External hard drives

Question

External hard drives

Hi

I appreciate there is no right answer to this question, but I am looking at purchasing an external hard drive for the first time as a backup for a time capsule (just in case).

All I am interested in backing up are photographs in the "photos" application on an iMac 5k/27 inch 2017 running 10.15.7 rather than everything else that gets backed up to the time capsule. I would also be happy to do that as drag/drop every now and then rather than run time machine on it.

Are the LaCie drives that Apple seems to be pushing on their website any good? Would the "2TB Mobile Drive External Hard Drive USB-C" be a sensible choice? 2TB is more than enough space for my need.

I have seen some OWC drives get praised on these boards from time to time, but it seems getting one delivered to me any time soon is unlikely.

Thank you.

Posted on Nov 1, 2021 9:54 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

rkaufmann87

Level 10

145,294 points

Nov 1, 2021 12:06 PM in response to Think_differently123

SSDs now pretty much replace hard disks due to their speed ands they have no moving parts so in theory are more reliable. However they tend to be more expensive. Hard Disks are still popular though for doing backups and storing data. For your stated needs I would recommend a HDD.

As in your area Mercury Elite Pros are on back order if you can get LaCie or G-Drive both are respected brands.

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Answer 2

Jack-19

Level 8

46,086 points

Nov 1, 2021 10:12 AM in response to Think_differently123

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities.

I personally do like LaCie, along with G-Technology, and I think that the LaCie 2TB Mobile Drive External Hard Drive USB-C - Apple would be a great choice.

Cheers,

Jack

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

145,294 points

Nov 1, 2021 10:05 AM in response to Think_differently123

I have never had good luck with LaCie however some others have. I have had great luck with OWC Mercury Elite Pro series, some are 15 years old and still alive! The HDs have failed but with the Mercury Elite Pro series, replacing a HD takes less than 5 minutes. They are simple to get. If you are outside the USA then please contact an OWC reseller in your area. You can find them by clicking OWC Resellers

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Answer 4

Nov 1, 2021 11:28 AM in response to Jack-19

Thank you for the prompt and helpful replies. The OWC drives all seem on back order through the stockists in my country which is a shame.

Having had a look at the other drives on Apple's site I now see there is something called SSD (which shows my ignorance on all things tech). Are these any better (some seem to say yes others no)?

For example, dollar for dollar per GB of space, the G-Technology 500GB G-DRIVE mobile SSD R-Series Storage is much more expensive than the LaCie drive. Is it likely to last longer (this coming from someone who generally only replaces tech when it stops working...)? Is SSD that much better? Assuming it will last longer, save for the difference in storage will it work just as well (or better) please?

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

145,294 points

Nov 1, 2021 12:39 PM in response to hcsitas

I respectfully disagree, iCloud is NOT a backup solution however it is great for storing data. It does not store settings, Mac OS etc. Time Machine is the Apple solution for backup, of course there are other backup solutions available however iCloud (or any other cloud storage) is not that solution.

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Answer 6

hcsitas

Level 6

13,370 points

Nov 1, 2021 12:25 PM in response to Think_differently123

Consider also a subscription to iCloud storage https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201238. It’s more fail-safe than external disks (think fail proof), doesn’t require TM and works like a charm.

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