I want to start using SSD for backup since they're much smaller, more reliable and faster.
What drives do you recommend?
What drives do you recommend?
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Best SSD USB-C backup drives
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I'll throw out this opinion: a backup drive probably doesn't need to be the absolute fastest thing in the world. Any SSD will provide a lot more reliability than a mechanical HDD, so IMO there's no need to chase down the fastest one. Even a "slow" SSD would do quite nicely with Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or whatever.
I still use the sata to usb-3 dongles and connect the SSD to that.
even the docks that take bare drives work well and you can even use bare 1 to 4 TB wd rotating disks
Now if you want a housing for the SSD that has usb-c or thunderbolt get one you can open to use different SSD's.
m.2 are over kill and I like Crucial ssds -- make sure you can apply the firmware updates even if that means using a PC.
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even the docks that take bare drives work well and you can even use bare 1 to 4 TB wd rotating disks
Now if you want a housing for the SSD that has usb-c or thunderbolt get one you can open to use different SSD's.
m.2 are over kill and I like Crucial ssds -- make sure you can apply the firmware updates even if that means using a PC.
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Not so fast there! In my experience the failure rate of both HDDs and SSDs is similar - approximately 25% of the drives I purchase actually fail, the rest get too small and eventually get retired after 3-5 years of service.
Another vote for Samsung T5
I have two of them: one as my general backup and portable drive... and another for my Lightroom Catalog and RAW photos.
The latter drive is especially nice since I can use my current active Lightroom catalog on either my desktop or my laptop. No more worrying about adding photos to the laptop in the field and then having to migrate them back to my "main" catalog back home. It has definitely changed the game for me. And it's an SSD so it's fast and responsive!
SSDs are great overall. The only spinning disks I have now are in my NAS.
And as a general note... backup, backup, backup. All drives can fail. Make a plan now before disaster strikes!
I have two of them: one as my general backup and portable drive... and another for my Lightroom Catalog and RAW photos.
The latter drive is especially nice since I can use my current active Lightroom catalog on either my desktop or my laptop. No more worrying about adding photos to the laptop in the field and then having to migrate them back to my "main" catalog back home. It has definitely changed the game for me. And it's an SSD so it's fast and responsive!
SSDs are great overall. The only spinning disks I have now are in my NAS.
And as a general note... backup, backup, backup. All drives can fail. Make a plan now before disaster strikes!
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Wait, how many drives are you buying? And have these SSDs failed in similar ways? Any brands you have had good or bad luck with?
Amen. Anything important should always be saved at minimum 2 places at a time, which makes a drive failure an inconvenience but not a disaster. I can't count how many friends I've heard freak out about how they "lost everything on their laptop" for whatever reason and I'm like... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ you weren't backing up, don't be surprised.
Amen to this! So many times I have heard, my novel or dissertation was on my laptop. And I guess college does not teach common sense of backing up your VALUABLE data.
Carbonite for the win!
Not True!! You must be buying Crap SSD's if they are dying at the same rate as HDD's
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As others have said you are waisting your money on an SSD. For backups (other than the first) you don't need speed. The S5 1 TB on Amazon runs something like $200. If you are cloning a 1 TB disk that would be fine. But if you are using Time Machine you need at least 2 TB, preferably more.
For $95 you can get a Seagate 5 TB drive from Costco. Get another 5 TB drive from another vendor for the same amount of money and then put one backup in your off-site safe deposit box. Much better use of your money. Relying on just one backup is not good policy.
The latest backblaze drive stats show an average of 1% failure rate.
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-stats-for-q2-2018/
SSD's can also have problems:
https://www.tomshardware.co.uk/samsung-t5-portable-ssd,review-33985-3.html
I have about 15 HDDs and 10 SSDs in service. I buy intel, Samsung pro, and crucial SSDs only, usually one of each successive generation. I’ve had the best luck with Samsung drives (no failures), then crucial (one failure) and then intel (two failures). Both intels just stopped working suddenly and that was it. The crucial started reporting bad sectors and corrupting data. I expect all storage to eventually die, so am paranoid about data duplication and backups. I have all data backed up in at least 3 places. I’m willing to spend a few hundred dollars a year to make sure my priceless data is safe.
I agree. If you're looking for a backup drive and not necessarily a daily hard drive that you'll be transferring large amounts of data to, I'd save a great deal of money and go with a standard HDD. I have a lacie rugged external HDD that has been getting daily use for almost 6 years now. I just recently purchased another just in case, but use a desktop external drive to back up both of my laptops (a 5tb drive)
If you're really set on getting a SSD, I would have to recommend the Samsung t5 or a lacie rugged SSD. Hope this helps.
If you're really set on getting a SSD, I would have to recommend the Samsung t5 or a lacie rugged SSD. Hope this helps.