Like welcoming back an old friend…

Hardware
#1

2021-01-12 at 15-31-26 T7-MacBook - Further
2021-01-12 at 15-31-26 T7-MacBook - Further3511×1975 1.47 MB

I finally decided that I wanted to be able to have my entire Dropbox downloaded locally, all the time, instead of using/waiting for Smart Sync. So I bought a Samsung T7 Portable SSD 2TB, Red but it came with a black cable.

Obviously that wasn’t going to work, so I ordered an Amazon Basics Double Braided Nylon USB-C to USB-C 3.1 Gen 2, 1-Foot, Red cable so that I would stop accidentally unplugging the wrong drive.

(You might think that with only two USB-C ports, I would be able to keep track of which was which, but actual experience proved that to be untrue.)

The first thing I did once I had it all downloaded was run Gemini 2 and found about 400 GB of duplicates including, somehow, an entire duplication of my iCloud Photo Library, which was hundreds of thousands of files, not to mention about 100 GB itself.

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#2

I cant remember how it started, but in my household now, generally speaking all USB C cables are red, all lighting cables are white and all other USB cables are black.

However, where you’ve got two like this, I might consider breaking my own rules to ensure I don’t keep pulling out the drive!

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#3

So, you’re using the T7 just for Dropbox? If you are out and about or the T7 is not connected, what’s your practice vis-à-vis accessing the Dropbox files?

#4

Well, in theory, “yes”… but in practice … “sort of”.

  • My Dropbox can use “up to 2TB” of space
  • The T7 has 2TB of space
  • The T7 has my Dropbox folder in it
  • All of my Dropbox files are locally sync’d, no folders are excluded and I don’t use Smart Sync.
  • However, my Dropbox is currently only using 1.2TB so I have other folders on the T7 (such as a “Downloads” folder that I told Safari to use for its downloads, since many of those end up moving to Dropbox after they are downloaded).

Well, the whole point of affixing the T7 to the back of my MacBook Air is so that the T7 is never not connected.

However, if, for some reason, something came up, I have several options for accessing my Dropbox:

  • Visit Dropbox.com in a web browser
  • Use Transmit to connect directly to my Dropbox account
  • Use file sharing to connect to my home Mac mini which also has all of my Dropbox files sync’d locally
  • Use SFTP to connect to my Mac mini colo which also has all of my Dropbox files sync’d locally
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#5

I’m looking at the Samsung T7 but also considering the SanDisk Extreme PRO. Do you have any thoughts on why the T7 was a better pick for you?

-Jeff

#6

T7 is, I believe, somewhat cheaper (about $50-60 on Amazon. I also grabbed the T7 on sale, I think) and smaller/thinner. The Extreme Pro is supposedly more rugged, which wasn’t something I was overly worried about.

Just by looking at the pictures, I think the T7’s surface is also easier to affix sticky-tape to than the Extreme Pro’s would be :wink:

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#7

I’m interested in a T7 and nearly ordered one a couple of nights ago - but then I saw a few reviews saying they overheat whereas T5s do not. Any thoughts on this? or other suggestions for a similar 2TB SSD?

#8

I have not done extensive tests but the T7 doesn’t seem that noticeably faster than the T5 so if I was buying a new one today I’d probably get the T5 because it’s cheaper.

Haven’t noticed the heat but not in a position where I think I would notice so that doesn’t mean much.