G'day guys. I'm looking to pick up a relatively inexpensive external hard drive of at least 80 gigs or more. Does anyone know of any good deals, and what to look for in a good drive? It will be used mainly for storing video. Thanks.
I don't know if would be practical for your uses, but you may want to consider rigging an internal drive inside a case since it would be wayyyy cheaper.
We use Maxtor One Touch external hard drives at my work and theyperform great. They come with USB2 and Firewire connections and are hot swappable 160GB = $180 200GB = $225 250GB = $250 300GB = $270 nextag.com
I agree, u can buy a 120gig HD for under $100 and get a external enclosure offline for under $30 I had a 30 gig i bought 2 years ago for $20 and bought a 3.5 external enclosure USB 2.0 for $25 and havnet had any problems
Damn, you beat me to it! Enclosures: Go to www.dealsonic.com. HDs - http://www.upgrade-solution.com/detail.cfm?show=yes&PID=259&add=yes http://www.driveguys.com/Dynamic/itemdesc.asp?CartId=&Cc=&ic=WD800EB&tpc= http://216.136.224.156/hoct12/984.html Now I wasn't sure if you were wanting 5400 or 7200RPM, but try those sites out. Hopefully they help.
I just picked up a couple of the Plumax 5.25" cases from Dealsonic. $23.99 each plus about $6 shipping. I put in the two $50 200GB hard drives from Fry's that I had sitting around. Works great.
Does it matter what kind of computer I'm using? I've got a 2000 HP Pavilion, which I suppose is inferior to most microwaves by now. Windows 98 2nd, 384 ram, etc. Is there a big difference between 5400 and 7200RPM? If I use an internal drive with an external enclosure, would I be able to unplug the drive and use it on any computer? Will I have to install software onto the drive? What is a good MBPS speed for an enclosure? Sorry about all the questions, but I'm still not that great when it comes to computer hardware... Thanks for the help.
i vote for the make your own enclosure option. I got a fat 160 GB drive for about $120 at MicroCenter and a $45 enclosure with fan! that's my 120GB on top... both are USB 2.0 - just as fast as internal.
I got that, in my 30 gig. It doesnt have a fan, but as long as you turn it off whenever its no in use, you should be good to go.
correct, you do not need the fan, it just happen to come with the case i bought, which can also be used for a CD-ROM/R my maxtor (pictured) does not have a fan, both units get turned off when the computers are not on. btw, my externals are named, Fat b*stard (Maxtor) and the b*stard Son (160GB)...
Ha, Rockhead, I have the same enclosure but have my DVD burner in it, its freaking sweet Btw, is yours both USB 2.0/Firewire? Cause mine is just USB 2.0 and got it online for $35 shipped.
Thanks for the info guys! I went to Fry's today and bought an enclosure + 80GB HD for $100 (after MIR)
