The maximum transfer speed for USB 3.0 depends on the version: version 1 has a 5.0 Gbit/s transfer rate, and v2 is twice faster at 10.0 Gbit/s. Max transfer speed of USB 2.0 devices is about 480 Mbit/s (60 MB/s). 2.0 and 3.0 ports look similar, so if you are not sure which one you have, I have a post about used MacBooks where you can find the specifications of your laptop.Īlthough ports look similar, there is a significant difference in transfer speed. The speed of any hard drive depends on two factors: read/write speed of the disk itself, and speed of transfer over the cable.Įlements drive support USB 2.0 and 3.0 standards. The new version has the following size and weight specifications:įor comparison, my old disk had following dimensions: 8in x 4.5in x 1in or 20cm x 11.43cm x 2.54cm. The Elements drive is much smaller and lighter than the drive I had 10 years ago.
WD 5TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 Size and Weight
So, if you have 2016 or newer MacBook Air or Pro, skip this section and go to the paragraph about WD My Passport for Mac drive. There is another hard drive from Western Digital, which is a close sibling of Elements. On the one hand, you absolutely can buy a USB to USB-C adapter and use the drive, but I have a better option. Let’s start with the clarification – Elements is not a drive you want to use with newish MacBooks (2016 or newer) because it does not support USB-C ports. Here is a new version of the same device. Obviously, you won’t be able to get the same drive as I had, and you don’t want to.
You see, I told you that this is the most reliable external hard drive. Now, the big question is whether if it is readable? I was afraid that after years of not being used, some sectors could be corrupt.įortunately, the data was there all folders and files were readable. I wiped the dust from its surface and plugged it to the power, and heard a humming sound as the disk started rotating. But, I have a habit of backing up my data.Īnd I found it – my external hard drive I used ten years ago. Obviously, I didn’t have my original computer anymore (it was too old, I bought it in 2005). I immediately jumped off my sofa and ran to my basement. What if, I told myself, I mined some bitcoins and saved them on my computer? Yes, 5000 bitcoins would not be worth $100 mln as they were in 2017, but I bet I’ll be ok with $30 mln. In 2009 I lived alone and had a lot of time on my hands. They wanted to learn new technology – cryptocurrency. When bitcoin mining became popular, many programmers mined for fun.
I knew that I didn’t spend money on bitcoins, but I am a programmer after all. In 2019 the price of bitcoin started climbing again and reached $6,000.Īnd suddenly, in the spring of 2019, it dawned on me. Bitcoin since then dropped to $3,000 and stayed on that level for a while. He sold 1000 bitcoins and bought an apartment in Oslo.I learned about this story in 2017 and thought to myself – if I also bought 5000 bitcoins like Norwegian, in 2017, they would be worth a whopping $100,000,000 – a hundred million dollars!Īlas, I didn’t buy anything in 2009. Only in 2013, when the price of a single bitcoin was around $177, he remembered about his purchase.Īt that time, his $27 initial investment was worth $886,000. He forgot about his purchase for a while. When bitcoin price jumped to $20K, I naturally started reading various stories about people who became accidentally rich because, in 20, they bought several bitcoins and cashed them later when prices went over the roof.įor instance, one Norwegian student bought 5,000 bitcoins for his college research paper for $27 in 2009. Both hard drives are affordable and available in sizes from 1TB to 5TB. For Macs with USB-C (3.1) ports, the most reliable hard drive is WD My Passport for Mac Portable External Hard Drive. It is best used with Macs with only USB 2.0 or 3.0 ports. The most reliable external hard is Elements from Western Digital. I will explain further, but first, let me tell you which Mac hard drive is most reliable from my own experience. You may wonder how bitcoin prices related to hard drive reliability.
Do you remember how the bitcoin price jumped to $20,000 in less than nine months in 2017?