Skip to main content

hard drive

16 'hard drive' stories March 2012 - December 2015
See All Stories

A 10TB drive for your iMac? HGST’s new Ultrastar He10 uses helium, 7 platters to make it possible

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Dec 2 2015 - 11:55 am PT
15 Comments

he10

Although faster, cheaper solid state drives (SSDs) are winning marketshare and mindshare, makers of traditional hard disks are still working to squeeze more storage capacity inside standard 1-inch hard drive enclosures. HGST — known for its excellent G-Technology-branded G-Drives — today announced the Ultrastar He10, a 3.5-inch conventional hard drive with a staggering 10TB of storage space. But “conventional” might be the wrong word, as the drive manages to fit seven platters inside its hermetically-sealed enclosure, which is filled with helium rather than air, hence the “He” name. Measuring 1″ thick, it’s capable of fitting inside even the latest, thinnest Retina iMacs, as well as conventional external hard drive enclosures…



Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple announces replacement program for 3TB hard drives in some iMac models

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 19 2015 - 10:23 am PT
7 Comments

imac-deal-best-buy

Apple today announced a replacement program for the 3TB hard drive included in some 27-inch iMac models due to a concern that some of the components “may fail under certain conditions.” Apple doesn’t mention a specific product number, but notes that affected machines would have been sold between December 2012 and September 2013, which would apply to Apple’s late 2012 iMac model.

Expand
Expanding
Close

The Best Mac Accessories and Upgrades

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz May 27 2015 - 8:51 am PT
3 Comments

Over the past six months, I’ve published quite a few tutorials to help Mac users improve the performance of older computers, as well as some great guides to the best Mac accessories across a variety of categories. Today, I’m tying them all together in this handy, one-stop roundup of the best Mac accessories and upgrades.

This guide walks you through everything: in one place, you can learn about the best Mac hard drives, RAM upgrades, docks, keyboards, trackpads, stands, bags, and travel accessories out there. And you can also get free apps to improve your Mac’s storage and responsiveness, find plain English explanations of your Mac’s technical specs, and learn about the little security screws Apple uses to tamper-proof its machines. There’s a lot inside, so you may want to bookmark this piece for future reference!…



Expand
Expanding
Close

How-To: Clean and speed up your Mac with free, trustworthy downloads

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Apr 30 2015 - 9:11 am PT
38 Comments

grandwide-2

“My Mac used to be fast, but now it’s running so slow.” I’ve heard many versions of this complaint, and they’re always factually true, not just opinions: Macs do become sluggish over time, even if all of their chips and hard drives are working like new.

I’ve devoted several columns to hardware solutions — replacing old hard drives with fast new SSDs, adding more RAM, and increasing storage capacity using an external drive — but there are software solutions, too. Even die-hard Apple fans will admit that Macs typically run new OS X versions better (faster, and with fewer bugs) if you start with a clean slate: completely wipe your hard drive, do a fresh install of the latest OS X release, and restore only the files you need. That’s not as hard as it sounds, but it’s a radical and fairly time-consuming solution.

This How-To article offers a simpler alternative. First, find and delete enough files to leave your Mac at least 50GB of free storage capacity — enough room for the Mac to work without pausing to manage its hard drive space. Next, cleanse the cruft OS X builds up in the background as you use your computer. Below, I’ll show you how two completely free Mac programs, GrandPerspective and OnyX, will do all the heavy lifting for you. GrandPerspective offers a highly visual display of what’s taking up space on your Mac; Onyx cleans up the Mac files you’d be afraid to touch yourself…



Expand
Expanding
Close

How-To: Reclaim your Mac’s old hard drive or build a new one with an external USB enclosure

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Apr 13 2015 - 9:55 am PT
11 Comments

akitio-6

Earlier this year, I wrote several guides to boost the speeds of older Macs by swapping their internal hard drives for super-fast solid state drives (SSDs). As readers have confirmed, their older iMacs, MacBooks, and Mac Pros have seen dramatic improvements with new SSDs. But some people were left with a question: what should I do with my Mac’s old hard drive? Throw it away?

A great answer: put it in an external hard drive enclosure and keep using it! My latest How-To shows you how easy it is to reclaim your Mac’s old drive by installing it in a nice USB enclosure such as Akitio’s SK-3501U3 (shown here), which I chose because of its Mac-matching design, reasonable sub-$40 price, and compatibility. External enclosures are also ideal options if you want to choose a high-quality hard drive mechanism for yourself, rather than taking a risk on whatever might be hidden inside a fully-assembled external drive. I’ll explain that, and much more, below…



Expand
Expanding
Close

Review: LaCie’s 4TB Rugged Thunderbolt/USB 3 portable hard drive delivers SSD-like speed at HDD cost

Avatar for Seth Weintraub Apr 7 2015 - 8:57 am PT
8 Comments

LaCie-Rugged-4TB-USB Plug-Thunderbolt-2

LaCie announced its new 4TB Thunderbolt/USB 3 Rugged RAID portable hard drive ($420 list, $399 Amazon) today, and I’ve had some time to take it for a little ‘spin.’ There are two speedy 7200RPM 2TB portable hard drives RAID-ed together inside to give the device very impressive, almost SSD-like speeds but with the cost savings and huge storage of portable hard drives. At the same time, the package isn’t much bigger than a regular portable hard drive and better yet, it can take a serious beating…



Expand
Expanding
Close

LaCie’s new Porsche Design Mobile Drive USB-C will support 12″ Retina MacBook

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Mar 10 2015 - 7:02 am PT
13 Comments

porsche2

LaCie today announced that its upcoming Porsche Design Mobile Drive USB-C (USB 3.0) will be its first design with a “user-friendly USB-C connector,” compatible with Apple’s just-announced 12″ MacBook laptop. The USB-C connector will be built into the plastic edge of the distinctively boxy solid aluminum housing, with an included adapter cable for traditional USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connector compatibility. Using USB-C or USB 3.0, the drive promises transfer speeds up to 100MB/second, with a speed reduction when using USB 2.0.

The drive will come in three capacities: a slim 500GB model (shown below) and regular-sized 1TB and 2TB units (shown above). LaCie has not yet announced pricing for the drives, but plans to release them in the second quarter of 2015. We would expect to see quite a few USB-C drives by then, as both Apple and its customers continue a transition away from Thunderbolt that seemed inevitable back in 2013.



Expand
Expanding
Close

Review: G-Technology’s G-Drive USB is a pro-grade Mac hard drive at consumer prices, in 2TB-6TB sizes

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Dec 30 2014 - 9:40 am PT
9 Comments

gdriveusb-1

Professional video editors and filmmakers have raved about G-Technology’s hard drives for over a decade. These users — day-one adopters of Apple’s Mac Pro and MacBook Pro computers — need a lot of hard disk space, fast interfaces, and above all else, reliability. Losing part or all of a project can kill a movie, so nothing is left to chance on the storage side. I’m not a video professional, but as a father, my family photos and home videos are some of my most valuable possessions, and I don’t want to lose them to a hard drive failure. Numerous recommendations led me to Hitachi GST subsidiary G-Technology’s G-Drives years ago, and now there’s a new entry-level model that’s affordable enough for everyone: G-Drive USB ($160-$400, available here for $150 and up).

G-Drive USB offers all the capacity, speed and reliability G-Tech drives are known for, but in a smaller enclosure with fewer ports on the back. I’ve been testing one for the past month, and it’s as excellent as the five earlier G-Tech drives I’ve used since 2006. G-Drive USB isn’t the cheapest hard drive around, but when you care about long-term reliability, it’s worth paying a premium for peace of mind.



Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

9to5Toys Last Call: Toshiba 1TB Portable HDD $45, Retina iPad mini 32GB $299, Amazon Fire TV Stick $25, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Nov 24 2014 - 3:56 pm PT
0 Comments

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the brand new 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Toshiba Canvio-sale-01

Toshiba Canvio Connect 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive: $45 shipped (Reg. $75)

ipad-mini-retina-deal

Apple 32GB iPad mini 2 w/Retina display: $299 shipped ($50 off)

amazon-fire-tv-stick-streaming

Amazon Fire TV Stick in stock and on sale for $25 w/ free in-store pickup (Reg. $39)

ue-skrillex-04Giveaway: 10 limited edition Skrillex Ultimate Ears BOOM Bluetooth speakers ($200 value)

amazon-black-friday-early-2014-deals

Amazon announces its Black Friday gameplan and prices, new deals every 10 minutes

jds-labs-1

Small States: JDS Labs makes powerful iPhone headphone amps, giveaway worth $279

Other new deals:

seagate-backup-plus-5tb-black

More deals still alive:

Black Friday:

9to5toys-black-friday-2013-line

We’re updating our email newsletter with Black Friday/holiday shopping ideas and savings

Top leaks:

All other leaks/info:

New products/ongoing promos:

beoplay-h2-side1

Site default logo image

Want a Time Capsule but find it a bit pricey? Create a DIY version with $35 Rasberry Pi

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Aug 29 2014 - 7:47 am PT
5 Comments

timecapsule

I’m a huge fan of my Time Capsule. Once an hour, both my MacBook Pro and Air machines are backed-up automatically via wifi without me having to do a thing. As a wise friend once observed, the only 100 percent reliable backup system is one where you don’t have to do a thing – not even plug in a drive.

But there’s no denying that at $299 for the 2TB model or $399 for the 3TB model, the Time Capsule isn’t cheap. You can buy a 2TB external hard drive for well under $100 or a 3TB one for slightly more. You’d normally need a more expensive NAS system to make it work via wifi, but Remy van Elst has created an instructible enabling you to do it with nothing more than a $35 Raspberry Pi.

You’ll need to be comfortable with command lines, and it will take you a little time to get it all configured, but at the end of it all you’ll have a working Time Capsule – that looks to OS X just like the real thing – for somewhere around $120.

Site default logo image

Hyper offers up to 50% off battery packs, Wi-Fi USB drives & more for your MacBook, iPhone & iPad

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Nov 28 2013 - 1:41 pm PT
0 Comments

Hyper-Black-Friday-sale-02

There are a ton of great Black Friday deals this year, but if you’re looking for an external battery pack for your MacBook, there aren’t many options other than Hyper. We’ve reviewed various models of the HyperJuice Battery Packs in the past, and today the company let us know it’s offering everything in its online store up for up to 50% off.

That includes its colorful dual USB HyperJuice Battery Packs, its WiFi connected iUSBport camera accessories and hard drives, and much more. Some of the notables (pictured above) include: $50 off HyperJuice MacBook batteries, $60 off USB battery packs, $100 off the iUSBportCAMERA, and $60 off the HyperJuice Battery + iPad stand. iUSBportCAMERA will let you wirelessly tether from most DSLRs to iOS devices, while the iUSBport mini will allow you to wirelessly connect to your MicroSDXC or use it as a USB flash drive.

Hyper has long been just about the only company on the market offering portable external battery packs for MacBooks. Apple doesn’t let third-party accessory makers use the MagSafe adapter, so Hyper’s DIY kit for modding your cable is the reason it’s still the only one with portable MacBook batteries. Good news: There is also an option to order a premodified MagSafe cable directly from Hyper. You can of course use the batteries for many other devices too thanks to built-in USB ports. Read about our experience with it here.

These are just some of the most notable deals available through Hyper for Black Friday:

HyperJuice Battery Packs
HyperJuice2 Battery Pack for MacBook (100Wh) – Now $249.95 ($50 off MSRP $299.95)
HyperJuice1.5 Battery Pack for MacBook (60Wh) – Now $139.95 ($30 off MSRP $169.95)
HyperJuice1.5 Battery Pack for MacBook (100Wh) – Now $199.95 ($50 off MSRP $249.95)
HyperJuice1.5 Battery Pack for MacBook (150Wh) – Now $299.95 ($50 off MSRP $349.95)
HyperJuice1.5 Battery Pack for MacBook (222Wh) – Now $399.95 ($50 off MSRP $449.95)
HyperJuice Micro 3600mAh Dual USB Battery Pack – Now $39.95 ($30 off MSRP $69.95)
HyperJuice Mini 7200mAh Dual USB Battery Pack – Now $59.95 ($40 off MSRP $99.95)
HyperJuice Stand 11000mAh USB Battery Pack – Now $69.95 ($60 off MSRP $129.95)
HyperJuice Plug 10400mAh Dual USB Battery Pack – Now $79.95 ($50 off MSRP $129.95)
HyperJuice Plug 15600mAh Dual USB Battery Pack – Now $99.95 ($60 off MSRP $159.95)

HyperDrive Storage Products
iUSBportCAMERA DSLR Wireless Tether to iDevice – Now $199.95 ($100 off MSRP $299.95)
iUSBport Mini Wireless USB Flash Drive for iDevice – Now $79.95 ($10 off MSRP $89.95)
iUSBport Wireless USB Hub for iPad, iPhone, Android – Now $89.95 ($10 off MSRP $99.95)
HyperDrive UDMA2 Memory Card Backup Device & Photo Viewer – Now 10% off all models
HyperDrive Hard Drive for iPad – Now 10% off all models

HyperShield Apple Accessories
HyperShield Back Covers for iPad (various styles and colors) – $4.99 (Usual $19.95-$39.95)
HyperShield Stylus (various styles and colors) – $4.99-$7.99 (Usual $9.95-$19.95)
ThinShield World’s Thinnest & Lightest iPhone 5/5s Case – $9.95 (50% off MSRP $19.95)

HyperThin World Thinnest HDMI Cables
0.8m – $14.95 ($5 off MSRP $19.95)
2.5m – $29.95 ($10 off MSRP $39.95)

Site default logo image

9to5Toys Last Call: Up to 70% off select ZAGG iPad keyboard cases, $60 iGrill iOS Cooking Thermometer, more

Avatar for Jun 13 2013 - 3:01 pm PT
0 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours.  We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to roundup the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

zagg-keybaord-proplusSave up to 70% on select ZAGG Keyboard cases for iPad 2/3/4/mini, starting at just $29 + free shipping

igrill-cook-androidiGrill Cooking Bluetooth Thermometer for iOS / Android $60 w/ free in-store pickup (Reg. $80)

Some great Specials.9to5toys.com happening currently including half off Nuance PDF maker/editor ($49) and Firecore adds all kinds of cool stuff to your 2nd Generation appleTV (720P).

Other great deals we love:

Site default logo image

9to5Toys Last Call: $71 Kingston 64GB Wi-Drive for iPhone/iPad/iPod, $119 Western Digital 2TB USB 3.0 Portable HD

Avatar for Jun 6 2013 - 2:56 pm PT
0 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours.  We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to roundup the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Today’s Featured deals:

wi-drive-iphone-ipad-harddrive

western-digital-harddrive

Other great deals we love:

Kubi is a cloud controlled robotic desktop stand for your tablet. It enables you (or whoever is on the other end of a video call) to look around and interact through the tablet. Kubi is capable of a 300° pan and a 90° tilt, and is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled tablet, from iPads to the Microsoft Surface. This product is a game-changing video conference device for anyone who works remotely. This deal expires at midnight, so get it now for $259 + Free Shipping (Marked down from $315).

Site default logo image

9to5Toys Last Call: $90 iPod nano 7th Gen (refurb), $150 Seagate 4TB Internal HDD, $60 Philips In.Sight Camera, more

Avatar for May 22 2013 - 3:48 pm PT
0 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites that feature a couple exceptional deals for just 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second of the day, so we’re going to roundup the best daily deals to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want.

Be sure to follow Follow 9to5Toys so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook

Screen Shot 2013-05-22 at 5.42.49 PM

Today’s Featured deals:

Other great deals we love that may not see tomorrow:

Also, we spotlighted the new Philips Stunning 29″ Panoramic HD Monitor w/ Simultaneous Dual Input Support. No, it isn’t a deal but we think you’re going to want to check it out anyways.

Screen Shot 2013-05-22 at 5.51.18 PM

 

 

Sonnet announces 15-port Echo Thunderbolt dock with built-in HDD/SSD & optical drive options

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 3 2013 - 6:13 pm PT
0 Comments

Sonnet-Echo-15-Thunderbolt-dock-station

The much-anticipated Belkin Thunderbolt Dock appears to be delayed once again unfortunately, missing its planned Q1 launch, despite taking pre-orders for the device in February after missing its original September launch date. While we’ve been recommending the popular Matrox Thunderbolt Docking station in the meantime, today Sonnet announced a new competitor in the space with the Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock.

The 15-port dock includes many of the ins and outs you’d expect: Two thunderbolt ports, four USB 3.0 ports, 3.5mm audio in and out (front and back), FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, and two eSATA ports. However, there are two features this 15-port Thunderbolt docking station has that most others do not: extra space to install a 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD and your choice of a built-in DVD or Blu-Ray drive:

the Echo 15 Thunderbolt dock has you covered—it includes your choice of DVD±RW drive, or Blu-ray Disc™ player (BD-ROM/8x DVD±RW). If you are a Mac user, you’ll also find that the included Blu-ray player software for OS X® is very handy, enabling you to watch Blu-ray movies on your computer or attached monitor.

The fast 6 Gb/s SATA interface supports an HDD at its maximum speeds, and an SSD at up to 380 MB/s… Best of all, the drive sits inside the Echo dock, so you don’t have to clutter your desk space with an external hard drive and its power brick and cable clutter to add more storage. Don’t feel like adding a drive yourself? Sonnet also offers the Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock equipped with a 2TB HDD, available exclusively through the Sonnet online store.

The Sonnet Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock is available to pre-order now in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico starting at $399 for a DVD drive and no built-in drive. The next model up comes with a built-in 2TB HDD for $499, while a Blu-ray drive and 2TB HDD brings it up to $549. Other options are also available through Sonnet’s website, and most models are expected to ship in Summer 2013.

60TB drives made possible by Seagate’s new 1 TB/inch platter tech

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Mar 20 2012 - 7:14 am PT
0 Comments

Seagate officially announced and demoed the first hard drive technology to achieve a storage density of 1 TB per square inch. The technology could enable hard drives over the next decade to reach an unheard of storage capacity up to 60 TB for a 3.5-inch drive. Helping them to accomplish this milestone is heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR); a next-generation recording technology that will replace Perpendicular Magnetic Recording currently used in hard drives. Seagate explained:


Expand
Expanding
Close