Hey everyone I need some help. I have a Macbook Pro and am trying to find a good external hard drive for backing up using Time Machine. I would like to be able to transfer the files over as fast as possible. I need a external hard drive that will last and is of good quality. I keep hearing that other peoples drives have died. I'm not sure whether I should buy a AC powered one or get a portable one that only connects via USB. I can only purchase something from Best Buy because I have a $70 gift card there. Thanks in advance for any help
You won't be buying a quality drive, then. You want a Seagate drive if you want quality. (The case is just about irrelevant - the difference in cost between quality and junk is less than a dollar, so manufacturers don't cut too many corners on the case.) I never have any problem with USB drives as long as the computer has a large enough power supply to handle a drive. (If you do, you can add a cheap powered USB hub for under $10.) Buying a put-together external drive means that you don't know what drive is actually in the case. That's one reason you hear about them dying - cheap drives.