Question What type of external storage should I buy for my M1 MacBook ?

[ladislav12]

Hi, I am looking to buy external storage for my MacBook M1. I am thinking between fast flash drive (1000 MB/s), external SSD (1000 MB/s) or M.2 SSD with external case.
Which option out of these is the best one and why? If you have any recommendations, I am all ears!

 

[Lutfij]

You've generically listed your/our options to choose from. Might want to include links to what you're looking at so we can scrutinize the details on each option. As it stands, with the info you've given, either one will get the job done.

 

[ladislav12]

You've generically listed your/our options to choose from. Might want to include links to what you're looking at so we can scrutinize the details on each option. As it stands, with the info you've given, either one will get the job done.

Well When it comes to external ssd i have been thinking About Samsung t7 - https://www.alza.sk/samsung-portable-ssd-t7-500gb-modry-d5848605.htm
oWell known and good, however prices of external ssd seem to be so high especially in my country. Around 70-90e. Whereas external case + nvme ssd would cost me basically same But with higher speed
For example this external enclousure - https://www.alza.sk/orico-m2pvc3-d6298565.htm
And this nvme - https://www.alza.sk/samsung-980-500-gb-d6341633.htm
If you think there are better options for external m2 cases or even m2 ssds themselves. Please recommend something, im all ears.
and then for flash drive - https://www.hponline.sk/kingston-256gb-datatraveler-max-type-a-1000r-900w-usb-3-2-gen-2/
Pretty quick one for flash drive especially. Also the cheapest option and i Probably wouldnt even mind that it is only 250gb. Also very portable. Again, If there are better flash drives, please let me know.
and then last idea is to use cloud as storage. For example iCloud or dropbox. What do you think ?

 

[Lutfij]

I personally would not use Cloud as a service, since I tend to be someone who likes to have the data at hand, meaning I have it physically on drives, either internal or external. The real question comes with what's convenient for you. If you got an external storage drive that's operational out of the box, then that just removes the tinkering time...then again if you're a DIY kind of person, then yeah you loose out on the tinkering/experimentation time.

 

[ladislav12]

I personally would not use Cloud as a service, since I tend to be someone who likes to have the data at hand, meaning I have it physically on drives, either internal or external. The real question comes with what's convenient for you. If you got an external storage drive that's operational out of the box, then that just removes the tinkering time...then again if you're a DIY kind of person, then yeah you loose out on the tinkering/experimentation time.

Well cloud storage for me is just something i would use as extra service. Because i work on multiple devices and i dont want to always export data with physical drives. When it comes to saving time on tinkering the m2 external drive or the exact oposite enjoying that tinkering time, i dont really care About that. For me its only About functionality, how long will it actually work and the speed and practicality. Now shortly and simply, what option is going to be the most practical and which one will be overally better ? Or does it really come down to personal prefference? And there are not many differences between the options ?

 

[hotaru.hino]

What's this external drive going to be used for? If it's for backing up data, then I'd argue it doesn't really matter what you get since you can just run the backup routine while you go do something else. If this is because you need to expand the laptop's storage space, then what kind of data are we dealing with and how often do you need to exchange to and from the external drive? If it's large files that are exchanged frequently, then I'd say that's a good use case for a fast drive. If it's just smaller files like word docs or pictures, then a fast drive isn't really more useful here than a slower one.

Cloud storage I'd argue is only useful as a backup solution or you need to share something with someone you can't physically get to. It's the slowest performer (short of some shoddy gas station USB drive).

Whether or not to get something ready made or build your own depends on if you prefer convenience or not.

 

[ladislav12]

What's this external drive going to be used for? If it's for backing up data, then I'd argue it doesn't really matter what you get since you can just run the backup routine while you go do something else. If this is because you need to expand the laptop's storage space, then what kind of data are we dealing with and how often do you need to exchange to and from the external drive? If it's large files that are exchanged frequently, then I'd say that's a good use case for a fast drive. If it's just smaller files like word docs or pictures, then a fast drive isn't really more useful here than a slower one.

Cloud storage I'd argue is only useful as a backup solution or you need to share something with someone you can't physically get to. It's the slowest performer (short of some shoddy gas station USB drive).

Whether or not to get something ready made or build your own depends on if you prefer convenience or not.

Thank you both. You helped a Lot. I will think About it and then I will decide. I will deal with a Lot of Photoshop files or in general Adobe type of files, as Well as office files such docx, xlsx and then some developing and programming files. However, thank you for your help.