Discussion Forums > Technology

External Hard Drive?

(1/4) > >>

Shinigami96x:
Hello everyone. What do you think is the most efficient and safest way to back up data (mostly just anime) I was thinking it would be an external hard drive. Is that the most efficient and safest way to back up data? If it is, can you guys recommend an external hard drive that is good preferably something under $250 that can at least back up  250 gb? As I am not tech savvy what conditions should I place the external hard drive in like in an area with a lot of air circulation, away from the light,etc? Sorry if these questions seem stupid, but I'm really not good with computers. If you don't mind, can you guys tell me your personal experiences with external hard drives? I remember someone had an external hard drive that did not function anymore so they now made a back up of a back up of the original. The reason I'm asking this is because I think my computer's hard drive might fail on me. Thank you very much for your suggestions.

DLTE:
$250 of? USD?

$250 is alot of money for a -at least 250gb-

You can easily get a portable 320gb for $40usd

I'm using a seagate 1.5tb and I just place it beside my computer because the usb cable isnt very long lol as long as you don't place it beside a oven or something stupid it should be fine any condition I guess for a electronic.

Never had any problems with externals. Keep receipts when you buy it. Return if its faulty. Don't drop it ever.

fohfoh:
2.5" HDD vs 3.5" HDD.

If you have that much money, go for a smaller 2.5" which generally doesn't need an external powering of sorts. Just the USB.

But yeah, you can easily get what you need for less than 250USD.

Xiong Chiamiov:
Offsite tape drives.

datora:
.
You have many options.  You should be able to get away for $100 and have PLENTY of space; jump up to $150 and you can really do well.

Basically, buy a bare drive and an external enclosure for it.  Connect to your computer & format drive.  You're good to go.  If the drive will sit in one place and (almost) never travel, then get a 3.5" internal bare drive and it'll sit happy at your desk & be good.  DO NOT get a budget bare drive (like, Seagate green tech drive 1.5 TB for $100) .. they are really failing a lot right now.


So, here's a bunch of options.  Currently, it's hard to beat newegg, so I'm gonna link to them for a bunch of specific examples.

Get a notebook/laptop 2.5" drive if you want portability, and it will travel better than a 3.5" drive.

Suggest this one as entry level, as the Black edition WD drives are really solid in performance and reliability:

Western Digital Scorpio Black WD3200BEKT 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook

Currently $60 & free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136280
(promo code: EMCYWNV34  will knock another $10 off until 02 Sept, so $50)


Jump up to 500 GB, at the low end.  I'd trust this one, so long as I treated it with care & respect:

HITACHI Travelstar 5K500.B HTS545050B9A300 (0A57915) 500GB

$50 + free shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145257


For $10 more this is awfully solid (you're not really after performance; reliability and using external cable is more important):

Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000BEVT 500GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s

$60 + $1 shipping  (this is probably what I'd go for today if I was buying)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314


Splurge and go to the Black edition (you don't need it, but hey, some extra insurance in reliability; your call):

Western Digital Scorpio Black WD5000BEKT 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s

$75 + $1 shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136692


You can find 1 TB laptop drives, but be careful: some are off-sized and may not fit external cases.  Read dimensions carefully!


Now decide on a case.  USB 2.0 is 'Good Enough' but a bit slow-ish for large data transfers.  If you have the capacity for eSATA or USB 3.0, definitelty consider it.  USB 3.0 will plug into a USB 2.0 port and just transfer at USB 2.0 rates.  Plug into a USB 3 port and it will be approximately SATA transfer rates (about 8x faster).

One budget possibility (Rosewill is a newegg house brand & is generally solid budget gear; new egg is great about returns for stuff that don't work in the first 30 days):

Rosewill RX81U-ES-25U3 Aluminum / Plastic 2.5" USB 3.0 External Enclosure

$18 + $3 shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182236

You can go cheaper a little bit if you just want USB 2.0; but the prices are so close that better to go with USB 3.0 and be prepared for the near future.



Wanna go with a 3.5" option ..?

Here's about best $-per-GB option right now:

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Bare Drive

$60 + free shipping (I just bought two of these: very happy)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283

I'm a little wary of 1 TB and higher drives right now, but I'd give fairly solid trust to Western Digital 1 TB, either blue or black edition.


This one's about as robust as it gets; it's actually better used as a performance drive inside your PC.  That 64MB of cache is a sweet performance boost that's a bit wasted on an external (as is 7200 rpm):

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"

$90 + free shipping, plus -$10 w/ promo code through 01 Sep

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

HOWEVER, notice it's a SATA III drive (6 GB/S).  Make sure your enclosure handles both that speed and the large capacity.  Most handle 1 TB as a standard right now, but if you go for a 1.5 TB or a 2 TB, some enclosures won't do it.

However, this drive over USB 3 &/or eSATA will definitely scream data down the wire like nobody's business.


Here's a possibility for a docking station that handles USB 3, SATA 6 GB/s, and both 2.5" and 3.5" drives:

EAGLE ET-CSKSU3-BK 2.5" & 3.5" Black USB 3.0 Docking Station

$30 + $7 shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817193076

If you don't intend to keep the drive out all the time, this is a possibility.  Keep your drive in storage and plug it into the docking station when you need to access or write data.  Advantage here is versatility rather than convenience.


A more robust desktop enclosure:

Rosewill RX35-AT-SC BLK Full Aluminum Cover, Metal Tray 3.5" Black USB2.0 & eSATA

$25 + $3 shipping

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182180


Only USB 2.0, but if you have eSATA, this could do you well.


Confused you with enough options yet ..?   ;)


[ EDIT:  I made three recent posts that cover some other details on this topic you might want to check out:

 - http://forums.bakabt.me/index.php?topic=25835.msg4487473#msg4487473

 - http://forums.bakabt.me/index.php?topic=25835.msg4488033#msg4488033

 - http://forums.bakabt.me/index.php?topic=5771.msg4487546#msg4487546 ]

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page