Looking for an external SSD for my Macbook.
USB powered preferably, but not essential.
256GB would be nice, but if there is a 128GB or a 512GB that are better value for money per GB, I'll reconsider!
Cheers in advance :)
External SSD
CryssieJade on 19/04/2014 - 16:01
Comments
Internal SATA connectors are not designed for repeated connection/disconnection. They are very easy to break.
I'm giving you a blank stare. I'm fairly tech savvy…but to a (consumer) point.
I'm not going to build my own.
Are you saying that external SSD's are expensive to find? That the most common form is to install them yourself?
Lol. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HIGH-QUALITY-ALUMINIUM-2-5-SATA-U…
Pop an SSD in this. Or the millions of 2.5" enclosures out there.
For $12.50 you're going to get a horribly slow controller chip on that will bottleneck the SSD. In my experience you need a brand name just so you can look up reviews on it.
Indeed. It makes me wonder why an SSD would be used over a mechanical disk in this case… I have one attached to a sata adapter plug at home, but that's simply because I have more SSD's than I know what to do with lol.
I suppose there's always a reason behind people's motivations, even if I don't understand it.
I'm fairly tech savvy…but to a (consumer) point.
Have you ever taken apart a USB hard drive and seen what's in it? It's just a regular HDD (or SSD, if you will) attached to an adapter that converts SATA/IDE to USB. That's all there is to a portable drive. Just 2 parts — drive and enclosure. Nothing fancy.
If you know how to buy an SSD, and how to attach a USB adapter to the end of it or put it inside a case, then congrats, you have yourself a portable USB drive. If that sounds like geek speak to you, then perhaps you might be interested in just buying a drive like this for about $239.
Are you saying that external SSD's are expensive to find? That the most common form is to install them yourself?
Yes and Yes. You can use Amazon or Static Ice http://www.staticice.com.au/ to determine their price.
I have one of the lacie 120Gb SSD's for a mac book air. Works a treat with the thunderbolt port and goes quicker than normal USB speeds.
Okay, thank guys. I'm now not worried about building my own - I'll do it!!
Does it matter what brand I buy? I just checked and saw that there are SanDisk and Kingston and Toshiba ones on Static Ice, but what about the no-name ones? SSD drives are excellent no matter what…right?
Maybe not as tech savvy as I thought…
No, as a general rule there are 3 tiers of SSD, 550mb read and write, 500mb read/300mb write, 450mb read, 200 write. Figure out what you're willing to pay for and remember tier 1 SSDs get 5year warranty (and you'll want it).
What is a 'Solid State Hybrid Drive'?
Drives that are half mechanical and half solid state. Usually this is only used INSIDE of a computer rather than externally.
The operating system and its software will use the solid state part of the drive as cache to preload programs — this only works when an operating system is installed on the drive. It learns on the fly what programs you use most and loads it onto the SSD. The rest of your stuff stays on the mechanical platters. That's the gist of a hybrid drive.
It will not benefit your use case scenario. Stick with ordinary SSD, for simplicity's sake I say just go with a Samsung 840 (search Ozbargain front page).
Is this one okay for $165 after coupon code?
http://www.shoppingexpress.com.au/buy/samsung-840-evo-250gb-…
I assume it's a good price because the deal got so many votes :)
good price
Indeed, don't fool around with a hybrid
Thanks Scrimshaw, you're a gem :)
Does your macbook have a SSD internally?
OP I also recommend adding http://www.shoppingexpress.com.au/buy/astone-2.5-inch-sata-h… to your order.
Something not mentioned from a quick glance of replies is the fact that you will not get the full benefit of the SSD drive because it is connected to your Mac through USB, which won't allow full throughput. It will be faster than a traditional hard drive to be sure, but not as fast as an internal drive. As long as you aware of those restrictions, then go for it.
^ this, after I replied.
OP I'm curious what you're actually trying to achieve? Is this for storage purposes. If so you will be completely fine with a standard USB3 storage drive.
This is the question that I've probably been waiting for, to help me understand the same thing.
I thought I needed one to store my photos and leave them at home, 'safe' on a SSD while I travel (I'm a travelling photographer).
Now that I read everyone's responses, I'm going to spend my money on Cloud Storage instead :)
If it just for storage of photos that you don't need very fast transfer speeds for just get a normal HDD!
Also I repeat my question above, do you have a SSD internally?
No, I don't
I would recommend replacing your internal drive with a SSD and using your current HDD as the external drive.
Depending on how much storage space you need on the go, this would be the best use of your money as it would significantly improve the speed of your Mac for everyday tasks!
As for your comments below, if you really want safe storage of your photos, cloud storage would be your best option, short of setting up a RAID configuration.
Ah right. Any old USB3 harddrive will work fine then. The difference is that the inside disk will be a mechanical harddrive as opposed to an SSD, the speed difference for an external harddrive will be negligible however an SSD -should- have increased safety if dropped.
Eg: http://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers/storage/portable-hard-dri…
Cloud storage is perfectly fine if you have good internet, you can easily get 50gb standard storage free at BOX.com with a few little tricks :)
Flickr.com also offer 1 Terabyte of photo storage for free.
Edit: Maybe a relevant deal :)
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/141071Exactly why I wanted a SSD as an external drive for my best shots…the increased safety if dropped :)
Thanks DrStinge!!
p.s. Looks like I'll go back to Flickr after all :)
Why would you want an external SSD in the first place?
Internal SSDs make use of the SATA3 interface, which is 6Gbps.
USB 3 ports are at 3Gbps, or half that speed (the same as SATA2)
I would recommend getting an external thunderbolt enclosure (which is quite expensive), or saving your money and going for a standard external HDD.
Most of the older macbooks don't even have USB 3.0! So likely the OP's too?
I have USB 3.0.
Why would you assume my MacBook is old simply because I don't have an internal SSD?
I chose 750GB of internal over a SSD because of its use.
I was only suggesting it may not have USB 3.0 as apple was a little slow at brining it in.
Thanks Alex, but like I said in an earlier comment…I'm not using it to speed up my MacBook. So I don't need an internal SSD.
I simply wanted it for the added stability if it got dropped, to protect my files.
I already have a 2TB external (USB powered), but I need a second backup.
Was thinking the SSD would be good as the second backup for my best shots only, but I'm now going to buy ANOTHER 2TB drive and use Cloud Storage as well :)
There are quite a few 480GB SSD deals around lately. It is common for pro photographers to use SSDs for backup purposes while travelling. Pro photographers really don't want to take any chances and they don't seem to trust compact flash cards or SD cards.
Probably get m500 SSDs. They are relatively cheap (for SSDs) and Micron/Crucial is a reputable company. Reliability is probably more important than speed for photographers (well, pro photographers probably want both speed and reliability). Also, you cannot really get maximum speed out SSD when connecting via USB 3.0. Thunderbolt might be a better interface for Macs (as scrimshaw pointed out).
Not sure about other Pro Photographers, but for me reliablility is more important than speed. My own speed is just as, if not more important than my computers' speed. Thanks for the suggestions on gear :)
Check out the WD My Cloud devices. When attached to your router at home, you can view and transfer files to it on the go. Might be handy for you and know exactly where your pics are (rather than the cloud for example). Have very good drives in them too (WD red)
Something like this? They appear to be fairly niche products — and expensive as well.
http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Hard_Drives_&_SSDs/Extern…
Also note you can build your own external SSD, using any off the shelf SSD and a portable USB enclosure that holds 2.5 inch drives.
However SSD's don't need an enclosure, since they have no exposed electronics, you can just connect an adapter to it.
Like this one.