External SSD drives

[jimilee]

I need to get at least a 2 TB external SSD for Time Machine backups. So far, all the reviews I’ve read say all the drives suck. What are you using and what are your experiences / recommendations?

 

[CheapSuitG]

I use the portable Samsung SSD for my audio and graphic files, does well. One has started disconnecting and reconnecting when my computer goes to sleep though so may replace it just to be safe.

 

[vigilante398]

Why does it need to be SSD? Are you expecting to need to read data off them at high speeds? HDD are reliable for backup, they're just bigger and slower. I have 4x HDD set up as a redundant 2x2 for my backups.

 

[jimilee]

Why does it need to be SSD? Are you expecting to need to read data off them at high speeds? HDD are reliable for backup, they're just bigger and slower. I have 4x HDD set up as a redundant 2x2 for my backups.

Because HDDs are bigger and slower. It’s for my laptop. I have a NAS, but apparently Time Machine over wi-fi is supposed to be going away later this year.

 

[swelchy]

Samsung....

 

[joelorigo]

I have 2 Samsung T5 SSD that have been flawless for video editing so I think they would be more than adequate for backups. Last time I looked there is something that looks exactly the same called T7 now.

 

[rossbalch]

I have to echo @vigilante398 here. Don't use an SSD for backup purposes. If you are only plugging it in once a week to do the backup, much better to go for reliability over form factor and speed.

 

[Ginsly]

HDD are reliable for backup, they're just bigger and slower

Yup! I use portable and plug-in Western Digital HDDs and they’ve been rock solid for backups over many years.

 

[bean]

I use an external 2TB WD Passport over USB3 for automated backups. Not a single glitch in 11 years.

 

[xconverge]

Because HDDs are bigger and slower. It’s for my laptop. I have a NAS, but apparently Time Machine over wi-fi is supposed to be going away later this year.

Do you have a source for time machine over wi-fi going away? That doesn't seem reasonable to me...

 

[iamjackslackof]

I use NVMe drives in a USB-C enclosure. They're tiny, fast as hell, and have come down a lot in price.

 

[jimilee]

Do you have a source for time machine over wi-fi going away? That doesn't seem reasonable to me...

I should clarify. It’s going to smb 3 and away from aft.

 

[MichaelW]

I'm going to be running into the same issue. I have a NAS that I've been using for 10 years. It backs up all the Mac's on my local network.
I need to think about a solution soon. Bleah......

 

[jimilee]

I'm going to be running into the same issue. I have a NAS that I've been using for 10 years. It backs up all the Mac's on my local network.
I need to think about a solution soon. Bleah......

I discovered the buffalo nas 710 will work. I’m giving carbon copy cloner a try for 30 days. The one thing I discovered, though, is my MacBook has to be open for the weekly backup to work. I will probably end up with the 710 2 or 4 TB.