External hard drives are growing in popularity as people accumulate data and media files. What is the best external hard drive for a Mac?
Check the Connection Type
If you're looking for the best external hard drive for your Mac, the first thing you should consider is the connection type. While USB 2.0 drives are more common than Firewire, the reality is that Firewire is a better choice for external hard drives. In practice, Firewire has a higher sustained speed, which means that backups and file transfers go faster with Firewire than with USB 2.0. You'll find two different types of Firewire connections: Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. Firewire 800 is the fastest connection type for external hard drives, but not all computers support it. Figure out what your Mac supports, and look for the best external hard drive for your supported connection types.
If you're looking for the best external hard drive for your Mac, the first thing you should consider is the connection type. While USB 2.0 drives are more common than Firewire, the reality is that Firewire is a better choice for external hard drives. In practice, Firewire has a higher sustained speed, which means that backups and file transfers go faster with Firewire than with USB 2.0. You'll find two different types of Firewire connections: Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. Firewire 800 is the fastest connection type for external hard drives, but not all computers support it. Figure out what your Mac supports, and look for the best external hard drive for your supported connection types.
Don't Sweat Partition Type
Many Mac users narrow their search to hard drives formatted with the Fat32 file system. While Fat32 supports both Mac OS and Windows, it's not necessary to look for a hard drive that comes pre-formatted for Fat 32. You can use the Disk Utility that comes standard on every Mac to format the drive to Fat 32, regardless of its original file structure.
Many Mac users narrow their search to hard drives formatted with the Fat32 file system. While Fat32 supports both Mac OS and Windows, it's not necessary to look for a hard drive that comes pre-formatted for Fat 32. You can use the Disk Utility that comes standard on every Mac to format the drive to Fat 32, regardless of its original file structure.
Don't overlook partitioning entirely, though. While this is a much greater issue with PCs than with Macs, you'll get better performance from your external if you partition it into 40GB sections.
Western Digital MyBook
The Western Digital MyBook offers a winning combination of features and price.You can find the MyBook 500GB hard drive with USB 2.0 support for as little as $90, or a 1TB drive with USB 2.0, Firewire and eSATA support for around $200.
The Western Digital MyBook offers a winning combination of features and price.You can find the MyBook 500GB hard drive with USB 2.0 support for as little as $90, or a 1TB drive with USB 2.0, Firewire and eSATA support for around $200.
Seagate Offers Reliability
Seagate offers a 5-year warranty on many of their hard drives; far superior to the 1-year or 2-year warranties of other hard drive manufacturers. If you get a Seagate hard drive, you'll want to buy an internal Seagate hard drive and purchase an external enclosure for it. It's not the prettiest desktop accessory, but it the best choice in terms of reliability.
Seagate offers a 5-year warranty on many of their hard drives; far superior to the 1-year or 2-year warranties of other hard drive manufacturers. If you get a Seagate hard drive, you'll want to buy an internal Seagate hard drive and purchase an external enclosure for it. It's not the prettiest desktop accessory, but it the best choice in terms of reliability.
LaCie Delivers Looks
If you want an external hard drive that looks good with your sleek Mac components, go with a LaCie. LaCie hard drives are reliable, but they're best known for their unique and attractive designs. LaCie drives are average when it comes to price and reliability, but they come out on top if you're looking for an external hard drive with style.
If you want an external hard drive that looks good with your sleek Mac components, go with a LaCie. LaCie hard drives are reliable, but they're best known for their unique and attractive designs. LaCie drives are average when it comes to price and reliability, but they come out on top if you're looking for an external hard drive with style.
Article Source : http://www.life123.com/technology/computer-hardware/external-hard-drive/external-hard-drive-for-a-mac.shtml
1 comments:
Informative post. Actually External hard drives are growing in popularity as people accumulate data and media files. Thanks for sharing such useful post which is describing that how to choose the best external hard drive.
Post a Comment