Porsche Design External Hard Drive for Time Machine back-up

I dont work for Toshiba, .. Im not a "he". But none of this matters. 😊

The only intention was to help yourself. I pasted from a User Tip I created personally.

As found here: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031

Actually as said, there are only 4 HD makers on Earth. WD , Toshiba, Hitachi, Seagate

Apple Inc. uses in its non-Retina Macbook Pro and Mac mini Hitachi and Toshiba HD.

"nameless brands like Toshiba"

There are no nameless hard drive brands, ... since there are only 4 on earth. 😉

You can tell me all day long that "external drives" and "desktop drives" are the same. But from my point of view, they are different

A desktop drive is an external drive. All an external HD is, is an internal HD in a plastic or metal box, making it an external HD.

There are many many diff. models of drives inside those external boxes.

Ultimately however there are only 4 makers on earth.

Peace 😍

Hello clodop9

Just to clarify, I did read the redacted post (probably via the notification e-mail) and

because of that I know I wasn't targeted and couldn't, as a result, take offence. As you must know, I personally have no difference of opinion with you.

If I have at any time shown pique, it was with the repetative questions coming from mrq0604. 'What is the difference etc' was answered (correctly) time and again by myself and others (I even accidentally gave credit to WZZZ, who'd had nothing to do with it 😀) ... and I ended up accusing mrq0604 of trolling. I cannot change that view.

It has all got rather boring but PV's contributions have been more than just helpful and I suppose justified the whole exercise in the end, albeit not to the edification of mrq0604.

Sorry to bother you folks (and hijack the thread), but I am struggliling to find the best External HD (desktop drive) for my wife to use as a Time Machine backup.

We we have 3 Macs (2 with firewire and USB2.0, and 1 rMBP and USB 3.0) we will only be using this as a Time Machine backup for the Mac with USB 3.0, but we may use it to store movies and pictures as well.

I am looking purchase one of the two of these drives:

WD My Book 3TB USB 3.0 for $119.99 (formatted for Macs)

http://http://www.bestbuy.com/site/wd-my-book-3tb-external-usb-3-0-hard-drive-bl ack/1765014.p?id=1219063232061&skuId=1765014

OR

Toshiba Canvio 3TB USB 3.0 $99.99 (not formatted for Macs, but I know how to do that with no problem)

http://http://www.bestbuy.com/site/toshiba-canvio-3tb-external-usb-3-0-hard-driv e-black/6914041.p?id=1218813788932&skuId=6914041

I have read your replies in this post and other posts and understand that the Hitachi drives (found in the Toshiba) are less apt to have performance related issues and failure prematurely.

I was seriously considering the Toshiba, but reviews at BestBuy (not my first choice for a place to purchase, but the HD is needed today) and online are less favorable to the Toshiba Canvio and are almost glowing for the WD My Book.

Should I ignore the people who are creating these reviews and purchase this particular Toshiba Canvio? I am only concerned with performance and reliabilty for a Time Machine backup.

I am sure both will do what is needed, I just wanted to make an informed descision.

Thank you for you help.

jsenny

Most of the Prosumers here on this board (not just myself) will steer you away from WD for several valid reasons.

Also, that being a 3TB drive, ........the 3TB and 4TB drives are currently statistically less than ideally as reliable as their 2TB cousins for technical reasons I wont go into.

However as mentioned earlier in this thread, the most reliable 3.5" HD is a WD BLACK , but that is an expensive professional server grade HD ,but it CAN be put into an enclosure.

$150 (naked Hard drive)

here:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Cache-Desktop-WD2003FZEX/dp/B00FJRS628/ref =sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393443945&sr=8-2&keywords=wd+black

But for a simple consumer 2TB external drive, then yes, a Canvio Toshiba (Hitachi made) is the best choice.

$88

Recommend this 2TB Canvio, containing a Hitachi 3.5"

http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Desktop-External-HDWC120XK3J1/dp/B008DW96NY /ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1393609356&sr=8-5&keywords=toshiba+canvio+2tb

I have 20 or more of same, and the drive are extremely well made, ...and as said, only the professional WD BLACK above is more reliable, however very expensive.

MAIN point is, there is NO SUCH THING as a "PC hard drive" or a "MAC hard drive" , you will see this on some boxes at the store, but this means absolutely nothing whatsoever at all.

Any HD marked "for PC" can be formatted in 5 seconds for MAC and vice versa. So ignore anything or anyone telling you "this/ that is a PC or MAC hard drive" it doesnt exist.

Should I ignore the people who are creating these reviews

Yes, theyre clueless. 😊

I am only concerned with performance and reliability for a Time Machine backup.

Time machine will work with any working HD attached to it, the only concern is buying quality, of course.

However as also mentioned earlier, any and ALL HD can and do fail, period without exception.

always always have 2 copies minimum off computer. Always

mrq0604 wrote:

It is my money, and I have to know the difference between 2 products.

And I am not convinced that they are the same.

It is you money, obviously, and spend it as you deem you need to.

Posters on this board are tasked to

1. tell the truth

2. give intelligent and expert advice if they have same (which I do in the arena of HD).

(and be kind to others, as decorum and forum rules dictate)

however no poster is responsible to:

3. convince anyone of anything.

1 and 2 have been met. #3 never has to be met.

Peace 😊

mrq0604 wrote:

What is wrong with asking my question again and again if I hadn't gotten my answer?

But you have had your answer, why keep asking the question?

The label 'desktop' is meaningless, the label 'external' means that the drive is not inside a computer, and it could be on the desktop.

None of this verbiage will backup your data, which is why I thought you were here. Clearly you are not.

mrq0604 wrote:

And yet you said that there are only 2 drives - "the ones that failed" and " the ones that will fail."

That is the view of all professionals on hard drives, and is without question or reproach, 100% accurate. All HD both can and do fail.

All of which necessitates 2 things: 1. redundancy 2. redundancy. 😉

Furthermore, why do we have Macs in the first place?

That is a question for yourself is seems.

So why is there a price difference, and why are they sold side by side?

That question has been answered, however you didnt accept the answer.

Actually I have recommended to you Hitachi drives as most reliable. AND the WD BLACK drives (expensive and professional grade) as highest reliability.

The WD black are used in server farms.

I retired at age 32, and do not work for anyone other than myself in translating ancient Greek and writing books.

However this is off topic.

As for hard drives, earlier in this thread, It has been told that "all HD can and DO fail"

the differences are PER 1000 statistical failure rates, etc.

check below, which applies to all HD, internal , external, 2.5" or 3.5", and ALL makes and models

Some of the common reasons for hard drives to fail:

Infant mortality (due to mfg. defect / build tolerances)

Bad parking (head impact)

Sudden impact (hard drive jarred during operation, heads can bounce)

Electrical surge (fries the controller board, possibly also causing heads to write the wrong data)

Bearing / Motor failure (spindle bearings or motors wear during any and all use, eventually leading to HD failure)

Board failure (controller board failure on bottom of HD)

Bad Sectors (magnetic areas of the platter may become faulty)

General hard drive failure

mrq0604 wrote:

I'm most perplexed by the fact that one (desktop) comes with power adaptor while the other one (external) doesn't.

All 3.5" external hard drives MUST have power from a charger/ adapter , they need 12V, USB cannot provide that.

All 2.5" external hard drives do NOT need power from a charger / adapter, they get their needed 5V thru the USB.

mrq0604 wrote:

Sure. Ignore all the reviews of the many people who have seen their own drives fail right in front of their eyes becase,

Yes because thats called a "statistically irrelevant test"

The best product "X" on earth can fail, ... and someone can write a review saying it is "awful"

This means nothing statistically.

People, experts, that work with 1000s of drives, and those in sever farms running many many 1000s of drives actually know, statistically what IS the best, and what is NOT the best.

So, yes, any person that writes a review that owns, a few HD, 10, 20 hard drives, has no basis upon which to make a well informed conclusion about "X" hard drive.

This is an empirical and statistical fact. 😉

mrq0604 wrote:

The users' reviews are final verdicts.

They are not verdicts of anything other than a single unit failure.

The people writing reviews of things are 80% those that are UPSET, which further skews online reviews of things.

People that are happy with "X" product typically dont write reviews.

So, these conclusions from limited samplings, and statements are both wrong and specious

mrq0604 wrote:

My question was regarding the difference between desktop drive and external drive

An external drive is an internal drive in a box, with a USB cable and interface card.

a desktop drive is an external drive. Either 2.5" or 3.5" .

This has been explained many times.

This is an external drive, in a box, with a SATA interface.

this same external drive can be used internally. External / internal, both the same HD