In message Ant wrote:
Hello.

I love my old Seagate's light and small 2.5" Seagate HDD (USB2), but its 500 GB
is too small and slow these days. What'a good one like that is faster, bigger
storage size, and physically small and light? Also, it doesn't require a
separate power connector (should be optional though if needed). I don't needs
its cloud, encryption, etc. features. I can do that on my own.

but a 2.5" case that is bus powered and oput a 2TB SSD in it. Without
going to TB3, that's as fast as you are going to get, as the USB-C cases
I've seen are the same speed as the USB-3 A plug cases.

I also will still need to use optical discs once in a while. A BRD
reader is OK, but burner is not needed. It just needs to burn CDs and
DVDs (dual layer too).

I haven't burned an optical disc in... a decade? Probably have burned a
CD for some windows person who needed drivers to get on the Internet,
but nothing comes to mind. No idea what the state of burners is. I have
an old (15+ years) one I pull out and connect to wires if I need to, but
i don't need to, I don't even have a case for it.

Both external portable devices still need the old USB2 port support for
older computers (PCs with Windows, Linux, and mac OS) beside the newer
computers like the (lat/new)est MacBooks.

Then they are going to be slow.

--
You start a conversation you can't even finish it You're talkin' a
lot, but you're not sayin' anything When I have nothing to say,
my lips are sealed Say something once, why say it again?