{"id":79336,"date":"2021-12-29T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=79336"},"modified":"2022-01-04T11:42:28","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T17:42:28","slug":"12-days-of-backups-day-3-macbook-backups-with-the-owc-envoy-pro-fx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/79336-12-days-of-backups-day-3-macbook-backups-with-the-owc-envoy-pro-fx\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Days of Backups: Day 3 \u2013 MacBook Backups With The OWC Envoy Pro FX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to the latest installment of our holiday series on backups: the 12 Days of Backups<\/strong>. Previously in this series, we’ve covered how to use common software tools to back up your Mac to an external storage device. Today, we’ll give you a real-life case study on one of the best ways to back up a MacBook Pro<\/strong>, MacBook Air<\/strong>, or MacBook<\/strong>. I’m a happy owner of an OWC Envoy Pro FX,<\/a><\/strong> a fast and durable mobile SSD (Solid State Drive) that is perfect for backups on the road or in the office. I’ll tell you how I use the Envoy Pro FX in my daily workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why the Envoy Pro FX?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Envoy
Front view of the Envoy Pro FX (larger than life-size)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

With so many bus-powered, lightweight SSDs on the market, you might be wondering why I chose the OWC Envoy Pro FX. There are a lot of reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s fast<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How fast? The specs say that the drive can handle data at up to 2800 MB\/s (megabytes per second). In real-life, I wasn’t able to reach those speeds, but this is still the fastest backup drive I’ve used. For my review of the 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro<\/a><\/strong> I was able to benchmark write speeds of 2115 MB\/sec and read speeds of 1984 MB\/s. Those speeds result in lightning-fast backups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blackmagic Disk Speed Test Results \u2013 2021 M1 Pro MacBook Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It’s Tough<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the year that I finally stopped using both desktop and laptop Macs and put all my computing eggs into one speedy M1 Pro MacBook Pro basket. It’s also the year that my wife and I started doing a lot of RV camping, meaning that that MacBook Pro moves a lot<\/em>. I use the MacBook Pro in the RV, on picnic tables, even on my lap. It resides in a backpack that moves with me everywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How tough is the Envoy Pro FX? It boasts an IP-67 rating. During certification by a third-party company, the Envoy Pro FX survived being dropped over 25 times at a variety of angles from a height of four feet. That company also put the drive into 1 meter (3.3 feet) of water for up to 30 minutes with no ill effects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Envoy Pro FX even put up with the rigors of space launch on October 13, 2020 when it took part in a suborbital flight on a Blue Origin New Shepard launch vehicle<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s Versatile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Envoy Pro FX comes in a range of capacities that should work for most MacBook owners. Starting at $219 for a 240 GB model, the drive is affordable as well. It’s also available in 480 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities. For me, the 480 GB model is perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the versatility and speed comes from the Thunderbolt 3 interface. A 0.7m (2.3-foot) cable comes packed in the box, along with an USB-C to USB-A adapter, enabling compatibility with older Macs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Envoy
My trusty OWC Envoy Pro FX at left. Photo \u00a9 Copyright 2021, Steven Sande<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It’s Compact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My favorite feature of the Envoy Pro FX is its compact form factor. At a mere 20 x 110 x 65mm (0.79 x 4.33 x 2.56 inches), it’s tiny and doesn’t take up much space in my backpack. You’re not going to feel the weight of this drive, as it weighs just 235 grams (0.52 lb). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My Use Cases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How do I use the Envoy Pro FX? Mostly as a backup drive. I actually have three backups: There’s a Time Machine<\/strong> backup on another drive, and I use Carbon Copy Cloner<\/strong> for a bootable backup. I also use a popular service called Backblaze<\/strong> for an online backup… but that’s a story for another day. There are other things I use this drive for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drone photo and video backups<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Drone
Drone photo from Shafer Trail, Moab, Utah. \u00a9 Copyright 2021, Steven Sande<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I’m a professional drone pilot, doing drone video, photography and mapping. This requires an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot in Command certificate. Immediately after a flight, video and photos transfer to my MacBook Pro from the onboard microSD card. That’s backup #1. Next, I back up the media to the Envoy Pro FX is using Carbon Copy Cloner. That’s backup #2. The media also resides in iCloud Drive (backup #3). Backblaze is my 4th backup, also in the cloud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why make so many backups? The photos and video are valuable. Once I begin to process the photos into a map or panorama, I need assurance that the original media remains untouched. The same is true for the 4K 60fps HDR video I shoot. The high speed and capacity of the Envoy Pro FX ensure that it doesn’t slow down my workflow while transferring big files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backing up 360\u00b0 photos and videos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Frame grab from a 360\u00b0 VR video. \u00a9 Copyright 2021, Steven Sande<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

4K 60fpsHDR video and 12-megapixel RAW photos from a drone take up a lot of storage, but that’s nothing compared to 360\u00b0 photos and videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I shoot a lot of 360\u00b0 VR footage and photos, both as part of my photography business and as a Google Street View Trusted Photographer. The camera I presently use captures 5.7K 360\u00b0 video at a resolution of 6080×3040 pixels at 30 frames per second. As you can imagine, those files are BIG! 30 minutes of video swallows up about 20.4 GB of storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the completion of a day’s shooting, the MacBook Pro downloads the media over a USB-C connection and the same backup workflow described above comes into play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I bought the Envoy Pro FX, I used cheap 4 TB USB hard drives for my backups. Transfers were slow, and once I dropped a drive and put out of commission. I know that’s not going to happen with the tough little Envoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So there you have it! Whether you’re a professional photographer or videographer needing a rugged and fast backup drive, or just want an external drive that doesn’t take up a lot of desktop space, the OWC Envoy Pro FX is definitely worth your attention. It’s my mobile backup companion, worthy of attention in the 12 Days of Backups<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n