I need an external HDD for my Mac - searches on Google haven't come up with much - ideally I'm looking for a 1TB drive, no particular budget.

 

I'm running Snow Leopard 10.6.7 if that makes a difference.

An operating system typically doesn't affect whether or not an external hard drive works since they're usually connected through USB.

 

http://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?level3=EXTHDD

 

Pretty much a Newegg for UK. Could try any computer shop though.

You can try Seagate's GoFlex drives. Are you looking to be able to take it everywhere? Because if so, you'll need a portable drive (unless you want to carry around a seperate power cable).

You can try Seagate's GoFlex drives. Are you looking to be able to take it everywhere? Because if so, you'll need a portable drive (unless you want to carry around a seperate power cable).

 

Ah yes, be sure to look at what you're getting before you get it. Don't want a situation where you want a portable drive but it isn't so portable. ;)

As Killerred said, most if not all hard drives will be fine - you will just have to format it to a mac filesystem. I can vouch for lambda tek - awesome website, even if some items have little detail.

To be honest with a macbook I'd get a portable drive. I only wish I had gotten one myself. There are also other options from getting a portable drive.

 

You could put one together with an external case and HDD or buy one premade. I prefer making one with an enclosure and the drive. That way you know exactly what you've got inside.

 

If you go with a desktop drive like this and leave it at home you can buy 8Gb jump drives for like $25, just got one the other day at Walmart. Or check out some portable drives. Western Digital has some nice ones too. It's easier to steer you in the right direction if we know the exact uses of the drive.

Yeah, don't get one with a powerlead for a laptop. I had one and it's just a pain, I have a buffalo portable drive but I've heard the Western Digital Passport type ones are good (mine's the same design). You'll never get one for 1TB, just a few hundred GBs, if you're after a portable one.

Yeah, don't get one with a powerlead for a laptop. I had one and it's just a pain, I have a buffalo portable drive but I've heard the Western Digital Passport type ones are good (mine's the same design). You'll never get one for 1TB, just a few hundred GBs, if you're after a portable one.

 

I've seen 1TB Western Digital Passports for $120. They do exist now. :)

I'd recommend against getting a portable drive, occasionally they won't work with a laptop because they can't provide enough power. I've been looking at western digitals desktop products, seems to be the best out there. Away from my computer now, so I'll link you to a couple later.

I had a G-Drive Mini for a while (500gb) and it's a great, portable hard drive.

 

Then when I wanted more space, I gave it to my dad and got a regular G-Drive (I believe storage ranges from 1TB - 3TB), which I still have. It works great and I love that it comes with a Firewire connection, which makes for much faster transferring :thumbup:

I've got a Freecom 500gb. It was expensive when I bought it, and I'm thinking about upgrading for a larger one now.

 

Anyway, Freecom are a not-too-pricey brand who make decent stuff, I've never had a problem with them.

 

Also, remember that whether you use OSX or Win 7, it makes no difference. Just remember to format the HDD to the appropriate type.

 

Good luck!

 

 

P.S, try dabs.com - very good site!

I'm not looking for a portable drive, I forgot to add that.

 

I've been looking at the Western Digital drives available on the Apple store, has anyone had experience with them?

Ahem.. Apple store. I would be wary about buying stuff from there - they have a massive reputation for over-over-over pricing stuff. Buying one from any third party site and then formatting to the mac filesystem (can't remember what it is off the top of my head) will work absolutely fine.

Yep, don't buy direct from apple. Besides that, most of the drives on their site are the supposed "mac formatted" ones, which you don't need, especially for the extra price. Look at Newegg or your UK equivalent.

Ya, Unless it's an Apple specific product that can't be bought elsewhere. Apple's hard drives are so over priced. I can build a 1Tb desktop for like $110 with USB 3.0, but since macbooks don't support 3 you can shave like $15 off.

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I don't think I'd consider them though - I want reliability rather than portability.

 

USB, esata, firewire, not bothered really.

Get the fastest plug your mac supports. Esata is worth it for fast transfers, but I was able to move 130gb of music over USB 2.0 in less than 2 hours, so unless you plan to move large chunks of data frequently, USB 2.0 should be fine.

Here is the one I've been looking at: Western Digital WD Elements 1 TB USB 2.0

It also comes in other sizes from 500GB to 3TB.

You're basically going to get any drive to work for you. Just find one you like. If you want to run it in combination with windows computers you can get a mac add on that will allow it to read and write ntfs.

I just want a drive that enables fast transferral of lossless music (ALAC files), HQ photos (RAW) and photoshop files (PSD's).

What Specific macbook do you own?

I use an iMac, not a Macbook.

When did you get it? What connections does it have?

If you are simply looking for extra storage as opposed to a means of transferring files between computers, I would go with eSATA. They operate at the same speed as an internal 3Gb/s HDDs, so they are essentially exactly the same as internal sata, but external. You could always look into getting a caddy and a normal 1TB hard drive, but I doubt the price difference between that and a 'normal' external drive is anything special, or worth considering due to the extra hassle. So, if your iMac has an eSata port, get an external HDD that will support that.