can you help me pick an external HDD?

[TrancyGoose]

I am torn.

I have a small-sized portable SSD already, 1TB, for the important stuff. I need secondary storage, for videos, pics etc. So I want to opt for HDD, as it won't have such have used.

Does anyone own any of the following?

​

1. Toshiba Canvio Flex - link to amazon.co.uk
2. LaCie portable HDD - link to amazon.co.uk

I am looking for 2 TB versions of these.
What I like about Lacie, it is USB - C and USB - A/C
Toshiba uses a micro USB on one end, the funny one with two plugs and USB - A/C on one, the flex model, rest of the models have USB-A connection.

Toshiba is slightly cheaper, Lacie is made of plastic.

So, does anyone own any of these, and can help me decide? Or maybe there is another option I haven't considered?

 

[MBAir2010]

I have a toshiba 1tb silver purchased in 2015 and works great!
even with a dell xps and macbook air.

 

[mmkerc]

I have neither, but have been a long time LaCie owner. I am still used LaCie (d2 models) that I purchase in 2006. Very good drive and no issues even though I have moved to four different locations in that time.

 

[MacBH928]

I have a Toshiba and one issue I don't like about it is that when I eject it, it takes a long time to spin down. Maybe this is fixed in later models. The thing with HDD/storage that they are all prone to failure so always make sure there is a backup of it, you never know when it dies.

Why not go with the more main stream popular brands like WD or Seagate?
When I don't know what to buy I always check wirecutter.com , I have found them trust worthy.

The Best External Hard Drive

If you need a lot of storage that you can move around, an external hard drive is a no-brainer, and we have options for almost everyone.

www.nytimes.com

 

[retta283]

LaCie makes good hardware. Unfortunately both of these seem to be sealed up, so once the HDD dies you have a piece of crap enclosure. No easy route to swap a new drive into the existing enclosure. I tend to avoid buying sealed externals due to this, because then when the drive fails I only have to pay for a new drive, not the enclosure technology. This may be a non-issue to you though.

 

[Juicy Box]

Why not go with the more main stream popular brands like WD or Seagate?

LaCie is just a premium brand name for Seagate, similar to how Lexus is made by Toyota.

I have had failures with both LaCie and Toshiba, as well as just about every other major brand.

HDD reliability and performance have more to do with specific models of drive than a specific brand.

So, does anyone own any of these, and can help me decide?

Some people have brand loyalty for HDDs, but I think it all comes down to specific models, as some model drives tend to fail more than others.

The problem with asking about specific models on here is that the chances of someone seeing this thread that has used the exact models you are looking for are probably low.

Not saying people that have purchase the model drives you are looking at won't see your thread, but it might be better to look at the reviews for the specific model online.

1. Toshiba Canvio Flex - link to amazon.co.uk

You should probably post the exact model of Toshiba you were looking at, as there are a few 2TB models in the link you posted.

The thing with HDD/storage that they are all prone to failure so always make sure there is a backup of it, you never know when it dies.

Having a backup or two is always a good thing no matter what type of drive.

I personally have noticed that when a HDD starts to faill, there is usually warning signs and data recovery is usually possible even on a lot of failing HDDs.

SSDs tend to have less failures in real world usage, but when they do fail, they tend to fail without any warning, and data recovery is usually impossible.

 

[HDFan]

You might want to check the 2020 backblaze disk reliability report:

2020 Hard Drive Reliability Report by Make and Model

The AFR for 2020 dropped below 1% down to 0.93%. In 2019, it stood at 1.89%. That’s over a 50% drop year over year.

www.backblaze.com

 

[Fishrrman]

My vote is for the Toshiba.

 

[TrancyGoose]

LaCie is just a premium brand name for Seagate, similar to how Lexus is made by Toyota.

I have had failures with both LaCie and Toshiba, as well as just about every other major brand.

HDD reliability and performance have more to do with specific models of drive than a specific brand.



Some people have brand loyalty for HDDs, but I think it all comes down to specific models, as some model drives tend to fail more than others.

The problem with asking about specific models on here is that the chances of someone seeing this thread that has used the exact models you are looking for are probably low.

Not saying people that have purchase the model drives you are looking at won't see your thread, but it might be better to look at the reviews for the specific model online.



You should probably post the exact model of Toshiba you were looking at, as there are a few 2TB models in the link you posted.





Having a backup or two is always a good thing no matter what type of drive.

I personally have noticed that when a HDD starts to faill, there is usually warning signs and data recovery is usually possible even on a lot of failing HDDs.

SSDs tend to have less failures in real world usage, but when they do fail, they tend to fail without any warning, and data recovery is usually impossible.

Actually, I shopped around a little more, and look what I found:

One I very much like here is cheaper than LaCie, it is esthetically pleasing, has a USB-C adapter. And as I understood from your previous post, they are made by the same manufacturer.

I was even thinking of ordering an encasing, and sticking a 2.5mm SATA In it, if I could find one for 7400 rpm. Do they make those anymore?

I am aware that HDD's tend to fail, but so do SSD's, HDD is really for storing stuff that is important, but not enough so I have to cry myself asleep at night if it were to fail. For example, my logic X sound library, which is about 70 GIG If I am correct, will go on the HDD, it can be easily re-downloaded. For important stuff, I have the SSD and a 1TB OneDrive package. (I will probably get burnt at the stake here, for not paying for iCloud )

 

[ght56]

There isn't going to be a huge difference between them IMO. I do recommend purchasing one that uses USB-C instead of one of the USB Micro variants. The USB Micro B SuperSpeed connector that many HDDs currently still use is very delicate and prone to damage. And, worse, many 2.5-inch external hard drives are now integrated with the USB port, so if you damage the port you cannot just remove the hard drive and put it into a different enclosure!

If I was in your situation, I would purchase either a 2TB WD Blue 2.5-inch or Seagate 2TB Barracuda 2.5 (whichever is cheaper...or maybe even an inexpensive SSD) and a nice aluminum USB-C enclosure, such as this, as these are very high quality, aesthetically pleasing, and extremely reliable. It would cost a few more bucks but IMHO it is well worth it.

 

[ght56]

LaCie is just a premium brand name for Seagate, similar to how Lexus is made by Toyota.

I have had failures with both LaCie and Toshiba, as well as just about every other major brand.

HDD reliability and performance have more to do with specific models of drive than a specific brand.



Some people have brand loyalty for HDDs, but I think it all comes down to specific models, as some model drives tend to fail more than others.

The problem with asking about specific models on here is that the chances of someone seeing this thread that has used the exact models you are looking for are probably low.

Not saying people that have purchase the model drives you are looking at won't see your thread, but it might be better to look at the reviews for the specific model online.



You should probably post the exact model of Toshiba you were looking at, as there are a few 2TB models in the link you posted.





Having a backup or two is always a good thing no matter what type of drive.

I personally have noticed that when a HDD starts to faill, there is usually warning signs and data recovery is usually possible even on a lot of failing HDDs.

SSDs tend to have less failures in real world usage, but when they do fail, they tend to fail without any warning, and data recovery is usually impossible.

This is a great post but I do want to point something out—the SSDs I have had fail have all sounded warnings prior to total failure. macOS, however, does not recognize these 'prefail' warning signs for whatever reason, or does recognize them but does not alert the user to an impending SSD failure. Windows is more or less the same way. The drive will log data that suggests an issue, but that data is not relayed to the user without the use of a third party application. I've never understood this.

 

[HDFan]

When buying an external enclosure I would recommend choosing a first tier manufacture who gives excellent support. There are a lot of posts on this site about enclosures which unexpectedly eject disks, likely due to inferior enclosure firmware.

 

[HDFan]

When buying an external enclosure I would recommend choosing a first tier manufacture who gives excellent support

Just after writing this one of my OWC enclosures started ejecting both CCC and TM disks during backups. OWC support got back to me within a day with some suggestions which I am still working.

First time I quoted myself, I think ...

 

[IowaLynn]

And yet I have had zero issues with my Mac Mini running Windows, or Surface laptop, only MacOS going back 6 years. I thought at one time it was hjb related. And I buy what seem to be top tier drives, and equipment.