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Need an External Hard Drive for my iMac Early 2008

I'd like recommendations for very good external hard drives that I can use with an iMac - Early 2008

It should have a USB plug.


MY COMPUTER'S SPECS ARE:

iMac OS 10.8.5 (12F2560) - 24" display.

Model Name: iMac

Model Number: A1225

Model Identifier: iMac8,1

Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo

Processor Speed: 2.8 GHZ

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 2

L2 Cache: 6 MB

Memory: 4 GB 800MHZ DDR2 SDRAM

Memory: 4GB 800MHZ DDR2 SDRAM

Bus Speed: 1.07MHZ

Boot ROM Version: IM81.00C1.800

SMC Version (system) 1.30f1

Hardware UUID:

3EC8C909-D74E-5775-B177-069628671F87

iMac 27″

Posted on Apr 18, 2022 9:58 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 18, 2022 11:17 AM

Do you need the drive for backups or something else, like booting the computer? That can affect recommendations. What I've written assumes you need the drive for backups.


Your computer should have three USB2 ports. I recommend getting a USB3 external drive that is backwards compatible with USB2 for the 2008 Mac but will be speedy when you upgrade to a newer computer.


Having struggled with most of the "name-brand" external drives that go on sale at the office superstores every weekend, I have concluded they were designed for go on sale every weekend, not give long, reliable function.


For a desktop computer, I recommend a full-sized (3.5-inch) drive enclosure with a quality rotational HD inside and an independent power supply. That will be most reliable.


IMHO, a solid-state drive (SSD) is overkill for most backups like Time Machine, even on a new faster machine.


I use this model external:


https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-elite-pro


You can buy one with a drive already installed, or a bare enclosure and install your own drive. I get the bare enclosures and install the WD Black series HD (SATA 6GB; 7200rpm) in them for our three critical-use Macs.


The specs for that drive say it is compatible with older Mac OS versions including OS 10.8:






4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 18, 2022 11:17 AM in response to elissafromnyc

Do you need the drive for backups or something else, like booting the computer? That can affect recommendations. What I've written assumes you need the drive for backups.


Your computer should have three USB2 ports. I recommend getting a USB3 external drive that is backwards compatible with USB2 for the 2008 Mac but will be speedy when you upgrade to a newer computer.


Having struggled with most of the "name-brand" external drives that go on sale at the office superstores every weekend, I have concluded they were designed for go on sale every weekend, not give long, reliable function.


For a desktop computer, I recommend a full-sized (3.5-inch) drive enclosure with a quality rotational HD inside and an independent power supply. That will be most reliable.


IMHO, a solid-state drive (SSD) is overkill for most backups like Time Machine, even on a new faster machine.


I use this model external:


https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-elite-pro


You can buy one with a drive already installed, or a bare enclosure and install your own drive. I get the bare enclosures and install the WD Black series HD (SATA 6GB; 7200rpm) in them for our three critical-use Macs.


The specs for that drive say it is compatible with older Mac OS versions including OS 10.8:






Need an External Hard Drive for my iMac Early 2008

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