Update 2/23/18: This deal has expired.
Files sizes are getting larger and larger these days thanks to astronomical increases in graphics quality and general features, so sometimes it’s best just to keep all of your junk on an external hard drive so you don’t need to download it all again later on.
Today on Amazon, you can pick up a Seagate Expansion 3TB external hard drive for 37 percent off the list price that should keep you from worrying about storage space for a long time, and the USB 3.0-compatible device can serve as a handy backup drive to boot. That’s $76, down from the usual price of $119.99.
The one catch is that you’ll need to reformat the device if you plan on using it with a Mac, but fortunately that’s a relatively simple process. (Also, keep in mind that this process deletes any data on the drive.)
Just open Disk Utility by typing Command + Space and then typing Disk Utility in the Spotlight search. After opening the app, select your new hard drive and select the Erase option. Your Mac will automatically choose the correct format for your machine, but on most modern machines it will be OS X Extended (Journaled). Just retitle the drive, select your Security option (“Most Secure” is usually best), click Erase and let the Mac do its thing.
That’s about it. If you’d like for your new hard drive to be able to share compatible files between your Mac and PC, choose ExFAT as the format option.
In addition today’s limited-time deal, Amazon is also selling a version of this drive with a whopping 8TB of storage space for $150, down from the usual retail price of $240.
One caveat. In the past, Seagate was known for high failure rates with its external hard drives, to the point that the company was hit with a class action lawsuit in 2016. Things have improved since then, but even so, you’ll still see the Amazon listing peppered with a few stories of failed drives.
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Author: Leif Johnson, Contributing Writer
Leif is a San Francisco-based tech journalist. He's a big fan of fantasy RPGs, and you can find his previous work on IGN, Rolling Stone, VICE, PC Gamer, Playboy, Mac|Life, TechRadar, and numerous other publications.