You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

2015 MacbookPro External Hard Drive?

I am looking to buy a new external hard drive because I am not quarantining in the place where my old external hard drive is!

However, I am pretty sure that since my computer is so old there may be some issues buying a new one. Here is what I know about my computer. If anyone could help and explain this as if you were explaining it to a small child (who has perhaps never seen a computer before) I'd really appreciate it!


MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015

2.2 GHz Intel Core i7

16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Running Mojave 10.14.6

MacBook Pro Retina

Posted on May 8, 2020 6:43 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 8, 2020 6:56 PM

It is not that old!


This is the external I use with my 2012 MacBook Pro. It has provided excellent performance and reliability:


https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-elite-pro-mini


This, from the same company, is a bit less money and still reliable. My daughter has been running one for over seven years on two different Macs.


https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-on-the-go-pro/usb-3.1


I moved to these are having nothing but trouble with "name brand' drives that go on sale every other weekend. Since moving to OWC external drives, I have had zero issues.

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 8, 2020 6:56 PM in response to hermz09

It is not that old!


This is the external I use with my 2012 MacBook Pro. It has provided excellent performance and reliability:


https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-elite-pro-mini


This, from the same company, is a bit less money and still reliable. My daughter has been running one for over seven years on two different Macs.


https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-on-the-go-pro/usb-3.1


I moved to these are having nothing but trouble with "name brand' drives that go on sale every other weekend. Since moving to OWC external drives, I have had zero issues.

May 8, 2020 7:41 PM in response to hermz09

hermz09 Said:

"2015 MacbookPro External Hard Drive?[...]Here is what I know about my computer. If anyone could help and explain this as if you were explaining it to a small child (who has perhaps never seen a computer before) I'd really appreciate it![...]"

-------


Well, IMO based on your specs, I wouldn't say it is oh-so old to be considered obsolete. But, here are the specs defined (in-brief):


  • MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) - not a shiny display - 15" is measured diagonally - and runs Catalina (latest macOS to date, as of this reply)



  • 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 - Quad Core Processor - great for Multitasking (running many apps simultaneously, such as TV app and Music app)



  • 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 - 16GB RAM (Random Access Memory) is high-end and is beneficial for multitasking (as presses are made, RAM places it aside, so you can perform more processes).



  • Running Mojave 10.14.6 - is 64-bit-compatible, meaning it will run only 64-bit app from then on out - so you would have to upgrade your apps to the 64bit-only option, by contacting the developer for the correct driver of a 64-bit app.

May 8, 2020 8:01 PM in response to hermz09

Your computer specs are really somewhat irrelevant when buying an external drive except for connection ports. What you need to do is to erase and format the external Mac OS Extended and GUID partition scheme once you plug it into your computer via USB because a lot of them are pre-formatted for Windows. And, an external does not need any software to work.

2015 MacbookPro External Hard Drive?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.