External Hard Drive?

[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 ]

[rathoriel]

why get an enclosure? get a dock

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392029

[xShadow]

I'm currently using a 1.5TB Samsung Story Station. So far, I've had it for about 8-9 months, and it's seen very consistent use. Haven't had a single problem, either. Streams 1080p just fine, I torrent off of it just fine, and some of the music I have on it plays just fine. It's a good drive. Pretty cheap, too.

Newegg doesn't have the 1.5TB models anymore, but I'm guessing the 1/2TB flavors are just as dependable. Up to you, really. Keep in mind that you're going to have to do a full reformat into NTFS though, because they come pre-formatted in FAT32.

As for conditions, I haven't had to bother with the cooling on this drive much. As in, my room sometimes didn't have terribly good circulation, and it was sometimes fairly humid. Drive still operated just fine. I also carried it around with me to my friend's house and whatnot. As long as you set it up carefully before turning it on, everything should be fine. Supposedly, I think the drive inside is a Western Digital or some Samsung drive. Either one is highly rated and pretty dependable.

Note that it isn't blazing fast, though... but if you just use it for storage and streaming, it should suffice quite nicely, at a very competitive price point. It's just that if you don't use it for a bit it automatically goes off, and the spinup takes a few seconds (~5-10-ish?)

Of course, you could go for internal storage. It may be cheaper, and if your case has good ventilation, it's definitely more dependable. Not as portable, though. I'm just saying that based on my experiences, I would suggest this.

[fohfoh]

Offsite tape drives.

I just got my hands on an old company server with one of these. I was considering putting vac photos on it. But idk storage limit on the tapes. (Which reminds me. I only have 1 tape, I should get the other tapes from the company too. )

[sapsa]

I'm currently using a 1.5TB Samsung Story Station ...

Dont know but im in love in samsung's hdds. (got 3 of them right now, and buying 4)
but arent the ECO line in that story station? - there is alot of problem with the eco line, event few i readed are with samsung (sadly)
but the price is ok, i would buy it here, but the price here is like 125% of your price

[xShadow]

Umm... What problem is there in the Eco line? It seems to me like they just have failure rates relatively similar to ANY hard drive? Evidence, please?

Either way, like I said, this thing has been serving me fine for several months (getting close to a year now).

[sapsa]

Eco line like to fail when someone use it like normal hdd - 24/7
for external use i think it will be ok.

[xShadow]

Umm... In case you have problems reading, I said I've been running programs off of it, playing music off of it, playing 1080p videos off of it, and seeding things off of it (and torrenting to it) for weeks at a time (for a period of 9+ months)? With absolutely no faults? Not to mention it's not even inside of my case, which is much better ventilated (includes 2 fans right at the HDD section)?

I'm asking you for some sources, here. Did you have some actual evidence that it likes to fail as you mention?

Sounds like bullshit to me. If you look at any hard drive line, even the good ones, most of them never make it above a 4 star rating. All hard drives are likely to have DOAs or mechanical failures within a certain period of time. If they work past that point, they are likely to work just fine for a very long time (supposing you don't knock them around). In other words, the issue you're talking about plagues pretty much every hard drive line, equivalently. I can't find anything that seriously substantiates what you're saying. Can you?

[sapsa]

I could give you few Polish Distributors with comments about it, but probably you wont understand that using google translator cuz the translator dont do the job right if you do it in en > pl. Im not saying all of them have problems but the F2 Eco line had some problems or the part sended to Poland was faulty.

End of my 2cents.

[datora]

.

Umm... What problem is there in the Eco line? It seems to me like they just have failure rates relatively similar to ANY hard drive? Evidence, please?

Check this topic:

Seagate..the 2nd shittiest HDD manufacturer

Also,

 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148337

Check the feedback thread on that for the eco/green Seagate 1.5 TB drive.  About 30% of 2,200+ people give this drive one egg, nearly all of them for DOA, multiple DOAs &/or drives that failed catastrophically in short time, like 30 to 90 days.  Include the 2-egg reviews, which are pretty much the same, and you have 35% of 2216 = 775 that lost serious time, money & data.  Those are utterly horrible numbers: there is about 1 chance in three, maybe one chance in four, that you will get a crap drive on that product.

It's only one example; also check out for the 2TB drives read around the 'Netz and you'll see similar experiences.  I like & trust newegg because their feedback comments are pretty much unedited and you can trust (mostly) honest reviews by the community there. 

Some of the stories are real horror shows, with entire 4GB & 8GB raids built by pros collapsing without warning from multiple drive failures.


Granted, it is anecdotal, and I will also agree that some of the users aren't as knowledgeable as they should be, like trying to use them as primary system disks.  But still, most of these guys are pro & semi-pro geeks and the those numbers are four or five times worse than just slightly higher end drives (Samsung, Hitachi, WD Scorpio/Caviar Blue & Black, etc.).


BTW, the Samsung deal is back for Labor Day: promo code EMCYWPZ27 and you can get a 1TB for $60:

 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

Spanking solid deal as far as any "normal" risk goes, especially for a budget.  Browse the comments on that product and you'll see MUCH more normal numbers for DOAs & other problems.


The Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB I listed above was a better deal, IMHO, as far as reliable performance goes, but they're back up to $75 now.  Their Caviar Black 640GB is now on a $60 deal, though.  Or, maybe their Caviar Blue 1TB for $75:

 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136534

[xShadow]

... Since when was I talking about Seagate?!!11!111111 O_o

[DmonHiro]

For my anime, I currently have 2 Western Digital 1 TB My Books, and 2 Western Digital 1.5 TB My Books. All four work perfectly well.