Trusted suppliers for an external drive for back up.

Joined
Dec 16, 2018
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I want an additional external hard drive for back up purposes. I have been using a Macally one for a few years now and looked inside to find it has an Hitachi 500Gb Drive installed. As it has been so reliable I would like another Hitachi if possible to fit into a LaCie enclosure that I have. Can anyone recommend a good supplier of such a drive? I am in the UK.
Thanks.
 
Joined
May 21, 2012
Messages
10,702
Reaction score
1,158
Points
113
Location
Rhode Island
Your Mac's Specs
M1 Mac Studio, 11" iPad Pro 3rdGen, iPhone 13 ProMax, Watch S7, 2018 15" MBP, AirPods Pro
Are you looking for a bare drive to fit into the enclosure, or are you looking for a whole external drive?
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
5,053
Reaction score
414
Points
83
Location
North Carolina
Your Mac's Specs
Air M2 ('22) OS 14.3; M3 iMac ('23) OS 14.3; iPad Pro; iPhone 14
I want an additional external hard drive for back up purposes. I have been using a Macally one for a few years now and looked inside to find it has an Hitachi 500Gb Drive installed. As it has been so reliable I would like another Hitachi if possible to fit into a LaCie enclosure that I have. Can anyone recommend a good supplier of such a drive? I am in the UK..

Hi Konda - since your first sentence above states 'an additional external hard drive...', you might want to take a look at this ongoing THREAD on these devices; also, OWC (Other World Computing) and Crucial are websites offering a lot in storage options, both often recommended in this forum. Dave :)
 
OP
K
Joined
Dec 16, 2018
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks guys. Yes I just want a bare drive. It’s a D2 Quadra enclosure.
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
I have been using a Macally one for a few years now and looked inside to find it has an Hitachi 500Gb Drive installed.

Just a quick FYI.

Currently there are really only about 3 manufacturers of internal hard drives:

- Seagate (also makes the brand Maxtor)
- Toshiba
- Western Digital (also makes the brand HGST)

Then we have external hard drive manufacturers (which there are lots & lots & lots). But...the actual hard drive inside these external drives still come from one of the 3 manufacturers listed above. These external drive manufacturers basically take the bare hard drive from one of these three manufacturers...install it into an external case that they assemble/manufacture...and then stamp their name on it.

If you're looking to purchase an external drive (and you're concerned what brand the actual hard drive is)...you'll want to research the external drive specs to confirm what manufacturer actually makes the hard drive that's inside.

HTH,:)

- Nick
 

pigoo3

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
44,210
Reaction score
1,418
Points
113
Location
U.S.
Your Mac's Specs
2017 15" MBP, 16gig ram, 1TB SSD, OS 10.15
Thanks guys. Yes I just want a bare drive. It’s a D2 Quadra enclosure.

If just looking for a bare drive...definitely confirm the interface of the external HD case...and the interface of the HD you're thinking of purchasing...to make 100% sure they are compatible.

It also wasn't mentioned if the original drive is 2.5" or 3.5"...which of course makes a big difference what drive needs to be purchased to fit in the case.:)

- Nick
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
17,494
Reaction score
1,541
Points
113
Location
Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27" iMac, 1TB(partitioned) SSD, 20GB, OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
Thanks guys. Yes I just want a bare drive. It’s a D2 Quadra enclosure.


Personally, unless things have changed in the last few years I wouldn't put much faith in that LaCie D2 Quadra enclosure unless you have some spare, working power adapters that had a reputation for failing, and almost impossible to find a proper replacement.

Check this out:
Getting a replacement power adaptor for a LaCie drive | Shameless Plug

LaCie also had a reputation for just installing whatever brand drive they could source for the cheapest price so one actually paid a premium price for the design.





- Patrick
======
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
863
Reaction score
52
Points
28
Ironically, I just removed the hard drive from the casing of my recently failed Fantom Drives external USB-3 drive, and guess what brand it is? Hitachi.
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
17,494
Reaction score
1,541
Points
113
Location
Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27" iMac, 1TB(partitioned) SSD, 20GB, OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
Ironically, I just removed the hard drive from the casing of my recently failed Fantom Drives external USB-3 drive, and guess what brand it is? Hitachi.


All drives eventually fail, but some fare better than others we're told... :Smirk:

Hitachi (now HGST, a subsidiary of Western Digital) has the lowest failure rates across the makes and models surveyed. Western Digital itself came in second, with numbers only slightly less impressive than HGST's.
https://www.infoworld.com/article/2...n-digital-hgst-most-reliable-hard-drives.html





- Patrick
======
 

dtravis7


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
30,133
Reaction score
703
Points
113
Location
Modesto, Ca.
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini M-1 MacOS Monterey, iMac 2010 27"Quad I7 , MBPLate2011, iPad Pro10.5", iPhoneSE
What Patrick just posted is dead on. HGST (Formally Hitachi) on the reliability tests I have seen is on top followed by WD. I have a lot of WD black drives and they are great as are my HGSTs that run 24 hours a day for my Movie server.
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
863
Reaction score
52
Points
28
What Patrick just posted is dead on. HGST (Formally Hitachi) on the reliability tests I have seen is on top followed by WD. I have a lot of WD black drives and they are great as are my HGSTs that run 24 hours a day for my Movie server.

Well this drive was not labeled HGST, just "Hitachi", so apparently it must be old stock as the article Patrick linked says the change happened in 2012.
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
17,494
Reaction score
1,541
Points
113
Location
Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27" iMac, 1TB(partitioned) SSD, 20GB, OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
Well this drive was not labeled HGST, just "Hitachi", so apparently it must be old stock as the article Patrick linked says the change happened in 2012.


Regardless, there's a good chance that was made in the same factory with the same equipment and maybe even some of those same employees. The name change and ownership is just that and probably not much more than the bunch of paperwork and maybe pay-off of a few million dollars or so.

PS: Hitachi also still makes some of the best heavy construction and handling equipment in the world and is a very trusted and reliable name that they earned and deserve. You don't get there easily or by building cheap crap.


EDIT:
BTW: If you want to be blown away with the scope of the Hitachi owned Group of companies, have a look here and a lot of big American companies would just love to be even a fraction of what they cover.
Group Companies : Hitachi Global






- Patrick
======
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
5,053
Reaction score
414
Points
83
Location
North Carolina
Your Mac's Specs
Air M2 ('22) OS 14.3; M3 iMac ('23) OS 14.3; iPad Pro; iPhone 14
Regardless, there's a good chance that was made in the same factory.......

PS: Hitachi also still makes some of the best heavy construction and handling equipment in the world and is a very trusted and reliable name that they earned and deserve. You don't get there easily or by building cheap crap.

EDIT:
BTW: If you want to be blown away with the scope of the Hitachi owned Group of companies, have a look here and a lot of big American companies would just love to be even a fraction of what they cover.
Group Companies : Hitachi Global

Well, the compound miter saw in my homemade cross-cut workshop station is an Hitachi 10" CMS, purchased in 1999 and still going strong - has cut a LOT of wood over the years - a Freud 10" 80T carbide thin-kerf blade is attached. Dave
.
MiterSawHood 2.jpg
 
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
863
Reaction score
52
Points
28
Regardless, there's a good chance that was made in the same factory with the same equipment and maybe even some of those same employees. The name change and ownership is just that and probably not much more than the bunch of paperwork and maybe pay-off of a few million dollars or so.

PS: Hitachi also still makes some of the best heavy construction and handling equipment in the world and is a very trusted and reliable name that they earned and deserve. You don't get there easily or by building cheap crap.


EDIT:
BTW: If you want to be blown away with the scope of the Hitachi owned Group of companies, have a look here and a lot of big American companies would just love to be even a fraction of what they cover.
Group Companies : Hitachi Global






- Patrick
======

Are you a paid spokesperson? :$ Just kidding, of course. I never said they built cheap crap. I just stated that mine happened to fail after only 2 years. Obviously that's a sample size of 1 and no conclusions can be drawn. I just thought it was ironic that I discovered it was a Hitachi drive shortly after seeing this thread specifically asking for a Hitachi because of the reliability. I obviously got a dud...a statistical outlier.
 
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
17,494
Reaction score
1,541
Points
113
Location
Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
2011 27" iMac, 1TB(partitioned) SSD, 20GB, OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan
I obviously got a dud...a statistical outlier.


Just like our home builder would have a habit of saying — stuff Happens!!


And I would reply that that would be normal for any living thing... but we are paying the bill for anything else... and it's called something else as well and it's not polite!!! :eek:





- Patrick
======
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top