The strong regional drive, popular, known as the descriptive SSD, perfectly combines the carry and function one would expect from external memory. And they are the most effective way for them increase Mac speed.
SSDs are our responsibility to implement the most efficient method. Those found on the latest MacBook models are up to 30 times faster than the hard drive.
Don't miss our selection of the best SSDs for Mac. We advise you to first look at the buttons you should consider before buying a state drive to buy one that suits your needs.
Ways to keep in mind before purchasing an SSD for your Mac
1. SSD or hard drive?
One of the first decisions to take when thinking about buying a tool that helps you have multiple gigabytes on your Mac is knowing whether you're willing to pay SSD costs or can afford one. hard drive.
You should remember that, for example, with 1 TB of storage you will have to pay over € 300 when buying an SSD, while it will cost you around € 50 if you are betting on a hard drive. The price of a solid state drive is too high.
What explains this difference? HDD drives use cheaper discs to store data, while SSDs use NAND memory chips, which are more expensive but faster.
2. 2.5 inch SSD or ultralight?
Once you have decided on a state drive, you will need to consider options for a small purchase. There are three different types of SSDs but only two can be considered truly portable.
On the other hand, there are those SSD boards that should be installed on the PCIe or on the SATA networking sites, which means they are not at all modest. This type should be considered when you need to replace the SSD you already have on your laptop.
On the other hand, in the median area the SSDs are 2.5 inches. They are the cheapest way to have a solid state drive. They have plastic housing to prevent damage, but use the SATA connectors instead of the old USB.
Now, if you're looking for the easiest shipping option of all you should consider those "pocket" SSDs that are 2.5 inch wide. They are designed for use with USB or Thunderbolt connectors and not the others you find inside the Mac.
As the choices you will find below show, we especially prefer this latter function, since they are the smallest and simplest SCDs in almost all cases. And they are very expensive.
3. How much resistance do you want your SSD to have?
In general, SSDs are more powerful than hard drives. That's because they don't have moving parts unlike the HDD unit, which makes it difficult to separate.
In addition, some portable SSDs are not waterproof and for another 2.5 inches you can easily provide extra power. All of this is like something to remember if we are going to have to move that external memory up and down.
Now, if we had SSD and HDD and didn't touch them, which one of these would last longer? Well, of course it will always be the first, because hard drives often have technical flaws.
4. Where are your Mac ports?
Betting on an SSD with ports compatible with your Mac is important. You need to be able to connect external memory to your computer and be able to read it, but you also need a powerful enough Mac to take advantage of SSD power.
The best SSDs have a reading speed of 550 MB per second. You should make sure that your Mac or MacBook can support the speed of each of its ports.
In a sense, you'll never have a problem if your laptop has a Thunderbolt 3 / USB Type-C screen. Most external SSDs use standard USB 3.1 than Thunderbolt, but these ports are generally compatible with USB 3.1.
If your computer has a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port, you can also use the SSD for this list, but you should stop the speed. Of course, it may not be worth buying a state drive if you have a computer from a few years ago.
5. Need more storage?
Generally, most modern SSDs come in three or four capacities: 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. Think about how much space you need as the price varies greatly from one to the other.
It is a personal decision. It will depend on the additional storage you need and the amount you want or can invest. Think, for example, about editing videos that you save or you only need external memory to keep files low.
Comparison: What is the best SSD for Mac for 2020?
1. SanDisk Extended SSD portable
The SanDisk Extended SSD portable It is a strong regional drive that combines better carrying and durability. It has a small design and can be handled easily with one hand. That makes it ideal for transporting from one place to another.
You can carry it in any pocket, or carry it hanging in any kind of post you can tie in the hole in the top right corner, as if it were a key ring. Now, its bicolor construction reminds us of a portable speaker.
Most important is the resistance of SanDisk ExcessivelyThey like to know that the edges of this SSD are protected by a rubber color, something that is prone to scratching and breaks much more easily than metal.
Therefore, not only the interior of the device is protected but also the outer part, designed to prevent damage. In fact, it is designed to withstand explosions of up to 1,500 g and has water and dust resistance listed with the IP55 code.
Although the memory comes with a single cord, the fact is that you can use the adapter to easily move from the Thunderbolt 3 / USB Type-C port to the USB port, which is available on older Mac and MacBook models.
It uses the ExFAT file system and is compatible with the SanDisk SecureAccess application. That means you can protect your files with a password. In terms of performance, we were able to transfer 5 GB of data in 10 seconds.
Basic specification
- Dimensions: 75.69 x 75.69 x 10.67 mm
- Weight: 38.9g
- Storage: 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
- Connectivity: USB 3.1
- Compatibility: macOS | Windows
2. Portable G-Technology G-DRIVE R-Series SSD
G-Technology may not be the popular type, but the fact is that you are currently one of the best manufacturers of SSDs. They are fully compatible with the Mac and also some of the most versatile.
Of course, from a design standpoint, it is hard to imagine Portable G-DRIVE R-Series SSD It's designed specifically for Apple users, but that doesn't mean even the most minimalist followers of Apple may not like it.
It is somewhat larger than other solid state drives, but still manages to fit comfortably in the pocket of any pants. In retrospect, a much stronger structure is available, in addition to the water being less than one meter deep.
This SSD is completely unstable or falls from a height of 3 meters and can withstand more than 400 pounds of pressure before it starts to leak. It looks like it is also designed for external use.
When you shop G-DRIVE R-Series, and you will have two wires: USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable and USB Type-A cable. This way you can connect the hard drive to any Apple laptop you have at home.
When looking at specific technical specifications, SSD read speeds up to 530 MB per second, while write speeds up to 479 MB per second. Now, remember that there is no 250 GB version.
Basic specification
- Dimensions: 95 x 50 x 14.50 mm
- Weight: 86.18 g
- Storage: 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
- Connectivity: USB 3.1
- Compatibility: macOS | Windows
3. Samsung portable SSD T5
Samsung made some of the most popular SSDs right now. We have chosen Portable P5 T5, a smaller version of the 2.5-inch model, due to its small size and metal housing.
You will find everything you need for this SSD: excellent performance and excellent design. The body is made up of a single piece of curved aluminum with plastic details around the curves.
According to Samsung, its T5 is resistant to dropping from 2 m in height. Now, just like any other metal, this joint can be more easily damaged than plastic and the paint can jump through bombs.
This solid state unit is available in two colors: blue – if you prefer the 250 GB or 500 GB model – and black – if you choose 1 TB or 2 model. With a size of 10.5 mm, the appropriate size can be carried in the backpack pocket.
Apart from the great resistance of this SSD, it is unfortunately not waterproof, so it does not make it ideal for safari trips. Yes, you will be a good partner for public transport on the way to work.
The Portable P5 T5 works directly when connecting to a Mac, but you can take advantage of software that you will find in the internal folder to set the password and provide additional protection to the hard drive.
Basic specification
- Dimensions: 74 x 57.30 x 10.50 mm
- Weight: 51 g
- Storage: 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
- Connectivity: USB 3.1
- Compatibility: macOS | Windows | Android
4. Seagate Fast SSD
If what you want is an SSD that fits well with your Apple device, your best option will be Seagate Fast SSD, it certainly has the most sophisticated design discs available today on the market.
Of course, you will offer a certain level of carrying. This is an SSD with a large size of range, so it will be very difficult to move it in a very small package, especially when compared to Samsung and SanDisk models.
On the other side of the disc you will see a white lamp and USB Type-C connector. You can use USB Type-C to USB type cable to connect to both older and modern Mac models.
Due to its compatibility with USB 3.1, the reading speed can be up to 528 MB per second, while the write speed is about 478 MB per second. Therefore, it is as fast as other competitor models.
It looks like a suitable tool used in the home office, but it can probably be carried on a regular basis. One of the reasons is its size, but also the fact that it's not water. He made sure he was dealing with shocking things.
It should be noted that it has software more complex than competition. You can use the Seagate Toolkit tool to select which folders on the disk you want to protect more by customizing backups.
Basic specification
- Dimensions: 94 x 79 x 9 mm
- Weight: 81.6 g
- Storage: 250 GB, 500 GB or 1 TB
- Connectivity: USB 3.1
- Compatibility: macOS | Windows
5. Samsung SSD 860 Evo
Portable SSDs can be very useful, but they are also very expensive. If you don't have a lot of budget, your best option would be to get a solid 2.5-inch drive. They are very cheap.
Our favorite Samsung Evo 860 SSD i.e., using the SATA interface, it can reach a speed of 550 MB per second. Now, what if you want to be able to move it from one device to another and not connect it to your Mac?
It is possible when buying additional extras: a SATA is a USB cable or a hard disk drive such as ADATA ED600. We are especially committed to this latter method, mainly because it provides additional disk security.
Before you bet on this Samsung SSD, you have to consider its size. Or without using another case, it still has a larger size than the portable SSDs on this list, so it will be more difficult to carry in the pocket.
In addition, when you start it by connecting it to your Mac, you must install the disk format using the MacOS Disk Utility tool. Don't worry because the whole process won't take you more than one or two minutes.
You will be interested to know that this Samsung SSD has a 5 year warranty. It is estimated that the amount of data you can store on this hard drive before you start having some problems is 600 TBW in the 500 GB version.
Basic specification
- Dimensions: 100 x 69.85 x 6.8 mm
- Weight: 50g
- Storage: 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB or 4 TB
- Communication: SATA 6 Gb / s interface
- Compatibility: macOS | Windows
6. My WDless Passport WD
For those dedicated to photography, we especially recommend My Passport Wireless SSD for Western Digital. Its features make it ideal to take it everywhere.
It is a sturdy wireless drive that includes an internal battery, an SD card reader and a USB port. It is arguably the strongest of the others on this list, including the 2-inch SSDs included.
However, the user can transfer SD card images or files from USB directly to the SSD without using the computer in between. You won't need to connect to the Internet because this disk is a wireless network.
You can worry about device battery independence, but 10 hours seems enough to be able to transfer files wirelessly without charging. You can use it again the power of the bank re-installing your phone or tablet.
However, there is a setback: Wi-Fi data transfer is not as fast as SSD itself. You can download files at about 10 MB per second. The same can be found in the form of hard disk, cheap but also less resistant.
If you choose to use this WD SSD With cable, you will no longer find fast speeds like other devices on this list. The reading speed is about 332.9 MB per second, while the write speed is 315 MB per second.
Basic specification
- Dimensions: 135 x 135 x 30 mm
- Weight: 44 g
- Storage: 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB
- Connectivity: USB 3.0
- Compatibility: macOS | Windows
7. Transfer external ESD240C SSD
Needless to say, one of the reasons Apple is so popular is because of its design. His Smartphones, pills, computers and laptops are excellent and have been attracting users from all over the world for years.
The only thing you can ask for is the accessories you buy for your Mac to follow this same aesthetic. With Transfer ESD240C, you can store your photos, documents and music in a consistent style.
You can choose between three different storage capabilities: 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB. Best of all, its body size is small and you can store it anywhere you want: from pants pocket to cover for your MacBook.
It is also compatible with Windows, which means you can transfer files from one place to another without any problems. It has speeds of up to 520 MB / s, which is more than enough.
Basic specification
- Dimensions: 81.4 x 33.6 x 7.5 mm
- Weight: 33g
- Storage: 120 GB | 240 GB | 480 GB
- Connectivity: USB 3.1
- Compatibility: macOS | Windows | Android
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