what is a good external hard drive for my ibook G4 I need more hard drive memory for my ibook. My computer keeps telling me that my start up disk is almost full. What is a good amount of memory I should be looking for? I don't really now what is good so if anyone could give me some good advise I would really appreciate it. Thanks Kristin
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what is a good external hard drive
- Thread starter KLTjonez
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Cheapest solution would be to buy an enclosure and an internal drive. But if you're screwdriver-averse, good brands are maxtor, western digital and seagate. Also, LaCie is often mentioned as the Mac-user's external drive of choice.
From this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/186627/
Both links will lead you to good HDs...
I would get a Firewire (or even better: combo) drive if you can afford it (will let you boot from the external with all Firewire enabled Macs), but any USB2 disk will be sufficient if you just want storage space and are on a budget...
Mitthrawnuruodo said:If you want a USB2 LaCie drive, and like Porsche's design, I would rather go for the much cheaper Desktop version which has a 3.5 disk that's faster (7200 rpm) and has much more storage space, without being that much bigger, physically.
I'm probably going to get a 200GB version of that drive this week. (I actually prefer Seagate's external combo drives, but I can get a brand new 200 GB USB2 LaCie Porsche for NOK 500 ≈ US$ 75, and I need some extra space for my poor old iBook now, and don't have too much money...
Both links will lead you to good HDs...
I would get a Firewire (or even better: combo) drive if you can afford it (will let you boot from the external with all Firewire enabled Macs), but any USB2 disk will be sufficient if you just want storage space and are on a budget...
I got myself a 300GB Maxtor's OneTouch II drive last year. It has both USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 connectors, so connecting it is easy wherever you are. It's drive spins at 7200rpm and has 16MB of cache. It's plenty fast, especially when connected over FireWire. That's a thing to consider. Especially with your iBook. It isn't the fastest of Macs, and USB 2.0 connections ask more of your processor, so a FireWire connection is the better choice most of the time. The new OneTouch III series is out now, althoug I don't see where they could have improved upon the II series, since that's already great.
I got the LaCie 500 GB, but with pretty much the same specs as above. I like that it's a dual interface drive, so I'm future-proof protected. Also has 16MB of cache.Bengt77 said:
I use this drive to clone my internal 300 GB drive on my PM as a weekly backup.
technicolor said:
Lacie does not manufacture their own hard drives. Pop one open and you probably have a WD or Maxtor drive in there. Not that it matters, as they are fairly solid drives regardless, however this is a common misconception many people make.
I recommend Saegate drives. They are extremly reliable and have much longer warranties on some of their models (5+ years) than other brands.
I got a pre built generic enclosure with a 120 GB Western Digital inside in 2002. Still working with just one hitch. Between transferring data from a G5 iMac to the new iMac Intel the data got corrupted somehow . I just wrote zeros to it and no problems since.
. I just wrote zeros to it and no problems since.try whatsize
externals (G-techs are my fav btw); extremely quiet and cool to the touch. I truly believe i could cook an egg on my lacies (although, they are quite dependable)
in the meantime, go to versiontracker and download 'whatsize'. a fantastic app for clicking on your HD to find out which files are hogging up the space. i use it all the time.
KLTjonez said:
externals (G-techs are my fav btw); extremely quiet and cool to the touch. I truly believe i could cook an egg on my lacies (although, they are quite dependable)
in the meantime, go to versiontracker and download 'whatsize'. a fantastic app for clicking on your HD to find out which files are hogging up the space. i use it all the time.
Go to MacWorld.com and look under reviews for storage/HDD and they have a bunch on the list for externals as well as the always pros/cons.
Without browsing too much around: This 250 GB Seagate Barracuda in a USB2/Firewire enclosure (ugly, but good value for your money ) seems like a good deal at $99 after rebate.
) seems like a good deal at $99 after rebate. 
I'll be getting The NewerTech miniStack V2 http://www.newertech.com/ministack even though I don't have a Mac Mini.