PC hardware forum: best external hdd?

built my own computer, but

by Frank Wryte - 8/27/06 5:04 AM

In Reply to: I built my own, , , by Coryphaeus

wonder if it's safe to do what you rcmnd. also, is it dfclt?

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

Mine.

by R. Proffitt - 8/14/06 7:00 AM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

I found a case, slipped a drive in and it's years old. I wonder if the units you buy would be as good since I can assure my case has a fan.

Tales of woe at http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-7590-0.html?forumID=67&threadID=28919&messageID=328179

Bob

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

Best external hard drive

by bobweb - 8/18/06 6:21 AM

In Reply to: Mine. by R. Proffitt

First by manufacturer: Seagate who just acquired Maxtor. Seagate has newest high density technology, flash memory and reputation. If you have a LAN, I'd make sure that the drive had a 10/100 Mbps ethernet interface as well as a USB 2.0 interface. Then it can have it's own IP address and web server to function as a network attached storage for backups and large file storage.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

Consider more space

by ekent - 8/18/06 7:54 AM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

By waiting for sales and sending in those rebates, I've picked up a couple 250-gigabyte Acomdata hard drives from a chain computer store for $100 each. They're available in USB, Firewire and both. I don't stack them because they generate a bit of heat. But over nine months they've been solidly reliable. You just have to remember to shut down the USB 'safely remove hardware' function before hitting the on-off switch.

I would definitely consider an external hard drive with more than 100 gigabytes because it won't cost you a lot more and you'll be surprised how fast you'll get spoiled with all that extra elbow room.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

NAS All the Way

by Gary Lee - 8/18/06 9:05 AM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

I use a Buffalo Linkstation on my wireless network. What a dream for backing up and accessing files. Then, few files are kept on my hard drive, making fresh installs much easier. I even include application setup files on the Linkstation if I need them.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

Love my NAS, hate my NAS.

by R. Proffitt - 8/18/06 9:08 AM

In Reply to: NAS All the Way by Gary Lee

My NAS is nice but on the 100 megabit ethernet is still annoyingly slow. Can't wait to see when we get this LAN to 1Gb.

Bob

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

what's nas?

by Frank Wryte - 8/27/06 5:01 AM

In Reply to: NAS All the Way by Gary Lee

ain't gonna go networking so no need for advanced stuff.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

They are so cheap now - buy yourself more than one.

by teamw - 8/18/06 9:26 AM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

I just picked up a Western Digital My Book 160g for $80 on sale at Best Buy. If you are only looking at a 100gigs - just buy two of these cheap drives, and take one to your office or leave it at a friend's house. Keep another one on hand for regular backups, but squirrel away another copy of your most important files somewhere else (your pictures, your music library, your tax records etc.)

You can lose your digital data a couple of different ways:

Your hard drive dies.
You have a fire, flood or some other calamity like that.
Lightening hits the power pole near your house and fries everything electronic connected to the grid in your house.
You get robbed.

Only in the first of these scenarios does having a backup HDD sitting on your desk and somehow connected to your computer or home network help you out.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

External HDD for video editing

by compusolver - 8/18/06 1:45 PM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

I'm using a CoolMax case with firewire connection for my Maxtor 300gig SATA 1 harddrive. It only runs about half the speed of my internal Sata 1 drives, but is fast enough for video editing, which is what I wanted.

This case also has USB 2.0 and SATA connections which I haven't tried.

Do go for more than 100gigs. With the price of HDs as low as they are today and with backup needs growing exponentially every year, you won't regret having the extra space.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

any major mfr external drive is good

by clayw1pi - 8/18/06 9:40 PM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

If you buy a pre-made external drive, any major mfr will be good -- Maxtor, Western Digital, etc. The differences are so subtle in consumer-grade products, it's splitting hairs to compare them.

If you make your own by buying a hard drive and a separate enclosure, be careful. #1, make sure the enclosure has a fan if the drive will be on for more than several hours at a time. #2, make sure the hard drive is designed for back-up. Many drives are not built to handle sudden, mass bursts of data on a regular basis as most hard drives read and write small amounts.

Either way you go, I'd definitely recommend getting some type of network connectivity if you happen to be running a home network. Also, go bigger than 100gb -- that's chump change these days and you can get a 250gb for so little.

Alternatively, you could always switch to Mac and subscribe to iDisk.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

just bought a LaCie

by bawilley - 8/18/06 11:36 PM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

I went to a major computer store recently looking for an external HD for my tablet PC. Although I could not get a salesperson's attention, 2 fellow customers steered me to LaCie external hard drives.

Both gentlemen were IT director's for their companies. The first man, "Dave," said he had "a few dozen" Lacies for his company's it system. Dave said thatit performs really well and that he has not had any trouble. Since he knew I was not a techie, he assured me it would be very easy to use. After Dave walked away--and as I remained to compare prices with other brands--a totally different customer came up and noticed the Lacie box in my hand. He assured me I would be pleased with my purchase. He not only buys them for his work, he also uses them at home. "Dont bother comparing prices," he tells me, "it's a good deal. You'll be happy you got it.""

So far, the have both been right; it is easy to use, and I am happy with my purchase.

I got the Lacie 250GB USB 2.0 hard drive. (I had expected to get a 100GB, originally, but the 2nd guy assured me it would fill up quick1y with pictures & videos.) It's simple to set up, runs super-quiet but quickly, and is easy on the eye. Brushed metal, designed by F.A Porsche. Love those nice, clean lines--no clutter or dust-collecting contours. And it is small, keeping me mobile.

It comes with an AC Power Adapter, an item for which similarly priced competitors charged extra! It only uses one USB port--others required 2.

Even though it was easy to install & use, it seems more advanced user's can customize its use. This I deduce from reading the PDF users manual that was on the installation CD.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick

Hard Drives

by MJM573 - 8/25/06 6:43 AM

In Reply to: best external hdd? by Frank Wryte

I just bought a Western Digital My Book 160 GB Hard-Drive. It's awesome even thought it comes in FAT32 format as a default. I'm still debating wheather or not to change it NTFS or leave it as is. Anywho it is awesome just plug it in and let it rip. I got it on sale from Best Buy for 90 bucks.I would recommend it highly.

Was this reply helpful? (0) (0)

Staff pick