-drives that are made with a FireWire interface is the maker typically hobbles it with an external power supply.

For portability and compatibility I would go with a small hard-drive that draws all the power it needs from the USB port.

For graphics and photography work it will work just great. If she were using it for video editing then I might reconsider a FireWire one, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Regards,
Howard Griffith
Apple Certified Macintosh Technician
 
HowardGMac said:
The problem with MOST portable hard-drives that are made with a FireWire interface is the maker typically hobbles it with an external power supply.
Click to expand...

Well, I have five portable firewire drives. All of which are powered through the firewire cable from the host computer.

I'm not aware of ANY portable fw drive that requires an external power supply. But in any case, there are multiple options for getting a portable fw drive that are bus powered (no adapter required) and also have a USB interface.
 
Bob Noel said:
Well, I have five portable firewire drives. All of which are powered through the firewire cable from the host computer.

I'm not aware of ANY portable fw drive that requires an external power supply. But in any case, there are multiple options for getting a portable fw drive that are bus powered (no adapter required) and also have a USB interface.
Click to expand...


I've never seen a LaCie external FW WITHOUT a power supply.
 
elmetal said:
I would strongly advise FW EVEN if he had FW800 (which the computer does not)

and for a simple reason: future compability.
...
Click to expand...

If you future compatibliity you want USB 3.0, which will replace firewire unless his Steveness gets as stubborn as he has with Blu-Ray.

I have what will be a stack of 5x2TB drives gives me 9TB formatted on my JBOD NAS Media server Mac Mini on Firewire 400 and USB 2.0. Those are fast enough to stream HD video. Higher speeds will just make file management faster.
 
I have Firewire interfaces on a couple of my PCs. My camcorder (2001 vintage) uses it to download videos to the computer. Otherwise they just take up space in the I/O panel.
 
Ghery said:
I have Firewire interfaces on a couple of my PCs. My camcorder (2001 vintage) uses it to download videos to the computer. Otherwise they just take up space in the I/O panel.
Click to expand...
exactly, they're not really used except in video, and in macs.

USB 2.0 is plenty fast, and way more versatile than FW, which is why I suggested it.

trust me when I say this: Try not to give yourself one more reason to be locked on a mac. Not that I don't like them, but when it comes time for a new computer your thought process will be: "well these are both great options, but I already have this monitor and this hard drive that won't work for the PC"

or whatever the things may be.

it's one reason I really hate getting rid of my iPhone, but I prefer android so much more. now I have 4 cables around the house with no iphone... if Apple was not a wimp, they'd use USB cables like everybody else. Especially since an iPhone cable IS a USB cable, with a new attachment at the end (read: It's illegal but apple has lots of money)

new phone time: iPhone 4, or some other device that is just as capable?

"well I spent 150 dollars on the itunes music store (and dont know how to remove DRM), and have about 50 dollars of apps"

it's how they get you. Always go universal.
 
murphey said:
If there's a Costco nearby, it has WD drives in 500GB, 750GB, 1TB and bigger.

The little 500 GB WD Passport is $90. The larger (2 TB, larger physical size and needs external power) is $200.

I have a 3-4 of the 500 GB passports for various uses. One is exclusively for live backups. Another is for business projects, etc.
Click to expand...

Over at Costco today - the $90 WD has a $20 rebate-at-the-checkout. Don't know how long the discount will last.
 
jesse said:
Plenty of PC's come with Firewire ports and they can be easily & cheapily added if they don't (in desktops). It is a standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394_interface
Click to expand...

It's as much a standard as serial ports.

The fact is: in today's computing world, most if not all your peripherals are right on the motherboard. That is: Video, usb, wifi even, ethernet, ps2 (kb + mouse).

Notice how motherboards don't have parallel ports anymore? They're obsolete. Not that FW is obsolete, but a typical mb today will be all of the above and sound typically.

a more high end motherboard will have 5.1 sound and firewire, but when people shop for computers, you don't really have that choice.

and you definitely have even LESS choice in laptops.

you can't find a laptop without USB (laptop that was made in the past 5 years anyway). but it's really hard to find one with FW


the cold hard fact is: FW is nearly impossible to find outside of the mac world, or the higher end PC world, and your typical computer buyer won't be looking for the high end computer.

You don't want to have a crutch next time you go buy a computer.

"Oh my god this laptop is perfect! Except for the lack of firewire"

or

"man this motherboard has everything I need"


I've been doing this a long time, and you want to avoid anything that will become a crutch in future upgrades.

I can find you hundreds of laptops for under 300 dollars (albeit most will be netbooks but the point stands), yet I will be hard pressed to say a single one of those has FW
 
To each their own - I have little interest in laptops under $300 - and I also am not concerned about a $150 peripheral holding me back from a future upgrade when there will be larger/cheaper versions later on. My peripherals generally don't even stick around for as long as the system does.
 
jesse said:
To each their own - I have little interest in laptops under $300 - and I also am not concerned about a $150 peripheral holding me back from a future upgrade when there will be larger/cheaper versions later on. My peripherals generally don't even stick around for as long as the system does.
Click to expand...

I understand your point of view, and quite frankly I believe that anyone who buys a 300 dollar laptop and complains that it sucks 3 years later should die.

I'm not saying what it is for you and me, I'm saying what it is for the general public.

Would I advise anybody to run a RAID 5 server at home to maximize storage and minimize loss in case of hard drive failure? absolutely not. But I do it because I want to.

Telling someone else to do that will just land me at their house multiple times and I hate that
 
jesse said:
Plenty of PC's come with Firewire ports and they can be easily & cheapily added if they don't (in desktops). It is a standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_1394_interface
Click to expand...
About the only place I recall seeing PC based IEEE 1394 in labs was some of the cameras on microscopes. The cards were easily added to desktops; some of the cameras came with them.
 
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