Best Buy For New Dual Hard Drive Ssd Flex Cable For Mac

1. Best Buy For New Dual Hard Drive Ssd Flex Cable For Mac Computer

Here are the best Mac hard drives and external storage options for your Mac in 2018. If you think you'll be happy with a 1-4TB hard drive, you can buy a portable drive. As this is a hard.

3:03 Editors' note: This post was originally published on March 13, 2012, and is periodically updated. If your new computer takes a long time to boot up, that's likely because it runs on a regular hard drive.

This is also the case of most older computers. Do you know that replacing that hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD) will make the machine run much faster? It's true, a 5-year-old computer with an SSD boots much faster than even a brand new rig running on a regular hard drive. The good news is that swapping out the drives is quite easy to do and not too expensive either, thanks to the fact that SSDs are now much more affordable than they were a few years ago. (A standard SSD looks like a traditional 2.5-inch laptop hard drive, but it's much faster.

You can find out more about the differences between traditional hard drives and SSDs.) In this post, I'll walk you through how to replace a Windows computer's internal hard drive with an SSD while keeping the software, data and settings exactly the same. The computer needs to be running Windows 7, 8 or 10. Previous versions of Windows don't support SSDs very well. The steps on this post are done with Windows 10, which you soon, since the free upgrade offer ends July 29. Mac owners should check out.

With a new Samsung SSD, this old Dell Laptop will soon be much faster than it has ever been. Dong Ngo/CNET General direction: The replacement process basically involves cloning the entire existing hard drive's content to an SSD, then physically taking the hard drive out of the computer and putting the SSD in its place.

It's a similar process for both desktop and laptops computers though it's much easier to work with a desktop, thanks to its larger chassis. Depending on how much data you have on the computer's main hard drive, this project will take from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. You won't need to be actively involved most of this time, however. Getting ready There are a few things you need for this job.

First, you'll obviously need an SSD. While not all SSDs are created equal, all SSDs are so much faster than any regular hard drive that the differences between the SSDs themselves are insignificant to someone moving up from a hard drive.

That said, you should get a drive that offers the most capacity for the least money. To quickly find out the best options, check out my current. One important thing to keep in mind: make sure you get an SSD with a higher capacity than the total amount of data you currently have on the hard drive you're replacing. That means, for example, if your computer's main hard drive's capacity is 1TB but you have just used up about 200GB, then you just need an SSD that's 240GB. It never hurts to get a large SSD of the same or even larger capacity as the existing hard drive, though, if you can afford it. The second thing you need is cloning software.

There are many of them on the market and most of them work well (some SSDs come with this software installed) but my favorite for the job is the free version of. This software allows you to clone the existing drive to a new one without even restarting the computer.

It also supports all types of hard drive formats. The third thing you need is a USB-to-SATA adapter. These adapters can be found. If you have a (a or version), you can use the adapter part of the drive for the job. Note that for a desktop, as an option, you can skip this adapter and install the SSD as a secondary internal drive for the cloning process, which works much faster than connecting via USB.

And finally, you'll need a small screwdriver. Pick one that works with the screws on your computer. Generally, a standard small Phillips-head one will do. Extra preparation This step is only necessary if you want to use a hand-me-down SSD (one that's been formatted before) to replace your existing hard drive on your computer. If you're using a brand new SSD, you can skip this step and move straight to the cloning process.

There are two types of drive formats, including Master Boot Record (MBR), which is used in Windows 7 and earlier, and GUID Partition Table (GPT), adopted by Windows 8 and later. (Note that Windows 8 and Windows 10 work with MBR, too.) If you want to use a pre-used SSD for your computer, you need to first make its drive format type the same as that of the existing hard drive, prior to the cloning process. If not, the system won't boot at the end.

If you upgrade the hard drive of a relatively new computer, one that comes with Windows 8 or 10 factory installed, it's highly likely that GPT is used. Dong Ngo/CNET It's quite easy to find out if your computer's existing hard drive uses GPT or MBR.

Run the command prompt. (Search for it on the Start Menu. In Windows 8, just type cmd directly into the Metro Start interface). At the command prompt window, type in diskpart then press Enter. (Answer affirmatively to the User Account Control question if prompted.) 3.

At the DiskPart prompt, type in list disk then press Enter. You will see a list of drives currently installed in the system. If a drive is listed with an asterisk (.) under the GPT column, then it's using GPT. Otherwise, it's an MBR drive. It's easy to convert a drive from MBR to GPT and vice versa. Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET And here's how to make sure the SSD has the same drive format type: 1. Run the command prompt.

At the command prompt window, type in diskmgmt then press Enter. This will open up Disk Management.

In Disk Management window, find the SSD which will be shown as Disk 1 (or Disk 2 etc. Depending on the amount of drives you have on the machine.) Right click on the SSD then choose 'Convert to GPT' (if it's currently uses MBR), or 'Convert to MBR' (if it's currently uses GPT.) Just make sure it shares the same drive format type as the existing hard drive. Cloning the drive Now that you have everything you need, let's get the process started.

Plug the SSD into a USB port of the computer using the USB-to-SATA cable. (Note that the steps given below are for Macrium Reflect. With other versions or other cloning software, the steps will be slightly different, so follow the software's instructions, but it should be easy enough to understand.

The idea is that you clone the existing hard drive into the SSD, retaining all settings.). Macrium Reflect allows for cloning a drive without having to include all of the source drive's partitions. Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET 1. Download and install. Once the installation is done, double click on the Reflect icon on the Desktop of the computer. Under the graphic of the existing computer, click on Clone this disk. This will open up Clone window.

In Clone window, click on Select a disk to clone to. Then pick the SSD, which is connected to the computer via an USB port. Extra note: Here you can verify to make sure both drives share the same drive format type (GPT or MBR.) Also, if the existing hard drive has many small partitions and you use an SSD that's of smaller capacity, you might run into an error saying not all partitions can fit on the SSD. In this case, you can uncheck the partitions on the right of the main partition, which always contain (C:) in its name. This is the partition that holds the operating system.

Click on Next and follow with the rest of the wizard to initiate the cloning process. After that, sit back and wait for the cloning process to complete. Certain laptops make it very easy to replace their internal drive. Dong Ngo/CNET C. Replacing the hard drive with the SSD This last step involves removing the existing hard drive. Most laptops make it easy for you to do this by putting the hard-drive bay by the edge of the computer and making it so you can pull it out after undoing some screws on its bottom. Sometimes hard drives are placed under the battery.

It's generally easier with desktops, where hard drives (3.5-inch versions) are easily spotted once the cover of the chassis is opened. You should consult the user manual or the internet on how to remove your computer's hard drive. Note that for desktops, some SSDs come with a 3.5-inch hard-drive bay adapter to make them fit in the computer easily.

However, if your SSD doesn't, you can get away with leaving the SSD hanging inside the computer. Since SSDs have no moving parts and a desktop computer is generally stationary, there's virtually no harm in leaving an SSD loose inside the chassis. Once the old hard drive has been pulled out, you'll want to reverse the process with the SSD. Make sure you use all the screws when installing the SSD. In my experience, if you have a screw or two left over, you've done something wrong.

REVIEWS FROM OUR LAB The Best External Hard Drives for 2019 Last updated October 5th, 2018 1:00PM EST Laptop running out of storage space? Need to back up your photos and videos? From straightforward desktop drives to wireless SSDs that can offload footage from a drone camera, external storage is faster, cheaper, more versatile, and more stylish than ever. We've outlined everything you should consider when adding storage along with the top drives we've tested, both flash- and platter-based.

PCMag has been testing external hard drives since before consumer SSDs were even a thing. Our top picks are based not only on results from our rigorous benchmark tests, but also on our examinations of software features, drive durability, and overall value.

We get it, you're rough on your equipment. Sometimes you break your $99 budget external hard drives before you've paid off the credit card you used to buy them. The 2TB CalDigit Tuff ($179.99) is hardy enough to survive the slings and arrows of business travel, even if you're a wildlife photographer or a foreman on a construction site. It's able to take a hit, it's waterproof and dust-proof, and it's very affordable given the amount of storage you get. Put this all together, and it's enough for the Tuff to earn our latest Editors' Choice award for rugged hard drives. Pros: Rated to survive 4-foot drops.

Certified waterproof and dustproof. Comes with USB 3.0 and USB-C cables. Cons: Warranty limited to two years. SSD option is still unreleased. Bottom Line: Not only is the CalDigit Tuff a rugged hard drive designed to survive extreme conditions, it's also a terrific value.

If you're addicted to downloading videos and snapping up every game you can find online, chances are you need inexpensive, voluminous storage to house it all. The 8TB version of the Western Digital My Book ($249.99) can hold thousands of hours of video, or millions of MP3s or photos. It's backward-compatible with current and older Macs and Windows PCs, a plus right now as USB standards are changing. With a good mix of capacity, pricing, and performance, it's a shoo-in as our latest Editors' Choice for desktop external hard drives. Pros: Comes in a variety of large capacities. Three-year warranty. Cons: Requires external power adapter.

Bottom Line: With a full 8TB for less than $250, the 8TB version of the Western Digital My Book is a deep well of affordable storage for your photos, music, videos, and more. Solid state drives like the 2TB Samsung Portable SSD T5 ($799.99) buck the 2.5-inch form factor of their portable hard drive predecessors. Since don't need to house a spinning platter, they're a whole lot smaller and easier to slip into a small pocket. While our capacious 2-terabyte test drive may be too expensive if you simply want to back up files from your laptop, its speed and capacity are suited to well-heeled digital packrats and graphics professionals. Pros: Excellent performance.

Includes USB 3.0 and USB-C cables. Android-, Mac-, and Windows-compatible. Cons: While a comparable good per-gigabyte value, the drive itself is expensive. Bottom Line: Samsung's Portable SSD T5 drive has a speedy USB-C interface and plenty of reliable storage. It takes up about as much room in your pocket as a short stack of credit cards. Rugged, portable, and trendy, are the obvious path these days to netting fast extra storage for your PC or Mac.

Best Buy For New Dual Hard Drive Ssd Flex Cable For Mac Computer

And although it's not nearly the household name that SSD giant Samsung is, ADATA offers external drives that compete with the storage big-leaguers at aggressive prices. A refresh of the we reviewed two years ago, the ADATA SE730H ($149.99 for the 512GB version we tested) introduces USB-C-to-USB-C data transfers with a potential ceiling of 10Gbps, over a USB 3.1 Gen 2 connection. It's compact, it's waterproof, and—best of all—it's fast, if not much faster than your typical external SSD. And, for the amount of storage space you're getting, it costs less than the 500GB version of our Editors' Choice, the ($164.99). Pros: Spiffy look. Pocket-size, all-metal shell. USB Type-C interface at both ends of cable.

Fast performance. Resists water, dirt, and dust. Cons: Storage space tops out at 512GB. Not appreciably faster than USB 3.1 Gen 1 external SSDs. Bottom Line: The chic, compact ADATA SE730H External SSD delivers speedy data transfers over USB Type-C-and you can dunk it or drop it as much as you like.

The sheer variety of ports on the Akitio Thunder3 RAID Station ($369.99) means that you can use this external hard drive not only to store mountains of data, but also to connect nearly any peripheral you might have or want to buy in the future. This versatility joins several other selling points, including easily configurable RAID modes, the ability to disable the cooling fan, and a sturdy, well-designed enclosure to make it one of the best external RAID enclosures you can buy as long as you don't need screaming data-transfer speeds. Pros: Excellent connectivity options and transfer speeds. Solid build quality and attractive aluminum finish. Easy disassembly. Cooling fan can be disabled.

No software required for Macs. Hardware RAID controller. Cons: Expensive. SATA interface limits read/write speeds. Only 27W of power delivery. Bottom Line: With its wealth of ports, the Akitio Thunder3 RAID Station is both a connectivity hub and a capacious external hard drive for multimedia content creators.

Your business data is likely the most important thing you carry with you, and your backups need protection, too. The 1TB Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC ($129.99) will protect your data physically and electronically, since it's a rugged hard drive with 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and hardware-based Near-Field Communication (NFC) security features. It's worth considering if you're paranoid about your data and hard on your equipment. Pros: Built-in USB cable.

Dust and water resistant. Hardware encryption. Mac and PC format utility. Cons: NFC card is easy to lose. Doesn't unlock via smartphones. Bottom Line: The 1-terabyte Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC has a built-in cable you can't lose, a rugged chassis that will survive a rough daily commute, and an NFC card and reader add some security to this portable hard drive. The LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive ($149.95 for 2TB) has style in spades.

With a slim, all-aluminum body, this is an attractive external hard drive that's also capable of super-fast transfer speeds. That being said, looks aren't everything. On a per-gigabyte basis, this drive won't give you the best bang for your buck, and is pretty minimalist in terms of extra features—two major reasons why the 4TB remains our Editors' Choice for external hard drives. Pros: Sleek design and lightweight aluminum body. Good performance. 256-bit AES encryption. Includes both USB 3.0 and USB-C cables.

Cons: A little pricey. Few extra features. Bottom Line: The 2TB LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive is a thin and super-fast portable hard drive that is not only attractive, but also USB-C compatible. If you store all your data in the cloud, it might be hard to fathom an external hard drive doing double duty as a status symbol. That's exactly what the sleek, wildly fast, and eye-wateringly expensive Samsung Portable SSD X5 ($699 for 1TB) is, though. Following in the footsteps of both Samsung's own flagship external drives like the and design-forward works of hard drive art from LaCie and others, the X5 offers copious amounts of solid-state storage at extreme speeds, thanks to its use of the cutting-edge Thunderbolt 3 and PCI Express NVMe interfaces.

It would make a killer gift for Mac-bound video editors who shoot in 4K or photographers who work in RAW, but it's overkill for pretty much anyone else. Pros: Extremely fast data transfer speeds, thanks to Thunderbolt 3 and PCIe NVMe interfaces. Multiple capacity options. Sleek design. Cons: Expensive. No USB support. Difficult to connect to Windows PCs.

Bottom Line: The sleek, expensive Samsung Portable SSD X5 offers the fastest single-drive external storage money can buy, but it's suited mainly to well-heeled content-creation pros using late-model Macs. The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim ($99.99 for 2TB) is a travel-friendly portable hard drive with a high storage capacity. While extras are limited, the cost per gigabyte, thin design, and transfer speeds are highly appealing. The 4TB hard drive has more features and double the storage for $50 more, but if portability is your main concern, this drive is a straightforward and affordable way to have more than enough space for your files and media on the road. Pros: Good storage capacity, transfer speeds, and value. Stylish, thin design.

NTFS driver for Mac included. Includes 200GB of OneDrive cloud storage for 2 years. Cons: Basic feature set. No rubber feet for grip.

Bottom Line: The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim is an external hard drive that provides 2TB of storage space, quick data transfer speeds, and a sharp, super-slim design for just $100. A collection of spinning drives configured with a RAID level designed for faster access can approximate the speeds of an SSD, while you should consider a drive with support for RAID levels 1, 5, or 10 if you're storing really important data that you can't afford to lose. Hit the link above for explanation of the strengths of each RAID level. What Interface Should You Look For? How an external drive connects to your PC or Mac is second only to the type of storage mechanism it uses in determining how fast you'll be able to access data.

Unfortunately, these connection types are constantly changing, and the internet is littered with outdated references to legacy interface types such as eSATA and FireWire. Right now, the fastest mainstream connection type is Thunderbolt 3, which is handy assuming you have a newer laptop or desktop with a Thunderbolt 3 port. All late-model Apple laptops have them, but they're much scarcer on Windows machines. This interface uses a USB Type-C connector and offers blazing throughput of 40GBps. As an added bonus, a desktop drive that supports Thunderbolt 3 might also come with additional DisplayPort and USB connections that allow you to use the drive box as a hub for your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and other peripherals.

You'll really only see the speed benefits of Thunderbolt 3, however, if you have a drive that's SSD-based, or a RAID array. If you'd rather save money than time transferring your data, if you're buying a desktop drive with a single platter-based mechanism inside, or if you have a PC that lacks Thunderbolt 3, you'll want to make sure your drive has a USB 3.0 connection.

Nearly every recent drive we reviewed supports USB 3.0, and the same goes for laptops and desktops. Do You Need to Go Rugged? If you carry your drive around frequently, you'll want to pay attention to how rugged the drive is. Some models include plastic bumpers, and some even meet for shock and dust protection. (Look for support for specifications such as IP67 or IP68; see.) And of course, if you're carrying your drive around with you, you want it to look nice. Some, like the Samsung T5, come in multiple colors, while others, like the, are super-slim and ready to be tossed in a pocket. Perhaps the only thing you don't need to pay much attention to is the warranty.

If your drive breaks because you damaged it, the warranty likely won't cover it. Even if the drive fails because of a manufacturing defect, most warranties simply replace the drive and don't cover the cost of recovery services that attempt to rescue your data from the broken drive. Let's Look at the Top Models We've Tested. Also know that you can find external drives that do way more than just store your data. Some include SD card readers to offload footage from a camera or drone in the field, while others have built-in Wi-Fi and can double as an all-in-one home media server. (.) Some of that kind even come with extra-large batteries that can charge your smartphone while you're on the go. To get you started in the right direction toward the right add-on backup/storage solution, below are 10 of the best drives we've tested of late, at a variety of prices and capacities.

Some are SSD-based, while others are platter. For more options, also take a look at our guides to the, the we've tested, and, for PC builders and upgraders, the.