External Hard Drive

computerstu · 07-16-2008, 08:53 PM

Suggestions for a decent/economical external hard drive?

PC eye · 07-16-2008, 09:04 PM

If you plan on leaving it plugged in all the time and not moving data back and forth between laptop to desktop, desktop to desktop, or even laptop to laptop an eSata capable drive would be one thought since the drive would be under the onboard sata controllers and not the usb bus. Yet the 500gb WD usb model used here has been quite reliable once the factory Fat32 partition they come with saw a reformat to NTFS. No software needed for either XP or Vista to readily see the drive.

WD and Seagate both have some models to look through there. Both companies will also recommend seeing the factory partition replaced with NTFS for those using Windows alone and not running Apple/Mac. Still downloading a backup copy of the software for the drive you go with from the support is still a good move however for the initial reformat to NTFS or simply in the event you need to clean the drive for some other reason like a surprise virus.

ukulele_ninja · 07-16-2008, 09:06 PM

I have a 500gig Iomega firewire drive and it is perfect for my needs and super fast at accessing data. It uses its own power supply which means its not super portable, but mine is used just for movies and music so it stays put anyway. They are very affordable as well.

cohen · 07-16-2008, 10:48 PM

How big do you want it???

Is the hard drive going to be sitting at the one computer all of the time, or is it going to go walk about?

computerstu · 07-16-2008, 11:11 PM

I want to backup my e-mail info, the photo's on my computer and some files. It will be sitting in one place.

cohen · 07-16-2008, 11:13 PM

This one looks good - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148235 - 500GB, $99.99

PC eye · 07-17-2008, 12:22 AM

The only complaint heard on external drives is temps. They do run a bit warmer so leave some space free around the one you go with. The Seagate there sees a good price as well as the special seen on the WD model at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136175

The drawback however is both of those are strictly usb only. For about $45 more you can go for one that sees firewire and eSata capability as well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136170

The Seagate equivalent is seen for $109.99 however at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148240

07-16-2008, 08:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
computerstu Bronze Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 66	External Hard Drive Suggestions for a decent/economical external hard drive?

07-16-2008, 09:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 20,512	If you plan on leaving it plugged in all the time and not moving data back and forth between laptop to desktop, desktop to desktop, or even laptop to laptop an eSata capable drive would be one thought since the drive would be under the onboard sata controllers and not the usb bus. Yet the 500gb WD usb model used here has been quite reliable once the factory Fat32 partition they come with saw a reformat to NTFS. No software needed for either XP or Vista to readily see the drive. WD and Seagate both have some models to look through there. Both companies will also recommend seeing the factory partition replaced with NTFS for those using Windows alone and not running Apple/Mac. Still downloading a backup copy of the software for the drive you go with from the support is still a good move however for the initial reformat to NTFS or simply in the event you need to clean the drive for some other reason like a surprise virus. __________________ What The Data Miners Are Digging Up About You http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Tec...6355541&page=1 Making an Old Brain Young http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Hea...6371136&page=1

07-16-2008, 10:48 PM	#4 (permalink)
cohen Diamond Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 14 Posts: 8,206	How big do you want it??? Is the hard drive going to be sitting at the one computer all of the time, or is it going to go walk about? __________________ My Website Desktop / Laptop Motherboard: Asus M2N X SE / Unknown CPU: AMD 4000+ 2.1GHZ x 2 / Intel Pentium M 1.60GHZ Ram: 2GB Transcend / 512MB Hard Drive: 320GB / 60GB Video Card: Both Intergrated Monitor: 19" Benq / 15.4" OS: Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 / Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3

07-16-2008, 11:13 PM	#6 (permalink)
cohen Diamond Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 14 Posts: 8,206	This one looks good - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148235 - 500GB, $99.99 __________________ My Website Desktop / Laptop Motherboard: Asus M2N X SE / Unknown CPU: AMD 4000+ 2.1GHZ x 2 / Intel Pentium M 1.60GHZ Ram: 2GB Transcend / 512MB Hard Drive: 320GB / 60GB Video Card: Both Intergrated Monitor: 19" Benq / 15.4" OS: Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 / Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3

07-17-2008, 12:22 AM	#7 (permalink)
PC eye Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Inside a pc Posts: 20,512	The only complaint heard on external drives is temps. They do run a bit warmer so leave some space free around the one you go with. The Seagate there sees a good price as well as the special seen on the WD model at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136175 The drawback however is both of those are strictly usb only. For about $45 more you can go for one that sees firewire and eSata capability as well. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136170 The Seagate equivalent is seen for $109.99 however at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148240 __________________ What The Data Miners Are Digging Up About You http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Tec...6355541&page=1 Making an Old Brain Young http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Hea...6371136&page=1

07-16-2008, 09:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
ukulele_ninja Diamond Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,822	I have a 500gig Iomega firewire drive and it is perfect for my needs and super fast at accessing data. It uses its own power supply which means its not super portable, but mine is used just for movies and music so it stays put anyway. They are very affordable as well.

07-16-2008, 11:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
computerstu Bronze Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 66	I want to backup my e-mail info, the photo's on my computer and some files. It will be sitting in one place.

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