Which 4 TB External SSD should I use for Time Machine and to back up large photo and video files?

Rickthecawl wrote:

I recently bought a large (for me) M2 MacBook with 2 TB of SSD and 64 Ram. I would like to backup my files in a 4TB SSD. Purchased a SanDisk Extreme portable SSD and then heard nightmares about it that night. People have lost their entire storage on this model. So I have purchased a Samsung - T7 Shield 4TB. I want to know that I will have a reliable external SSD. Is this reliable? It seems to have reviews that indicate it is better than the SanDisk Extreme but I would like to know about other people's experiences on a MacBook?

"Samsung - T7 Shield 4TB. I want to know that I will have a reliable external SSD."....(?)

All drives will fail in time, some brand new out of the box. Some come with a warranty, some longer then others.

If you value your user data

3-2-1 Backup Strategy: three copies of your data, two different methods, and one offsite.

More than one device, more than one backup methodology.

OWC/Macsales has always been well ahead of the curve all things mac— look there for external drives if you are looking for an alterntive.

If you're looking for a portable SSD to take along with your MB on the road think about this combination:

Get an adaptor with USB C to SATA for the new M2. Otherwise go to OWC (MacSales.com) and see what they have. I recommend drives from OWC (MacSales.com) as they have proven reliability, excellent customer support and warranties. 

For your specific Mac model contact OWC's customer support and get their recommendation for the SSD model that would best suit your iMac model, work requirements and budget.  They have a number of portable SSDs in enclosures.

As you have two external drives now, use one to back up your photo and video files. Use the other one to back up with TimeMachine. You can include the external disk with your photo and video files in the TimeMachine backup.

In case an external disk fails, replace it by another one and start again with a new backup.

By the way: you don’t need the more expensive SSD- drives if only backing up is your goal; a cheaper HD suits your needs then (although it is slower).

You can think about a second (and extra) method for backing up, e.g. Carbon Copy Cloner