{"id":55907,"date":"2019-11-19T08:30:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T14:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=55907"},"modified":"2019-11-26T15:08:17","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T21:08:17","slug":"using-an-external-drive-as-your-startup-drive-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/55907-using-an-external-drive-as-your-startup-drive-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Using an External Drive as Your Startup Drive: Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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External drives have long been used for adding more storage space to Macs. They provide a cost-effective means to increase storage for media libraries and documents, as well as backup space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

External storage devices are seeing more and more use as primary startup drives, when there\u2019s a need to expand space on the startup, or increase its relative performance over the internal drive that originally came with a Mac. The reason for this is a simple one: Apple has continued to make replacing an internal drive a difficult, if not impossible, task for most users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there are Mac models, such as the new Mac Pro<\/a>, where adding or replacing a drive is designed to be easy. There are other models, such as the iMac and Mac mini, where upgrading a drive is possible<\/a>, but not recommended for the end user by Apple. And when it comes to recent MacBook models, you can pretty much forget about repairing or replacing a drive. Even the new 16-inch MacBook Pro has its SSD soldered directly to the motherboard, making replacing or upgrading the drive a no-go for most of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

External Drives as Startup Devices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because of the difficulty in replacing or upgrading an internal drive, using an external device may be a good choice. Using an external storage device as your startup may not only increase performance and storage space, but also benefit your wallet. It can prevent or delay the need to replace a Mac that, aside from issues with the internal startup drive, works well for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can also reduce the cost when you purchase a new Mac. Instead of purchasing a custom configured Mac with a large startup drive at Apple\u2019s premium prices, you can pick a stock configuration and use a larger external startup device while using the stock internal for other storage needs. Depending on the configuration, you could find yourself with nice savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rocket Yard Guide to External Startup Devices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This will be a two-part Rocket Yard guide that explores how to use an external storage device as your primary startup device. You may find the need to do this because of a failure of your Mac\u2019s current internal drive, because you have a need for additional storage space on the startup drive, a need for better performance from the startup drive, to save money on configuring a new Mac, or any combination of the above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Part One, we will look at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n