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Wd external hard drive for mac reviews

The case has been modified slightly from previous versions to include a metal cover.


  1. Western Digital My Passport (2016, 4TB).
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  4. WD My Passport Ultra USB-C Edition REVIEW | Mac Sources?
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The hard drive can act as an automatic backup drive and features password protection as an option. This utility software can also help to manage your hard drive with WD Drive Utilities. Out of the box, the drive is Windows 10 ready, but it can be formatted to work with Mac computers, too. The older version was only available with a USB 3. Both models are formatted for Windows machines out of the box, but you can reformat using Paragon NTFS for Mac included with the drive. It does a beautiful job of storing data and makes it really easy to keep a portable drive with me at all times.

The one thing you really have to be cautious of is the fact that this is a mechanical hard drive and not an SSD. Because of that, the hard drive does not have any shock protection. If it is thrown around a lot, it will be more prone to fail. One of the first things I usually do with any hard drive I test out is to open up Disk Utility to see that the capacity of the drive matches what the box says. In this case, Disk Utility stated that it was a 2TB hard drive which matched up with the packaging. The AJA test is unique because you get a sense for how specific video files will be processed using the selected hard drive.

Typically, I get the same type of speed from both tests, but I like running them both regardless. The Blackmagic test will show whether or not the speed of the drive tested will hold up with some common video formats. I used a video file that was 2.

A New File System

Using the stopwatch function on my iPhone, I timed the transfer at After converting the file size to MB, I calculated the transfer rate to be Not only does it have a stylish look to it, but it also functions exceptionally well. I believe that the investment in this product is well worth it. This hard drive is much more affordable and it does a great job as a backup drive. There is also a My Passport Ultra for Mac available. That drive is available in 2TB and 4TB sizes, but is only available in silver. For professional videographers who edit lots of 4K footage and gamers or movie buffs who have large libraries of multi-gigabyte titles, an external RAID array is worth considering, since it combines the speed of an SSD with the gargantuan capacities of a spinning drive.

An array typically contains as few as two or as many as eight spinning drives, which all work together to speed up throughput, or guard your precious files against corruption via drive redundancy if one of the drives fail. Or both; it depends on how the array is set up. You'll pay handsomely, of course. On the other hand, if you're looking to buy an external drive mainly to back up your files which you should definitely do and it will rarely leave your home office, an inexpensive spinning drive will work just fine.

So, to recap: Faster, smaller both physically and in terms of gigabytes solid-state drives come at a premium, while spinning drives offer a much better value while sacrificing speed. But what happens when you throw yet another variable into the mix: As you might have guessed, the answer is more tradeoffs. Every Mac laptop sold today comes with USB Type-C ports that support Thunderbolt 3, but other than a headphone jack, they are the only connectivity options available, which means you'll need an adapter to plug in any device that doesn't have a USB Type-C cable.

Unfortunately, you won't find many Thunderbolt 3-compatible drives on the market currently. Even some Mac-specific drives are still sold with USB 3. Moreover, the Thunderbolt 3 drives you can buy are constrained by the maximum throughput of the drive itself, rather than the Thunderbolt 3 interface. This means that for now, it's best to include Thunderbolt 3 support in your buying decision only if you're concerned about futureproofing. Drives intended for PCs sometimes come bundled with software that will automatically back up your files to the drive when it's connected, but such software isn't really a consideration for Mac users, who already have an excellent built-in backup option in the form of Time Machine.

The first time you plug in an external drive, Time Machine will ask if you want to use it as a backup drive.

The Right Connections

While you can customize backup options in System Preferences, such as asking Time Machine to exclude certain folders, there's no action required on your part if you're happy with the default settings. The next time you plug in your drive, Time Machine will automatically set to work creating a backup.

Unless your drive is never going to leave your home or office, you should also consider its physical durability. Rugged, waterproof drives are a good option not just for surfers and BMX riders, as their marketing seems to suggest, but also for people who are carrying their drives to and from school or work, where they might occasionally get spilled on or dropped on the floor.

Check out our favorite rugged drives. Finally, you might want to consider how the drive will look when it's plugged into your Mac. Some drives, like the WD My Book, come in a variety of colors. Many others feature copious amounts of aluminum and industrial-chic styling to match the design cues of your MacBook or iMac.


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We've selected a few of our favorite drives for Macs below; for more, check out our main list of best hard drives. You can also read our full list of hard drive reviews , as well as our top SSDs. Rated to survive 4-foot drops. Certified waterproof and dustproof. Comes with USB 3. Warranty limited to two years.

Best Portable Drives for 12222

SSD option is still unreleased. Comes in a variety of large capacities. Three-year warranty. Requires external power adapter. Aggressive cost per gigabyte at all capacities. Attractive design. Blazing-fast throughput. Includes Thunderbolt 3 cable. Can charge laptop. Thunderbolt 2 compatibility requires adapter not included. No USB 3. Excellent performance. Includes USB 3. Android-, Mac-, and Windows-compatible.

While a comparable good per-gigabyte value, the drive itself is expensive. Excellent connectivity options and transfer speeds.

Western Digital My Passport (2016, 4TB)

Solid build quality and attractive aluminum finish. Easy disassembly. Cooling fan can be disabled. No software required for Macs. Hardware RAID controller. Only 27W of power delivery. Relatively low cost per gigabyte. Drive is easily removable from its enclosure. Thunderbolt 3 support. Included Thunderbolt 3 cable is short.

Best Portable Drives for - CNET

Internal power supply. Little to no setup required. Supports daisy-chaining other Thunderbolt 3 devices. Lightning-quick file transfer times. Does not boast class-leading throughput. Multiple capacity options. Sleek design.