Back up Workflow and HHD vs SSD

[KCPhoto]

Hello! I’m having a bit of a headache dealing with a failed external HDD and trying to figure out the best way to copy my backup copy onto a second new HDD.

Currently, I have two external HDDs plus a cloud backup service (which I signed up for years ago, so I’m sticking with it). Last year, an external drive crashed—my Time Machine backup—and yesterday my main HHD stopped working. Both were Seagate, so I’ll be switching to WD!

First question: You mentioned in another thread that you don’t recommend mirroring software. I’m considering using Carbon Copy Cloner to copy my second backup drive so I can get back to having two external hard-drive backups. What’s the difference between using CCC and simply dragging and dropping the files? CCC would make things much easier and give me confidence that everything copied correctly. The drive is 5TB.

Second question: I feel like I’m starting over with my backup system and want to do it right.

Do you recommend not working directly from an external HDD? I’ve done this for years because my 2TB iMac doesn’t have enough space for all the files I’m actively working on for photo sessions.

I also saw that you don’t recommend SSDs. I feel like everywhere I read SSD’s are the way to go. Or should I stick with HDDs? I was thinking of buying two new 4TB WD HDDs for backups, using CCC to keep them synchronized, and continuing with my cloud backup—giving me a 3-2-1 setup.

What would you recommend for a solid backup plan? And should I keep as much as possible on my iMac’s internal drive, or is it okay to continue working directly from HDD #1?

Thank you!

Kat

[Brian]

Wow!



You must be reading really old threads. Things have changed. 

7 hours ago, KCPhoto said:

I have two external HDDs plus a cloud backup service (which I signed up for years ago, so I’m sticking with it).

That's fine. Carbon Copy / Back Blaze is also "fine." The issue that I have with Cloud Services is people need to read the fine print. At it's core, the "Cloud" is just someone else's computer. They handle A LOT of data, and aren't meant to be dumping grounds. So they tend to "Mirror" what is on your internal HD, and if you go deleting files to make room on your computer, the Cloud Services tend to give you 30 days to copy the files they have on their Server back to your computer. IF you go past that 30 day window, and leave the files deleted, the Cloud Service WILL delete the file(s) on their Servers, and that's what trips people up. 

Some Cloud Backups can be treated as dumping grounds, you just need to pay for it. The problem is, not all of them do...so you have to shop around. Also, just like the PBS Station lost access to 50TB of data from the last 70-something years, all because the Cloud Service went out of business, so there's that. Nothing is completely Bullet-Proof. Having a Cloud Service should be part of an overall plan, not your sole place to keep everything in a "single proverbial basket." 
 

7 hours ago, KCPhoto said:

You mentioned in another thread that you don’t recommend mirroring software.

It has it's place. If you have a software package that dumps one EHD to the other, it's fine. Just as long as you do it on a regular basis. Or you can drag-and-drop the files. It's really the same thing. Some software packages will only copy over files that have changed within a certain time-frame, after the 1st full backup / clone. Again, it's paying attention...which people often fail to do. You need to read the instructions. You need to know what is being Mirrored and all the things that go with it. You need to be aware of ALL your settings and not assume anything. 

If you want instantaneous Mirroring, I'd recommend investing in a 2-Bay NAS, in a RAID 1 Configuration (or ZFS Equivalent.) Better yet, buy a 4 or 5 bay NAS and populate it. But that is expensive to do since HDs and RAM these days are not cheap due to all the stupid Data Center / AI Craze.  

The downside to RAID 1 is if you delete the file, the "Mirrored" copy on the 2nd HD is also deleted instantaneously. A Hardware RAID1 protects you from a single failed hard drive. Replace the failed drive, rebuild the RAID1 and it's like it never happened. A RAID 1 doesn't protect you from yourself, if the file is deleted or somehow corrupted, it's the exact same way on the "other" HD. 

7 hours ago, KCPhoto said:

What’s the difference between using CCC and simply dragging and dropping the files?

Mostly Automation. It also needs to be configured correctly, and you have to know what it's doing, where the files are going and what time-frame it does things. 

7 hours ago, KCPhoto said:

Last year, an external drive crashed—my Time Machine backup—and yesterday my main HHD stopped working. Both were Seagate, so I’ll be switching to WD!

Second question: I feel like I’m starting over with my backup system and want to do it right.

Yep. Out of all the hard drives I've replaced as a IT Professional for the last 33+ years, Seagates are the Hard Drives I've replaced the most. They are also pretty cheap, so manufacturers LOVE using them. I've had Seagate HDs die on me, and one even physically SMOKED in front of my eyes. That goodness I didn't have anything important on that drive. So in a nutshell...yeah, I really do not recommend Seagate HDs. 

As to what I recommend and use? Western Digital 7200 RPM "Black" Drives for the traditional spinning HDs. Samsung SSD Drives for the other side of the fence. 

7 hours ago, KCPhoto said:

I also saw that you don’t recommend SSDs. I feel like everywhere I read SSD’s are the way to go

The problem with SSD Drives is the cost per megabyte vs traditional spinning Hard Drives. They also can't be used once and then stored in a closet for a few years. The cells that hold the data NEED an electric charge in order to keep the data intact. Otherwise your data can go "Poof!" People love buying a bunch of EHDs, backing stuff up to them / cloning them, then putting them in a drawer somewhere for years. You can do that with Traditional Spinning HDs, NOT SSD DRIVES or other Flash Media Based Drives.

So if you are "Archiving," it's better to go with your typical EHD. But for usage inside your computer or a EHD that is always hooked up? Sure, I love SSD drives, especially the 1TB or 2TB variety, which are affordable. Transferring data is SO much faster. But 4TB and 8TB versions? I have better things to blow my money on. 

7 hours ago, KCPhoto said:

Do you recommend not working directly from an external HDD? I’ve done this for years because my 2TB iMac doesn’t have enough space for all the files I’m actively working on for photo sessions.

That's what I do. 

Damien and I have a different opinion about this. He likes working from his internal drive, then backing up, I'm in a similar situation where I like keeping my 1TB in my iMac no more than 75% full, otherwise performance takes a huge hit. Whether that's a Internal HD OR External HD. Macs do not differentiate between the two. If you have a EHD that's 90% full (or more,) your Mac is going to run slower. 

Now, I am  also not the type of person to buy Hard Drives that are the $79.99 Special at some box store. I also DO NOT RECOMMEND ANY "GREEN" OR "ECO FRIENDLY" DRIVES. PERIOD! Those drives drop-like-flies ALL OF THE TIME. Seriously, you aren't saving the planet by buying one, because if it dies, which it will, and it's not recycled properly, it's just going to end up in a damn landfill anyway, polluting what you were trying to protect. I had a customer that had a set of Western Digital Green Drives that were used for backup: 

They had 7 WD Green External HDs. The five you see in that photo ALL DIED and the remaining two died about 2-3 weeks later. 100% failure rate with "Green" HDs for this former customer of mine. (New Office Manager, she brought in her own people, but I'm digressing...)  

My Main External HDs are Big / Beefy / Suck up Power and are "Enterprise Grade" which are Thunderbolt Based; my 2017 27" Intel iMac computer is 40Gbps, since my iMac has Thunderbolt 3. This way my 12TB External 7200 RPM G-Drive acts like an Internal HD. The drive NEVER moves on my Desk and it's powered off when not in use. I would never-ever-ever use a cheap USB 3.0 External Drive to work off of. Too risky. Oh, don't think you are saving THAT much power with "Green" HDs, that's just marketing. 

I do have a smaller 4TB G-Drive that is USB 3.0, which is dedicated for Time Machine Backups ONLY. Speaking of which...

You do not want to share your Time Machine Drive with any other data. Keep your Data / Photos / .psd files, whatever on a SEPARATE LARGE EXTERNAL DRIVE. It is QUITE DANGEROUS to have a Time Machine Drive Backup files that are on itself, even if they are on another partition. Just don't do it.

Here is what my computer looks like, well this is a VERY OLD Photo and I have a different desk at this point. But you get the idea.  

My 4TB USB 3.0 G-Drive that is used for Time Machine only is on the right, and the 12TB G-Drive is on the left. (They don't make my G-Drive any more, here is the modern G-DRIVE 12TB G-DRIVE PROJECT Thunderbolt 3 External Hard Drive equivalent.) Not pictured is the drive I dump stuff to from the 12TB. As to what I use, they don't make my drive anymore so here is the modern equivalent: WD 10TB Black Gaming Drive that I installed in an external case.  They don't make my case anymore, but here is one that I would use if I were buying it today: Oyen Digital Novus USB Type-C Rugged 3.5" HDD Enclosure. See a theme here? They don't make the stuff I use anymore, and my stuff WORKS FINE all these years later. 

Why do I not just buy an off-the-shelf External HD? 

Because often, you have no idea what type of drive you are getting, and I'm a bit paranoid on what my data is stored on. So I build my own external drives. This way I'm guaranteed to know that I'm not buying a stupid cheap Green / Eco-friendly drive that's gonna die on me. It takes about 10 Minutes or so for me to open the external case, mount the hard drive, put everything back together, and then partition / format the drive on my iMac. 

Before you ask, why only 10TB with a 12TB Main Backup Drive? Because I only have about 6TBs of Data on that drive and if I do use more, I will just buy a 2nd 10TB Drive and split the main 12TB G-Drive in half. I have a "Business" Folder (For when I shot Weddings and such,) and a "Personal Folder" for my Vacation Photos and other "Personal Things." I've gotten over the whole "Photographer" thing and quite frankly, sick of cameras and editing the stupid photos. I HATE-HATE-HATE editing. So now I just photograph things while on Vacation, and my wife bugs me over the years to edit the damn photos so I can make her photo books each year for Christmas. Speaking of which, I really need to work on 2022's photos. (I think, or is it 2021?)   

7 hours ago, KCPhoto said:

What would you recommend for a solid backup plan? And should I keep as much as possible on my iMac’s internal drive, or is it okay to continue working directly from HDD #1?

The 3-2-1 Backup Method.

3 Copies of your important files on 2 different storage mediums and 1 kept off-site / cloud. The storage mediums can be two different hard drives. Basically, you want a data-loss situation being more of a time-suck and PITA than anything, NOT SOMETHING THAT IS EARTH-SHATTERING OR GETS YOU IN A LAWSUIT. If things were to go completely sideways / Ka-Plooey, you should be fully up and running within 24-48 hours. If you are losing months / years of data that you will never get back, or can't get a good working backup, you are screwed. 

Speaking of which, it is also EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO TEST YOUR BACKUPS!! 

I can't tell you how many times I've had to perform voodoo-chants and other incantations on customer's servers with backups that have failed and they didn't know about it. They just assumed that since they were getting "The Nightly Backup was Successful" messages that everything was good. Turns out it wasn't. One customer lost about a 10 months or so of data, maybe it was a year? Anyway, they had to re-input all their lost data by hand, which took months and they had to hire a temp to do it, which cost even more money. Talk about a nightmare. Other customers went out of business in this situation. Why? People / Business that you owe money to have no problem re-invoicing you. But if you can't do the same for clients that OWE YOU MONEY, well...you aren't getting paid. 

In addition, DIGITAL ROT IS A VERY REAL THING, and those CDs / DVDs that you made 20 years ago...the data could have gone "Poof" and there isn't anything there. Same thing with SSD Drives, you need to plug them in at least once a month, and use them, even if it's just poking around. Those data cells need power to keep retaining data. 

[KCPhoto]

Brian, thank you so much for giving such great info. I appreciate your time and knowledge. I’ve been a photographer for 27 years and the computer part of it is still a learning curve for me. I learned in a darkroom and I literally feel “in the dark” about a lot of computer stuff haha!  I don’t think I have the skills to crack open and build my own external drive. I would not intentionally buy “green/eco-friendly” either but from what you’ve said I won’t know for sure what I’m getting so that’s a little scary.

I think we have the same 2017 iMac. Scary story, my iMac failed last year (horror). This happened at the same time I found out my time machine HD also failed. It was a stressful week but I found a local company that replaced my internal HD and was able to get the info off my time machine back up. It took a full week. It was painful. I’ve been wanting to upgrade my computer to the new Mac Studio (via your recommendations) and I did read somewhere that you said the prices are going to go up. So I’m saving as much as I can because I feel like I’m on borrowed time with this computer. Also, my time machine is a separate WD HHD and I don’t use it for anything else.

If you don’t mind, I have some follow up questions. The G-Drive Thunderbolt you linked to on B&H is pretty expensive. I like to use 6TB (that’s just a personal preference) but it might change based on your answer. I just have felt that if that drive suddenly died it’s just more information I’d have to replace from a back up drive. Also the 12TB is $900. The 6TB is $650. If I use this as my main working HD would you feel that using a regular WD HHD would be okay as my 2nd back up? The first photo is the one I just bought to replace my Seagate HHD that just died. Could I use something like this as my second backup (that would copy the G-Drive you suggested)? I’ve read and reread everything you said and I don’t think I saw what your 2nd back up goes onto. Just that you keep one HD off site (that is your "cloud" back up). The 2nd photo is the one I was looking at to use for my new second back up. If I get both of those drives that's about $965. of external storage...gulp. But I should be able to store years of sessions on these.  I can justify just about anything;) Let me know your thoughts. Thanks again! Kat

[KCPhoto]

Also, how do you recommend formatting HD's when you get them. I've always used disk utility and choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) with GUID Partition Map. 

[Brian]

Yep, you use Disk Utility. No extra fancy software is required. That said, things have changed in recent years. 

• For traditional spinning HDs, you want to use Mac OS Extended (Journaled). 
• For SSD / m.2 / Flash Media Based HDs, you want to use the new APFS Partition Type. APFS is meant for SSD / Flash Based Hard Drives. 
• In either case, use only the straight Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or straight APFS. Do not use any case-sensitive or encrypted mumbo-jumbo. (I realize you probably already know this info; this statement is for future members who come across this thread. I had one person do Case-Sensitive, and talk about a nightmare situation to fix.  

 

Here is one of my small transportable HD. It's a Sandisk SSD Drive: 

[KCPhoto]

Okay Great! Any thoughts on the other post I made yesterday regarding the G-Drive and the secondary drive? Thank you!

On 9/3/2026 at 12:08 AM, Brian said:

Wow!



You must be reading really old threads. Things have changed. 

That's fine. Carbon Copy / Back Blaze is also "fine." The issue that I have with Cloud Services is people need to read the fine print. At it's core, the "Cloud" is just someone else's computer. They handle A LOT of data, and aren't meant to be dumping grounds. So they tend to "Mirror" what is on your internal HD, and if you go deleting files to make room on your computer, the Cloud Services tend to give you 30 days to copy the files they have on their Server back to your computer. IF you go past that 30 day window, and leave the files deleted, the Cloud Service WILL delete the file(s) on their Servers, and that's what trips people up. 

Some Cloud Backups can be treated as dumping grounds, you just need to pay for it. The problem is, not all of them do...so you have to shop around. Also, just like the PBS Station lost access to 50TB of data from the last 70-something years, all because the Cloud Service went out of business, so there's that. Nothing is completely Bullet-Proof. Having a Cloud Service should be part of an overall plan, not your sole place to keep everything in a "single proverbial basket." 
 

It has it's place. If you have a software package that dumps one EHD to the other, it's fine. Just as long as you do it on a regular basis. Or you can drag-and-drop the files. It's really the same thing. Some software packages will only copy over files that have changed within a certain time-frame, after the 1st full backup / clone. Again, it's paying attention...which people often fail to do. You need to read the instructions. You need to know what is being Mirrored and all the things that go with it. You need to be aware of ALL your settings and not assume anything. 

If you want instantaneous Mirroring, I'd recommend investing in a 2-Bay NAS, in a RAID 1 Configuration (or ZFS Equivalent.) Better yet, buy a 4 or 5 bay NAS and populate it. But that is expensive to do since HDs and RAM these days are not cheap due to all the stupid Data Center / AI Craze.  

The downside to RAID 1 is if you delete the file, the "Mirrored" copy on the 2nd HD is also deleted instantaneously. A Hardware RAID1 protects you from a single failed hard drive. Replace the failed drive, rebuild the RAID1 and it's like it never happened. A RAID 1 doesn't protect you from yourself, if the file is deleted or somehow corrupted, it's the exact same way on the "other" HD. 

Mostly Automation. It also needs to be configured correctly, and you have to know what it's doing, where the files are going and what time-frame it does things. 

Yep. Out of all the hard drives I've replaced as a IT Professional for the last 33+ years, Seagates are the Hard Drives I've replaced the most. They are also pretty cheap, so manufacturers LOVE using them. I've had Seagate HDs die on me, and one even physically SMOKED in front of my eyes. That goodness I didn't have anything important on that drive. So in a nutshell...yeah, I really do not recommend Seagate HDs. 

As to what I recommend and use? Western Digital 7200 RPM "Black" Drives for the traditional spinning HDs. Samsung SSD Drives for the other side of the fence. 

The problem with SSD Drives is the cost per megabyte vs traditional spinning Hard Drives. They also can't be used once and then stored in a closet for a few years. The cells that hold the data NEED an electric charge in order to keep the data intact. Otherwise your data can go "Poof!" People love buying a bunch of EHDs, backing stuff up to them / cloning them, then putting them in a drawer somewhere for years. You can do that with Traditional Spinning HDs, NOT SSD DRIVES or other Flash Media Based Drives.

So if you are "Archiving," it's better to go with your typical EHD. But for usage inside your computer or a EHD that is always hooked up? Sure, I love SSD drives, especially the 1TB or 2TB variety, which are affordable. Transferring data is SO much faster. But 4TB and 8TB versions? I have better things to blow my money on. 

That's what I do. 

Damien and I have a different opinion about this. He likes working from his internal drive, then backing up, I'm in a similar situation where I like keeping my 1TB in my iMac no more than 75% full, otherwise performance takes a huge hit. Whether that's a Internal HD OR External HD. Macs do not differentiate between the two. If you have a EHD that's 90% full (or more,) your Mac is going to run slower. 

Now, I am  also not the type of person to buy Hard Drives that are the $79.99 Special at some box store. I also DO NOT RECOMMEND ANY "GREEN" OR "ECO FRIENDLY" DRIVES. PERIOD! Those drives drop-like-flies ALL OF THE TIME. Seriously, you aren't saving the planet by buying one, because if it dies, which it will, and it's not recycled properly, it's just going to end up in a damn landfill anyway, polluting what you were trying to protect. I had a customer that had a set of Western Digital Green Drives that were used for backup: 

They had 7 WD Green External HDs. The five you see in that photo ALL DIED and the remaining two died about 2-3 weeks later. 100% failure rate with "Green" HDs for this former customer of mine. (New Office Manager, she brought in her own people, but I'm digressing...)  

My Main External HDs are Big / Beefy / Suck up Power and are "Enterprise Grade" which are Thunderbolt Based; my 2017 27" Intel iMac computer is 40Gbps, since my iMac has Thunderbolt 3. This way my 12TB External 7200 RPM G-Drive acts like an Internal HD. The drive NEVER moves on my Desk and it's powered off when not in use. I would never-ever-ever use a cheap USB 3.0 External Drive to work off of. Too risky. Oh, don't think you are saving THAT much power with "Green" HDs, that's just marketing. 

I do have a smaller 4TB G-Drive that is USB 3.0, which is dedicated for Time Machine Backups ONLY. Speaking of which...

You do not want to share your Time Machine Drive with any other data. Keep your Data / Photos / .psd files, whatever on a SEPARATE LARGE EXTERNAL DRIVE. It is QUITE DANGEROUS to have a Time Machine Drive Backup files that are on itself, even if they are on another partition. Just don't do it.

Here is what my computer looks like, well this is a VERY OLD Photo and I have a different desk at this point. But you get the idea.  

My 4TB USB 3.0 G-Drive that is used for Time Machine only is on the right, and the 12TB G-Drive is on the left. (They don't make my G-Drive any more, here is the modern G-DRIVE 12TB G-DRIVE PROJECT Thunderbolt 3 External Hard Drive equivalent.) Not pictured is the drive I dump stuff to from the 12TB. As to what I use, they don't make my drive anymore so here is the modern equivalent: WD 10TB Black Gaming Drive that I installed in an external case.  They don't make my case anymore, but here is one that I would use if I were buying it today: Oyen Digital Novus USB Type-C Rugged 3.5" HDD Enclosure. See a theme here? They don't make the stuff I use anymore, and my stuff WORKS FINE all these years later. 

Why do I not just buy an off-the-shelf External HD? 

Because often, you have no idea what type of drive you are getting, and I'm a bit paranoid on what my data is stored on. So I build my own external drives. This way I'm guaranteed to know that I'm not buying a stupid cheap Green / Eco-friendly drive that's gonna die on me. It takes about 10 Minutes or so for me to open the external case, mount the hard drive, put everything back together, and then partition / format the drive on my iMac. 

Before you ask, why only 10TB with a 12TB Main Backup Drive? Because I only have about 6TBs of Data on that drive and if I do use more, I will just buy a 2nd 10TB Drive and split the main 12TB G-Drive in half. I have a "Business" Folder (For when I shot Weddings and such,) and a "Personal Folder" for my Vacation Photos and other "Personal Things." I've gotten over the whole "Photographer" thing and quite frankly, sick of cameras and editing the stupid photos. I HATE-HATE-HATE editing. So now I just photograph things while on Vacation, and my wife bugs me over the years to edit the damn photos so I can make her photo books each year for Christmas. Speaking of which, I really need to work on 2022's photos. (I think, or is it 2021?)   

The 3-2-1 Backup Method.

3 Copies of your important files on 2 different storage mediums and 1 kept off-site / cloud. The storage mediums can be two different hard drives. Basically, you want a data-loss situation being more of a time-suck and PITA than anything, NOT SOMETHING THAT IS EARTH-SHATTERING OR GETS YOU IN A LAWSUIT. If things were to go completely sideways / Ka-Plooey, you should be fully up and running within 24-48 hours. If you are losing months / years of data that you will never get back, or can't get a good working backup, you are screwed. 

Speaking of which, it is also EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO TEST YOUR BACKUPS!! 

I can't tell you how many times I've had to perform voodoo-chants and other incantations on customer's servers with backups that have failed and they didn't know about it. They just assumed that since they were getting "The Nightly Backup was Successful" messages that everything was good. Turns out it wasn't. One customer lost about a 10 months or so of data, maybe it was a year? Anyway, they had to re-input all their lost data by hand, which took months and they had to hire a temp to do it, which cost even more money. Talk about a nightmare. Other customers went out of business in this situation. Why? People / Business that you owe money to have no problem re-invoicing you. But if you can't do the same for clients that OWE YOU MONEY, well...you aren't getting paid. 

In addition, DIGITAL ROT IS A VERY REAL THING, and those CDs / DVDs that you made 20 years ago...the data could have gone "Poof" and there isn't anything there. Same thing with SSD Drives, you need to plug them in at least once a month, and use them, even if it's just poking around. Those data cells need power to keep retaining data. 

 

[Brian]

On 9/3/2026 at 11:14 AM, KCPhoto said:

  I don’t think I have the skills to crack open and build my own external drive.

If you can insert an Atari Cartridge into a Console, or a Nintendo Cartridge into a NES in 1986, you can build your own external drive. If you can insert a battery into a camera, or mount the a lens, you can build a EHD. If you can put together a Lego set meant for a 5 year old, you can do this. 

Seriously.

I walked a friend of mine over the phone with two "Helpers" aged 4 and 2 and she was able to do it. Along with a Dog asking for attention / food at the same time. It's a couple of screws, the cover / tray slides off, you mount the HD, usually by sliding it into place...then **GASP!!!** screwing in a couple of screws into the tray so HD doesn't move. Then you slide the outer cover on the enclosure and mount the two case screws that you initially took off, power it up and format / partition it with Disk Utility. Here is a basic video demonstrating the process.  External cases can vary, so you might have to remove a few screws here-and-there, but this is the general idea. 7200 RPM Drives really like having their own AC Adapter / Power Source, so the cheapie $15 Enclosures may not be the best option for your Beefy Hard Drive. You'll probably need to spend at least $30 or more; just make sure the specs state that it supports 7200 RPM Drives. If it doesn't, then it's usually 5400RPM Drives or slower, which take less power. 

On 9/3/2026 at 11:14 AM, KCPhoto said:

I would not intentionally buy “green/eco-friendly” either but from what you’ve said I won’t know for sure what I’m getting so that’s a little scary.

 

I DO NOT TRUST WD ELEMENTS EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES. Manufacturers want to make a profit, so they often use sub-par / cheap components to make the most money. WD External Drives are notorious for having the absolute worst USB connectors and often their drives are built so you can't really remove them from the case if something bad happens and you can't get to the data. At least with some current models that I've seen; people will often "shuck" a HD out of a External Case, to save money. It's sometimes cheaper to do this than purchase a HD out-right. Manufacturers caught on to people doing this, (of course they had to post things on YouTube," and made it so you can't do this anymore. 

Now for people like yourself that would never attempt such a thing, you really wouldn't care. That said, IF you needed to remove the HD from the case in the even that the USB / Power Connector failed and you wanted to recover the data, it's way more complicated, which then forces you to send the drive out, costing you even more money. See why I like building my own drives? I like buying the "Good Shit." It saves so much hassle in the future when things go sideways or your Cat knocks the EHD off your desk 3 years from now.

Anyway, back to your EHD you mentioned. The WD HDs that I like rotate at 7200RPM. The WD Black Series Drives, that I've used for the last 20+ years are 7200 RPM. Those drives you linked to could be a lower-end HD, which rotates at 5400RPM or even a "Green" version, which rotates at 4800RPM. From the Google AI: 

Quote

For the 1st HD: 

Rotational Speed: Rated at 5400 RPM, but technical discussions on the Western Digital Community Forum note that newer high-capacity 5TB models can operate down at 4800 RPM to manage power and heat in a slim 2.5-inch form factor.

For the 2nd HD: 
The Western Digital Elements 6TB Desktop Hard Drive (WDBWLG0060HBK-NESN) generally operates at 5400 RPM, though some retailer specifications list it at 7200 RPM due to varying internal drives used across production batches.

The problem is, you have NO IDEA which version you are getting. 7200 RPM? 5400RPM? Something Slower/Green? Amazon isn't going out of their way telling you either. You'd think with the second one with WDBWL would indicate a "Black 7200 RPM Drive," but no. Between the two, if you held a loaded gun to my head, I'd go with the second one and buy a couple to have a "Backup for the Backup." 

What's the difference? Think of a 7200 RPM Drive like a Nikon D850 or Canon 5D Mark IV. The WD "Blue" Drive is like a Nikon D7200 or Canon EOS 80D. The drives that are slower (Green) are like a Nikon D3xxx Series or Canon Rebel Series. Which camera are you reaching for if money were no object? Same thing with a HD, and you have already experienced a failed drive. Want to roll the dice again? Maybe you will hit Blackjack and take home some money. Or not. 

 

On 9/3/2026 at 11:14 AM, KCPhoto said:

The G-Drive Thunderbolt you linked to on B&H is pretty expensive.

Yep. It's expensive. I don't fuck around with my data. $600 for a Enterprise-Grade HD, or $2000+ for a professional data recovery service in the future if the HD fails and you need to get that Wedding or other important event/session back. How much did your data-recovery cost you? I'm curious to see if I'm in-line or you got it for about $500-ish?

Now, until you have experienced the PERFORMANCE of a Thunderbolt 3 Port (or faster,) YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE MISSING. I'd never work off a USB 3.0 Drive, regardless of capacity. Night-and-Day difference. 

On 9/3/2026 at 11:14 AM, KCPhoto said:

I’ve been wanting to upgrade my computer to the new Mac Studio (via your recommendations) and I did read somewhere that you said the prices are going to go up.

Yes. Prices with Apple tend to be about the same year-after-year, but this is no longer the case with all the stupid AI / Data Center craze. Apple can't secure low pricing, which means extra costs will be passed down to the consumer. I know Apple is about to release the Studio with the M5 chip, so I'd hold off for a few months. If you are going to spend more, might as well get the latest-and-greatest thing that should last you 7-8+ years. That's why my configurations are so expensive. Sure you can cut corners and go with something cheaper, but you will be replacing your computer sooner-rather-than-later, (about every 3-4 years, maybe less.) For a Beefy / "What Would Brian Buy?" Configuration, you are gonna pay more, but your computer should last you 7-8+ years. Hell, I'm working on a 2017 iMac and will likely have it for another few years. That will be 10 years next year, since I bought this iMac in May of 2017. I think, it could have been April 2017. Eh...who cares at this point. Either way, it will be 10 years old by June of next year. 

On 9/3/2026 at 11:14 AM, KCPhoto said:

I like to use 6TB (that’s just a personal preference) but it might change based on your answer.

It really depends on the whole Eco-System of your camera. More Megapixels means larger Raw files if you don't lower the resolution. I have a Nikon D850 in addition to my Nikon D4s, and when I bought that D850, I found out the hidden costs of data storage. I hate my D850, that stupid camera has costed me so much money in having to buy better lenses and more storage. 100MB Raw Files...each, from that stupid 45.7MP sensor kills me. Of course, I could lower the resolution which would result in smaller files, but there's no fun in that. I paid for 45.7MP, I'm gonna use 45.7MP and all that resolution.   

On 9/3/2026 at 11:14 AM, KCPhoto said:

I don’t think I saw what your 2nd back up goes onto

Someplace else. A Friend or Relative's house is the usual answers. Or even your day-job if you have one. The point is, things happen. Things go sideways. That Flood could be that "Busted Water Pipe" in the Ceiling over your desk leaking while you are on vacation. Sinkholes and Earthquakes are a thing. Fires can happen.

"But I have a Fire-proof Safe!!!"

No, you have a Fire-Resistant Safe, meaning it will protect the internal contents for a certain amount of time at a certain temperature from the fire. If you have a safe rated for 2-4 Hrs @ 1000 Degrees Fahrenheit, and your Fire burns your house down and it was 1500+ Fahrenheit that took hours to put out...you are gonna have a puddle of goo inside that HD. Again, it's all about reading the fine-print. People never seem to do that sort of thing and are surprised when shit happens.  

Cloud storage could be considered the "Second Location / Offsite" but storing that Cloned Drive somewhere else is a good idea. Just remember to clone the main HD at least weekly. It all boils down to how paranoid you are. Your Mileage May Vary, depending on your own personal situation. 

"So what would Brian do?" That's your real question. 

Brian would buy that TB 3 G-Drive and get something larger than 6TB in 2026/2027. At least 8TB. Then he would either build an external drive OR just buy that 2nd EHD since you are just going to be cloning the main HD to keep it off site. That said, I'm not sure how "rugged" that WD Elements EHD would survive all that moving. Which is why I'm recommending that External Case and installing your own HD. It seems to have a bit of padding.

If you are dead-set on just buying an external drive, I would purchase this WD Black 8TB Gaming Drive. To use it on your Mac, you just need to delete the existing partition and create a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Partition. Do not pay extra for a "Mac Formatted" Drive. That's just wasting money. Plus, the drives that state they work on both Windows and Macs are usually formatted to the exFAT partition type, which is extremely dangerous, because exFAT is unpredictable and has no "Journaling" whatsoever, NTFS and Mac OS Extended (Journaled) do. Which is a much safer and stable method that the Operating System uses to keep tabs on the location of your data. Glitches happen and exFAT Drives corrupt all the time. I will die on this proverbial hill...I will never recommend exFAT to our Members here. Way too risky. 
 

 

[Brian]

By the way, I also stared in Film and a Darkroom. 1986 is when I first smelled Kodak D76 Developer. First Camera was a Minolta X-370. "Auto Mode," which would become Aperture Priority in today's cameras...was a brand-new thing. 

[KCPhoto]

Brian, what do you think of this Crucial SsD as my main working drive and then getting or assembling my own Hhd as my second backup? I’m not too worried about using the FireWire night now. Thoughts?

thank you!!!!

[Brian]

"Meh."

That drive uses QCL Technology (Quad-Level Cell.) Which means that it's good for read-heavy usage, like having backups, but I wouldn't necessarily be working off it it. There is a reason that it's $643 as compared to a Samsung SSD, which I would work off, for $1450-ish. 

That drive is fine for archiving. Not working off of. 

Since you seem to be determined to have a 6TB Drive, and are willing to spend around $650, JUST BUY THIS DRIVE AND BE HAPPY.

Trust me, you will be able to work off that drive and Thunderbolt will spoil you. It's that fast. There is limited quantities in stock, so I wouldn't wait too long.