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Recommend 250GB external FW/USB2 HDD?

seenew

seenew

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Dec 1, 2005
1,569
1
Brooklyn
I'm looking for a hefty external HDD to supplement my new iMac's internal 500GB. I'm going to be using a lot of media in school (headed off to SCAD in September), so I want the extra space, and probably room to backup important files.
I've used LaCie in the past for their slick and small case designs, but I've heard their pricey compared to others.. So I'd like some recommendations on what you'd buy. I'm thinking 250GB, but obviously more would be great if I can afford it.
Links are much appreciated as well.

--Chris
 
I'm in the market as well. I don't know how much you're looking to spend, but Newegg has the Western Digital MyBook 500GB for $260, or the 250GB version $167. Those are the Firewire/USB2 versions - if you just want USB2, the "essential" MyBook's are even cheaper from newegg.

Also, Lacie has some good prices on their "reconditioned" drives here you might want to look at.

Oh, and good luck at SCAD! My fiance's cousin and his fiance just graduated from there. :) Savannah is gorgeous - we're headed there in a week and half for their wedding.
 
xfiftyfour said:
I'm in the market as well. I don't know how much you're looking to spend, but Newegg has the Western Digital MyBook 500GB for $260, or the 250GB version $167. Those are the Firewire/USB2 versions - if you just want USB2, the "essential" MyBook's are even cheaper from newegg.

Also, Lacie has some good prices on their "reconditioned" drives here you might want to look at.

Oh, and good luck at SCAD! My fiance's cousin and his fiance just graduated from there. :) Savannah is gorgeous - we're headed there in a week and half for their wedding.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links, and yeah, I can't wait to head over to Savannah!
 
Guys....don't buy pre-made external hard drives. You can save A LOT if you buy an internal drive and then a seperate enclosure.

I would recommend camping newegg, compusa, or circuit city for rebates and promotions- there are usually a lot around the major holidays (Labor day?). For example, a few months ago when my external fantom drive died (taking ~120 GB of data along with it) I bought an internal Seagate 300 GB drive for $199....but there was $20 instant savings and another $40 mail-in-rebate. A solid enclosure with good ventilation goes for around $40-50, so for under $200 you could have a 300 GB drive ready to go.

And don't worry about putting it together, most enclosures come with instructions and if you have any sort of technical knowledge you can do it without the directions.
 
I put my external HD together, it saves money and that way I can get exactly what I want. I normally buy the hard drives and cases from http://directron.com/. They have really good prices and I can't buy from newegg (they don't take international credit cards).
 
I would also chime in for making your own external drives. It's easy, and much more affordable.

You could also try out the Marketplace in these forums, there are a few people trying to unload big drives. I think there's still a 400GB external floating around on the first or second pages, check it out.

Edit:
Some 250GB drives here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/216658/

A 400GB drive here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/220621/

Scroll down for a 500GB here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/220618/

Some 150GB Raptors here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/216526/
 
DON'T GET A LACIE!!!

I have the 250GB USB2 HD, and there was something rattling inside when I opened it, then it worked, and a day later, my MB wouldn't recognise it:mad: I took it back, but they said they wouldn't give me a new one, they would repair it - Which would take 3 weeks:rolleyes:

So anyway, they've had it for about 2 months now, and everytime I phone to ask how far they've gotten with it, they either say they'll phone me back (which they never do) or that there is nothing wrong with it (which of coarse their is!)

I emailed lacie UK about this, and they didn't even reply:mad:

Idiots.
 
atlanta campus or savannah (sp?) campus?

I bought a Seagate 320GB SATA HDD with an SATA compatable external enclosure (took me a few tries to get this right) and only spent about $150 with shipping. Building your own external hard drives is a MUCH better way to go.

The 320GB Seagate drive should only cost about $100. Try Newegg.com.

Read the user reviews!

good luck.
 
Also get a good warranty. Seagates come with 5 years covered- which is the best I've seen so far.

Also, pay attention to things like 'guaranteed to last 5 years' but only comes with a 1-year warranty. Obviously they don't have that much confidence in their drive to cover it for all 5...
 
check circuit city for seagate deals also as they have had quite a few in the last month.

i was very impressed with my external enclosure by owc. it is usb/fw400 with newest chipset available. mine was ide but you can get sata also and fw800 (wait you said iMac. dont worry about fw800 then).
 
Well, building my own sounds good from what all you guys say, but I have absolutely ZERO technical knowledge when it comes to inside computers. I mean, I'm technologically inclined, but I've never attempted to build my own anything. (That's why I buy Macs! :p)

If this is as easy as you say, I'll look into it. But it better be as easy as dropping it into the box and closing the lid.. I mean, I'd be nervous to spend the money only to screw it up. How long is the actual operation, anyway? Like 10 minutes, or an hour?

:eek:

Oh, and Savannah campus, to whoever asked.
 
I had a Lacie for a while and hated it for some reason. I love my Seagate. Hasn't failed me yet. ;)

By the way, congrats on SCAD. I almost went there.
 
seenew said:
If this is as easy as you say, I'll look into it. But it better be as easy as dropping it into the box and closing the lid.. I mean, I'd be nervous to spend the money only to screw it up. How long is the actual operation, anyway? Like 10 minutes, or an hour?
Click to expand...
Nothing near that. You just open the external enclosure, plug in the drive to the adapter, reclose the enclosure (couple screws), and you're done.
 
dextertangocci said:
DON'T GET A LACIE!!!

I have the 250GB USB2 HD, and there was something rattling inside when I opened it, then it worked, and a day later, my MB wouldn't recognise it:mad: I took it back, but they said they wouldn't give me a new one, they would repair it - Which would take 3 weeks:rolleyes:

So anyway, they've had it for about 2 months now, and everytime I phone to ask how far they've gotten with it, they either say they'll phone me back (which they never do) or that there is nothing wrong with it (which of coarse their is!)

I emailed lacie UK about this, and they didn't even reply:mad:

Idiots.
Click to expand...


Crap.

I just bought that same drive because it was on sale for $149. It has a one year warranty though so I guess I'll be able to replace it. Damn though, I don't know much about HDs but I thought Lacie was a good name.
 
SteveRichardson said:
atlanta campus or savannah (sp?) campus?

I bought a Seagate 320GB SATA HDD with an SATA compatable external enclosure (took me a few tries to get this right) and only spent about $150 with shipping. Building your own external hard drives is a MUCH better way to go.

The 320GB Seagate drive should only cost about $100. Try Newegg.com.

Read the user reviews!

good luck.
Click to expand...


Which enclosure did you get? Is it Sata to FW/USB or to eSata?
 
I recommend the Venus enclosures from AMS Electronics. Good quality. Currently have three desktop drive enclosures and two laptop drive enclosures.

As for hard drives, Seagate recommended here. I like Fujitsu for laptop drives, haven't failed me yet either.
 
xfiftyfour said:
Nothing near that. You just open the external enclosure, plug in the drive to the adapter, reclose the enclosure (couple screws), and you're done.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear. I might be ordering it tomorrow. Recommended sites? Newegg?
 
I've had a Lacie 250gig tripple drive (FW800, 400 and USB 2.0) running for 2 years without a hitch. Its the same shell as the one that appeared in Steve's keynote about Time Machine. I have heard that other cheaper designs can be a bit flaky but this high end modelhas been great (if a little noisy)
 
aswitcher said:
I've had a Lacie 250gig tripple drive (FW800, 400 and USB 2.0) running for 2 years without a hitch. Its the same shell as the one that appeared in Steve's keynote about Time Machine. I have heard that other cheaper designs can be a bit flaky but this high end modelhas been great (if a little noisy)
Click to expand...
I agree. I have the 300GB version and works great. B&H sells it for $199.95. This is a high end model, I don't think the savings justify getting something else, and a really good enclosure is not that cheap either.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=399061&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
 
I have the 250GB LaCie triple interface, so I can use the FW800 connection on my Powerbook. To get a comparable 300GB Seagate + enclosure with FW800 would cost about $180, according to the best deals I've seen around. I'd rather spend an extra $20 to get one from a manufacturer, but that's just me. I've had no problems with my LaCie (knock on wood) for a year, and it runs quietly and quickly. I recommend it.
 
I match the internal interface of my external drives to the internal interface of the drives
in the computer, so that I can swap them.

You said "new iMac", so I understand you mean a SATA machine. I would then get an Oxford 924 DSB (DSE if you want encryption)-based enclosure (FW400/FW800/USB2/eSATA ports) and put inside my preferred SATA hard disk model.
 
bigbossbmb said:
Which enclosure did you get? Is it Sata to FW/USB or to eSata?
Click to expand...


Sorry for the delay. Didnt see your reply until now.
OWC external case (ide, fw400, usb) from macsales i think. they have sata and fw800 options as well.
 
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