external drive sizes

[lori5060]

i currently have several WD external drives which i use for various things. some are formatted xfat so they can be access via windows. and other are Mac Os Extended only access via Mac. have 1 tb, 2tb and only one 3tb.
im wanting to copy files from old drives to newer drive.... 3tb... it would be nice to have all my important keep files on one drive!!

i wonder if because it is a larger drive... will it take longer to access files to and from that drive...rather than using a 2tb?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

No, the size of the drive has no bearing on how long it takes to access the data. You should think twice about putting valuable data on a single drive, a single drive failure means loss of all of your data.

You are better of scattering the data on multiple drives and cloud storage. You should also look at NAS' which give various level fo RAID functionality for peace of mind along with a lot of other interesting features.

 

[MacInWin]

The difference would be imperceptible to you. What has more impact is the interface speed and, if it is a mechanical drive, rotation speed. Just be careful that you have more than one copy of the data on more than one device as you do this because all drives can and will fail eventually, so you want to have multiple devices holding your important stuff. My pictures, for example, are in four different locations. Is that overkill? I don't know and I don't care. I don't want to lose the pictures so it is NOT overkill to me.

 

[Rod]

It seems to me that so long as one replaces each drive when it fails there will always be 3 backups okay but circumstances vary. When I go overseas I have my iPad, iPhone, TM backup and CCC backup all with me. If there was an accident I could conceivably loose them all. So I have one manual backup in a fireproof safe in my home in Australia. It contains important and precious data but I always check it when I'm home to ensure it's okay. Nothing lasts for ever but hopefully everything wont fail at the same time.

 

[lori5060]

thanks all of you.
my reasoning for wanting to put all my external drive files on 3tb drive is so i could have all in one place while i copy them to individual drives. i have so very many duplicates and dont want to have 3 ext drives connected to my mac whilst i work thru them all. hard on the drives and my mac!

i do have TM backup copies as well as multiple copies on individual drives but they are so outdated now and need cleaning up.
yes and my very precious pictures... i have tons of copies all over the place!

i thought i was organized with all my folders and their naming....but sometimes i just cant find the file im looking for cuz its in so many different places with possible different name too.

my issue is that over time as new files are created or edited and i dont want to lose those newer ones.
and/or i have issues which gives me a fright.... i do a backup of files yet again.

not sure what "interface speed and, if it is a mechanical drive, rotation speed" is... please explain.

 

[MacInWin]

Interface speed is the rate at which data can be sent through the connection (interface) from the Mac to the drive. USB3 is faster than USB2, for example, although the connectors are exactly the same.

Rotation speed is a factor in drives with rotating platters inside. Some spin at 5400 RPM, others at 7200 RPM. Faster is better because you idon'thave to wait as long for the platter to rotate to where the data is stored.

 

[lori5060]

ok thanks. macinwin.... how do i know what rotation speed my macbook drive runs at??

 

[MacInWin]

The more important figure is the rotation of the new EXTERNAL drive. You cannot easily change the internal, but you are buying a new external, so get a fast one with a good interface speed that you can use on your Mac. You probably have an SSD inside your MBP, so the rotation speed isn't a concern, and you have what ports you have on the MBP, so those are fixed. Worry about the externals if you plan to use them much, so you aren't seeing beachballs everywhere.

 

[lori5060]

macinwin... so how do i find out what rotation is on external drives? yes i do have SSD in my macbook. i have 4 ports on my mac and i tend to use the same two all the time. dont know if i should switch ports every now and then.

 

[MacInWin]

@lori5060, what drive are you looking at to buy? Normally the specs are on the side of the box, or in the listing of the online retailer website. And generally, cheap=slow, but that's not always the case.

 

[lori5060]

i have purchased several WD (western digital) Passport drives. I found they have great support and product.
i dont have the boxes anymore. all were around $100 or over CDN. so i dont know if that is cheap or now. however, i dont think ill be replacing them now. several are 3usb (blue ends).
im going to contact WD and see if they can help.

 

[MacInWin]

If you HAVE the drives now, you just need the model number and it can be looked up. Not much need to call WD and wait online. So, do you actually have the 3TB drive now?

 

[IWT]

Hi lori.

Here's a Link to Western Digital 7200 rpm Hard Drives. This may provide some insight into what they offer at the top end of their Hard Drives.

WD Gold Enterprise Class SATA Hard Drive | Western Digital Store

Conquer tough workloads with enterprise-class WD Gold™ HDDs. Available in 1TB to 18TB1 capacities, this highly reliable solution for demanding storage environments provides up to 2.5M hours MTBF, vibration protection technology and a low power draw thanks to HelioSeal™ technology [for 12TB and...

www.westerndigital.com

Ian

 

[lori5060]

If you HAVE the drives now, you just need the model number and it can be looked up. Not much need to call WD and wait online. So, do you actually have the 3TB drive now?

yes i already purchased the 3tb drive.

 

[MacInWin]

Well then, the speed doesn't matter because you can't change it, so don't worry about it. Just use the drive as it is for what you want. I thought you were looking to buy, in which case those technical things would be important. But not now.

 

[lori5060]

contact WD and they said all my drives were 5400. tho the ultra passport better than others.
thanks for all your help

 

[IWT]

contact WD and they said all my drives were 5400

Pity in a way, but I must add that I have several such WD Hard Drives. So, no disrespect to you. All I would say is be careful. If problems arise, do a "First Aid" on the offending External Hard Drive (EHD). You can do this via Disk Utility (DU) (Applications > Utilities > DU).

It is essential to trust a External Hard Drive (EHD). If you have problems or suspicions about its performance, better to bin it than persevere with an EHD that could be defunct especially as it's holding data that is precious to you.

My Link to 7200 rpm EHDs was for your information; just that.

Bon voyage.

Ian

 

[lori5060]

ian.... interesting. "All I would say is be careful".... no disrespect taken.
Do you mean external drives in general or this particular brand?

do you have a favourite external drive that you use other than WD?

 

[IWT]

My comment "no disrespect to you" means just that. I respect your situation, what you've done and the way you asked for guidance.

Be careful - if problems arise. Always be cautious about External Hard Drives when they play up. Keep an eye on them. That's all. Just trying to be courteous.

do you have a favourite external drive that you use other than WD?

I tried them all. I used to love LaCie till it was taken over, and again. Having said that, I have about a half dozen LaCie Drives still working well after 7 to 10 years, but not in critical situations.

Ian

 

[lori5060]

Ian .....yes thanks i do keep an eye on them.... when i have an issue then i go on search for info. technology or not... we all have to keep an eye out for oddities.

my recent past issue was resolved.... thankfully.
ive never heard of LaCie drives. shall look into them. even tho WD and probably other brands give you 2yr warranty... that doesnt mean that they will fail soon after that.