Portable Drive For Mac

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BestCD/DVD Drives for MaciMore2019

If you've recently upgraded to a new iMac or MacBook Pro, you're probably going to need an optical drive if you want to continue importing your movies and music to iTunes, or just access the content on your discs. If you think you'll need an external drive mostly for Blu-Ray discs, most of them will also play DVDs and CDs but are not readable/writable drives for CDs or DVDs. Either way, here are some solid options.

No adapter needed: Confoly USB-C Superdrive

Backup your Mac with AirPort Time Capsules. Safekeep all of your music, photographs and films. Buy online now at apple.com. May 06, 2016  Many external hard drives come pre-formatted as FAT 32. This is a native Windows file format that can be read by Mac OS X, but is not ideal for use with Aperture. Before you begin to use your new external hard drive with Aperture, reformat it to the Mac OS Extended file system: Be sure your drive is attached and mounted. Manufactured by Western Digital, the My Passport Portable is the best external drive for Mac. Different models with various amount of memory are obtainable for the consumer all at different price ranges. It has a stunning design and is available for USB 3.0, the latter coming in a variety of vivid colors (black, blue, red, yellow, white,. Jan 02, 2019  Seagate Backup Plus Fast Top capacity USB 3.0 portable drive. Seagate's new Backup Plus Fast portable drive is the quickest and most capacious compact external hard drive to date. Mar 29, 2019  How to Format a Hard Drive on Mac to Work on Mac and PC. You can format an external hard drive or thumb drive to work seamlessly with both Mac and Windows by using the ExFAT file system. You can select the ExFAT format when using the Disk.

Staff pick

I have this model CD/DVD drive for my Mac computers for multiple reasons. For one, it's practically the same as Apple's SuperDrive in every way, and second, it's got a USB-C cable so I can connect it to my MacBook Pro without needing any additional adapters. Oh, there's a third reason, too. It comes with a USB-A adapter so I can connect it to any standard USB port.

$49 at Amazon

Cupertino's own: Apple USB SuperDrive

Apple's branded playable/burnable CD/DVD drive is the perfect complement to your iMac or MacBook Pro unless you have a late 2016 or newer MacBook Pro, in which case you'll need the USB-C to USB adapter. It's not much larger than the size of a CD case, so it fits snug in your computer bag without taking up a lot of room. All you have to do is plug it into your computer using the USB cable. There's no need for special software or external buttons that might get broken. It's solid, simple, and it looks great with your Mac products.

$79 at Amazon

USB-C and USB 3.0: VisionTech External CD/DVD Drive

With no eject button on the device and powered by USB the VisionTech External CD/DVD Drive is very slim and compact. You can tuck it away anywhere that makes the most sense for you. Preprogrammed for both Mac and Windows, you shouldn't need to do any formatting to get the drive to work. Plus, this drive has both USB 3.0 and USB-C cables, meaning you can plug it right into your MacBook with no adapter needed.

$31 at Amazon

Inexpensive choice: LG GP65NB60

LG makes a CD/DVD drive that is lightweight, fast, and doesn't cost much. It's made of a hard shell plastic material, so it isn't going to feel as sturdy as Apple's SuperDrive or Confoly's USB-C drive. However, in exchange, you get something that's about as light as a CD in its case.

$25 at Amazon

Also worth considering: Verbatim External CD / DVD Writer

Here's another inexpensive choice, this time from Verbatim. Weighing just 12 ounces, this CD/DVD burner is compact, lightweight, and USB powered. It's a suitable choice if you need to back up sensitive data, as well as music and video libraries.

$24 at Amazon

Still serving a need

There are a lot of reasons why you'd need a CD/DVD drive for your Mac, despite the concept being heavily outdated in 2019. Whether you want to digitize your DVD collection or just view a disc on your computer, an optical drive is cheap and sometimes necessary.

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As you can see, we've selected the Confoly USB-C Superdrive as our favorite since it's super similar to Apple's SuperDrive and you don't need adapters to utilize it. If you're working with a small budget, take a look at the LG GP65NB60. It gets the job done for a surprisingly low price.

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BestUSB-C Hard Drives for MaciMore2019

The current line of MacBook Pro only has Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, but that's OK, because USB-C is fast, future-proof, and will likely replace standard USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, power, and more. A USB-C hard drive is the perfect storage box to locally back up all of your most essential files, including photos, documents, music, movies, and anything else that's important to you. Save your Mac's hard drive and pick up a USB-C hard drive. Here are a few options to get you started on your search.

Fan favorite: G-Technology G-Drive 1TB

Staff Favorite

The G-Drive by G-Technology is a great USB-C hard drive for most people. It has 1TB of storage and features a quick drive speed of 7200RPM, with transfer rates of up to 136MB/s, thanks to USB 3.1. It comes Mac ready and USB-C ready.

From $75 on Amazon

Best for speed: Samsung T5 SSD 500GB, 1TB, 2TB

Samsung's T5 SSD is a solid-state drive that provides way faster transfer rates than physical hard drives. Solid-state drives don't have moving parts, so if you happen to drop this one, there's less to break! SSDs are more expensive, but with this one, you get write speeds of up 540MB/s, which is over three times faster than many hard drives. If you like to store TV shows and movies on your hard drive, consider a solid-state drive!

From $90 at Amazon

Rugged pick: Glyph Blackbox Plus 1TB

The Glyph Blackbox Plus is a rugged, portable hard drive that can keep up with you wherever you go. It's surrounded in rubber to protect from drops and has enough capacity for all your backups and then some. You get write speeds of up to 140MB/s from just 5400RPM, as well as a 3-year warranty in case anything goes wrong. It also features fan-free heat dissipation, so it's nice and quiet.

$120 at Amazon

Best for video: Samsung 5X Portable SSD

With read and write speeds of up to 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s, respectively, this portable drive is perfect for videographers. It's designed for rendering and compiling high res photos and videos with up to 40Gb/s data transfer. It also looks like the Ferrari of external hard drives.

From $200 at Amazon

Most stylish: LaCie Porsche Design 2TB

LaCie is widely recommended for Apple users (they even sell LaCie products on Apple's site!) The Porsche Design external hard drive is a great-looking solution to your USB-C needs. The mobile version comes in 2TB, while the desktop version is available with 4TB of storage. If you have older devices you'd like to use as well, this hard drive is also compatible with USB 3.0 ports.

$70 at Amazon

Upgrade option: SanDisk Extreme 900 SSD 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB

SanDisk's Extreme 900 SSD is a powerhouse solid-state drive that offers up to nine times the transfer speeds of external hard drives. It's made of durable aluminum and rubber, and the solid-state core is shock-proof. So, this is far less likely to die on you should you drop it (compared to hard drives).

From $206 at Amazon

Best value: G-Technology G-DRIVE Mobile SSD Durable Portable External Storage

With a low price per terabyte, G-Technology's G-Drive SSD is one of the more versatile solid-state drives on the market, and it comes from a brand that Apple recommends. You'll get transfer rates of up to 560MBps and USB-C connectivity. Plus, it has IP67 water/dust resistance, it's drop-tested to ten feet, and it has 1000 pound crush-resistance.

From $110 at Amazon

Long-lasting: LaCie Rugged 2TB

The LaCie Rugged of yesteryear got me through my entire post-secondary education, and now that there's a USB-C option, it'll help get you (and maybe even your children!) through school or work with reliability and that fast connection. The body is rubberized to help it stand up to daily wear and tear, and 2TB should be more than enough for all of your files, documents, Final Cut projects, and much more. There's a 2-year warranty on these, which includes data recovery services.

From $180 at Amazon

Durable and reliable: CalDigit Tuff 2TB

CalDigit's Tuff hard drives are rugged, colorful 2TB drives that offer USB-C connectivity, and there's even a USB-C to USB-A cable for backward compatibility. With an IP57 rating, these drives are water-resistant in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. They're dust-resistant, so you can take yours with you anywhere, knowing that your data is safe from the elements.

$120 at Amazon

Compact pick: SanDisk Extreme SSD

You may know SanDisk for its SD cards, but its hard drives are excellent as well. This solid-state drive is smaller than the average smartphone and has a hole in it so that you can clip it to a bag. It's shock-resistant and ruggedly designed, so it's perfect for life on the move.

From $73 at Amazon

Budget pick: WD 2TB My Passport for Mac Portable External Hard Drive

Western Digital makes some of the best hard drives around, and this well-priced USB-A and USB-C compatible hard drive fits right in with all its other excellent drives. It's made for Mac and is Time Machine ready.

From $80 at Amazon

Waterproof-ish: G-Tech All-Terrain Drive

For the extreme outdoorsmen and women, this rugged hard drive does more than protect your external hard drive from scratches and breaks. It's watertight, so you can drop it into a pool of water up to one-foot for 30 seconds without anything seeping in. The tethered Thunderbolt cable means you don't have to bring any extra cables, too.

Portable External Hard Drive For Mac

$180 at Amazon

Our personal favorite

External hard drives are must-have peripherals for anyone with a computer. They give you additional storage space, which can fill up fast on laptops, and are essential to backing up your data safely and securely. Every one of the drives on this list is easy to set up and start using right away. All you have to do is plug one into your Mac.

The G-Drive is our staff's favorite portable hard drive because it's affordable and reliable. It's Mac-ready but can also be reformatted for Windows computers. If 1TB isn't enough, there is also a 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB version available. A three-year limited warranty backs the G-DriveThe G-Drive is supported by a three-year limited warranty.

Portable Hard Drive For Macbook Pro

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