

- How to format seagate expansion 4tb for mac for mac#
- How to format seagate expansion 4tb for mac portable#
- How to format seagate expansion 4tb for mac software#
However, a small part of Seagate’s customers have reported complete data loss with the newer version of the Expansion – around 10% of users on Amazon, for example, reported various cases of data loss, many of them reporting data loss even when the drive wasn’t even being used. Relatively to my basic internal hard drive, file transfers were quite a bit faster since even back then the Seagate drives inside the Expansion case were built to be fast. While I personally am familiar only with the older 500GB version of the drive, I can tell you that it’s still holding some of my old data around three years later.
How to format seagate expansion 4tb for mac portable#
Basically, you can pick between either one, depending on which one is cheaper, or pick some other option from our best portable hard drive list.

Another, similarly cheap and simple portable hard drive option would be WD Elements. So, if you just want a plain drive that you want to set up yourself with your preferred software, Seagate’s drive is the way to go, as the Expansion will save you some money on features you might not need.
How to format seagate expansion 4tb for mac software#
This makes both other drives more appealing if you don’t want to look for other backup and security software tools, but also makes them a bit more expensive.
How to format seagate expansion 4tb for mac for mac#
Both other drives have a full-fleshed software package with backup and security software, with the Canvio even providing an NTFS driver for Mac right out of the box. WD My Passport and Toshiba Canvio Connect II are two other all-around affordable and reliable drives, which is why we’re comparing them to Expansion. While the pyramid-shaped pattern covering the drive seems very pronounced and pointy, it’s actually shallow and is pretty much just a reflective case skin. Before that, the drive’s case was just a plastic surface with nothing but Seagate’s logo on it, so to each their own, I suppose. This drive will easily fit in your backpack, purse, or even a large pocket.Īs for aesthetics, the drive’s design is simple but has been somewhat disliked, ever since it was first introduced on earlier drive models a few years back. 1-3TB versions of Seagate Expansion are a bit thinner than other drives at 0.6 inches / 1.5 cm, with the 4TB version being as thick as other portable hard drives at 0.82 inches / 2.1 cm. Same as the feature list, there’s not much to the exterior of the drive. Although the short 1-year warranty doesn’t seem reliable at all, most customers have been satisfied with the product and had no need for the warranty anyway.

The solid performance and lack of software clutter make this drive simple, cheap, yet reliable. This forces you to use OS native or 3rd party backup tools, which might even be the better option for some people, as we discussed in the intro. While most other hard drives come with a backup tool, a security and encryption tool, cloud backup software etc., the Expansion has none of these features. However, the reason for the low price is the lack of any included software tools. And that value comes at a pretty low price, one of the lowest in the market, in fact, at around 5 cents/GB at lower capacities, and around 2-3 cents/GB at 4TB. While the room for error in hard disk drive speeds from respectable brands is pretty small (usually 80-120MB/s) and you might not even notice it in everyday usage, having that edge over its competitors just adds to the value of Seagate Expansion.

Speaking of speed, the drive’s read/write speeds are also noteworthy, as they’re, on average, around 10MB/s higher than most other 5400RPM drive’s speeds. The same as any other USB 3.0 device, the Expansion is backwards compatible with USB 2.0, just note that the 2.0 port will bottleneck your drive and will make you endure painfully slow transfer speeds. The drive also uses the USB 3.0 interface for both power and data transfer. The latest version of Seagate Expansion is available in four capacities – 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, and 4TB, which has become standard for portable hard drives. No security or backup software tools included.Cheaper than most other portable hard drives.
