I need something 1TB+ with a decent warranty (3 yrs+).

Was thinking about a Seagate, but that's b/c of brand recognition.

If anyone has any better ideas, I'm all ears!

Thanks!

7/2/2009 6:31:43 PM

I've heard the 1TB+ harddrives by Seagate arn't very reliable. I don't know how true this is or if it is still the case. Just what I've read and heard.

7/2/2009 9:02:25 PM

Western Digital

/thread

7/3/2009 11:34:50 AM

RAID6, SON



[Edited on July 3, 2009 at 1:31 PM. Reason : asf]

7/3/2009 1:29:18 PM

Looks like my Seagate USB drive is flaking out. It keeps randomung unplugging itself causing "don't unplug w/o ejecting!" errors and it just spins and spins while "preparing for backup" in time machine. wtf. I also need unplug the drive from power and replug it to get it to recognize every so often. Just unplugging the USB from the computer doesnt help so i think its a drive issue.

I'll probably get a USB/FW/eSATA WD MyBook. Any other ideas?

7/5/2009 10:13:40 PM

nm

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 12:03 AM. Reason : asdasd]

7/6/2009 12:02:40 AM

I'm also in the market, as my 5-year-old drive that's been with me faithfully on multiple transcontinental and transcoastal moves is finally showing signs of flaking out. I'll post here if I come across any good specials on slickdeals, newegg or other such sites.

7/6/2009 2:59:53 AM

Yeh mine came across from Australia and hasnt been the same since. it just "unplugged" itself randomly again just now. I wonder if its a HD issue or the controller itself.. sounds sort of like the latter.

I might try a RAID enclosure. Any recommendations there? I want firewire, pref 800.

eh.. pretty pricey i guess. i'll probably just do a 1TB WD w/ firewire. about $160

[Edited on July 6, 2009 at 11:12 AM. Reason : fdf]

7/6/2009 11:01:52 AM

Danny, I have noticed the same thing when it comes to the controllers flaking out on seagates.

I was looking at a few externals. Got a cheap USB ($85 shipped from HP) 1TB, but we'll see how that goes.

If you are into rebates, there is a 1TB fantom eSATA external for $80.99 AR. It's $50.99 if you sign up for ebillme at the same time. I'm not a fan of that, so I passed. Plus the packaging looks like shit. Check it out on newegg. Some of the reviews are good and some are bad. The good thing is that the manufacturer checks the reviews and replies with suggestions and contact info.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010643

I thought about getting it, but the lack of cooling kinda makes me iffy on the whole deal, though I do want eSATA.

Where to get an eSATA cable locally for a decent price? Online? I'm not down with paying $5 shipping on a $1 cable. I'd rather pay that much and drive to go get it that day.

7/6/2009 11:27:09 AM

This seagate is officially a piece of shit. It'll stay connected long enough to do a backup, but not long beyond that. It keeps disconnecting itself and then goes dead and stays that way until i cycle power on it. I'm gonna take the drive out and put it in a new enclosure for now i think.

7/12/2009 12:42:27 PM

bttt

looking for good deals on 1tb or more external hdds. I think i am gonna get WD my book but cant find it cheaper than 115-120$....should i get it?

7/12/2009 1:04:46 PM

drobo

7/12/2009 2:58:09 PM

what is drobo?

7/12/2009 3:08:14 PM

google it, dip shit

http://www.drobo.com/

7/12/2009 3:16:48 PM

htf is it a storage "robot"? thats so retarded. they don't have eSATA either ftl.

7/12/2009 4:48:02 PM

Got one of these and it works great for backup. eSATA and USB.
Since it's not cooled, probably isn't great for extended runs, but works great for me.

http://www.buy.com/prod/startech-com-esata-usb-to-sata-external-hdd-dock-adapter-2-x-esata-and/q/loc/101/209890871.html

7/12/2009 8:41:53 PM

that might be kinda cool. I'm starting to gather a few random drivers around here. But i need firewire :/

7/12/2009 9:14:36 PM

fantom greendrive (read: western digital WD10EADS green drive) with USB and eSATA for $80AR

http://www.buy.com/prod/fantom-greendrive-1tb-usb-2-0-and-esata-external-hard-drive-2-year/q/loc/101/208503758.html

i have several of these and i've yet to have any problems...my biggest gripe is that they USUALLY have a non-consumer-available version of the drive with an 8mb cache instead of 16 or 32 (which is advertised on WD's website), but i've yet to have any actual problems with that (back in the day, i remember disk write errors on low-cache drives connected via USB)...when you consider that you're getting an aluminum USB/eSATA enclosure AND a 1tb hard drive with a 2-year warranty for $80, i think it's a pretty good deal

i like the green drives as externals since i can usually leave them on even if the computer's off and they use very little power (they're still on and drawing some power, but the enclosures are always cool to the touch...7w at idle, less when spun down)

*shrug*

Quote :

"Since it's not cooled, probably isn't great for extended runs, but works great for me."

i wouldn't think it would matter overmuch...non-metal enclosures need cooling because plastic traps heat...metal enclosures generally don't because they transfer heat away from the drive...having a drive in open air is probably at least as good as having it in a computer case with other heat-generating units and good ventilation, and likely better than any enclosure...IMO, they're ugly, though, so i don't like using those docking station with my HTPC

[Edited on July 13, 2009 at 8:01 AM. Reason : WD10EADS]

7/13/2009 7:51:03 AM

Hrmm cool.

Here's a firewire and nongreen version for $131:
http://www.buy.com/prod/fantom-g-force-1tb-triple-interface-usb-2-0-esata-firewire-external/q/loc/101/210795854.html

Think thats any better than a WD usb/fw/esata at the same price?

7/13/2009 9:45:26 AM

I've got 2 Thermaltake BlacX USB/eSata docks & a Vantec Nexstar USB/FW/eSata dock, and they all work beautifully. Thermaltake often has a $10 rebate on their dock, stay tuned to Slickdeals and/or Newegg.

7/13/2009 10:39:09 AM

I returned the HP externals. I ordered an external eSATA and USB2.0 dock and a Seagate 1TB hardrive from amazon. Wasn't cheap, but I figured it was future-proofing.

I ordered a Hitachi Deskstar 1TB for $10 less with it, but it only has 16mb cache. That will be going inside a rosewill external eSATA/USB case with fan.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173042

If you want the fantom aluminum case, but not the drive. Here it is. eSATA too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182120

Quote :

"Think thats any better than a WD usb/fw/esata at the same price?"

I wish I knew. I tend to not go with companies I don't know when it comes to things like that.

BUT, if they sold that locally, I'd be all over it, b/c I could return with no problem.

[Edited on July 13, 2009 at 11:59 AM. Reason : d]

7/13/2009 11:56:02 AM

FWIW, i much prefer the aluminum non-fan enclosures to those that NEED a fan (the majority of the plastic ones)...no relatively modern hard drive should need more than an aluminum enclosure for good heat dissipation

all that fantom does is put it together for you...i'm 99.99% sure that every drive in those fantom enclosures is a western digital (they're not even white label, they have the WD label on them)...fantom doesn't even make the enclosure (i'm pretty sure that rosewill does, as listed above)...i've never heard a bad thing about the enclosures or the boards, and since the drives are WD, you know what you're really buying

Quote :

"Here's a firewire and nongreen version for $131: http://www.buy.com/prod/fantom-g-force-1tb-triple-interface-usb-2-0-esata-firewire-external/q/loc/101/210795854.html Think thats any better than a WD usb/fw/esata at the same price?"

are you asking if, for the same price, you should get green or non-green? the green drives are slower when you wake them up since they have to spin up again before they can be read...but they do actually use less power and generate less heat...if it's anything but an OS drive, i'd go with green since it's not going to make any difference in performance on the whole and it will save you energy in the long run

7/13/2009 1:48:25 PM

Any thoughts on this drive? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822204089

I don't know much about the brand, Fantom, but it's cheap and I'm looking to make a purchase today.

7/13/2009 2:45:50 PM

The Rosewill enclosures appear to be good stuff. they use the Oxford chipset that is recommended by Pro Tools for audio recording. fwiw.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182123

7/13/2009 2:54:56 PM

The power connector on that Rosewill seems like an issue.

Quote :

" LaCie 1TB Hard Disk Reg: $139.99 Save 29% :$40.00 Your Price: $99.99 Instant Savings More Info Save $40 Instantly on LaCie 1TB Hard Disk FREE Shipping Ships in: 3-5 Days Item #: 21779933 Manufacturer #: 301304U The user-friendly LaCie Hard Drive, Design by Neil Poulton adds sophisticated style to your desktop yet its presence is quiet and unobtrusive. Features * Compact and efficient USB 2.0 storage * Surprising blue LED for ambient underside glow * Smart fanless cooling system for quiet operation * Store your files, music, photos & videos in 1 place "

http://officemax.com/catalog/sku.jsp?productId=prod2080004&cm_re=lacie1TB-_-slot3C1-_-week29Home

Quote :

"no relatively modern hard drive should need more than an aluminum enclosure for good heat dissipation"

should need? all hard drives should have active cooling, b/c they don't come with heatsinks. passive cooling is for the birds. if it generates heat, it should be cooled.

[Edited on July 13, 2009 at 3:26 PM. Reason : d]

7/13/2009 3:06:40 PM

a lot of these aluminum enclosures have an aluminum bracket that fits snuggly to the HD to wick the heat away. the aluminum case IS the heatsink.

7/13/2009 4:09:14 PM

i've never looked close enough. interesting...

7/13/2009 4:43:21 PM

Just got this at Best Buy on closeout/clearance for $118:

http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products/external-hard-drive-desktop/ultramax-minimax/ultramax-single/?partner=4760#overviewItem_tab

1TB USB2/FW400/FW800/eSATA in a nice aluminum enclosure that looks like a cute little Mac Pro.

8/8/2009 8:32:28 PM

yo somebody point me in the direction of a quality 1TB external for less than $100

i already searched newegg, so no wise guy stuff ok. just looking for personal recommendations here

[Edited on August 27, 2009 at 2:16 PM. Reason : strictly backup purposes]

8/27/2009 2:13:04 PM

USB/eSATA "green" drive for $80 AR

http://www.buy.com/prod/fantom-greendrive-1tb-usb-2-0-and-esata-external-hard-drive-2-year/q/loc/101/208503758.html

i bought several of these and they're great, IMO...the drives are western digital, but some OEM version that they don't list on their site that have 8mb caches instead of the more popular 16/32mb sizes...for anything but use as an OS drive, it shouldn't make any difference

also, i'm 99% sure the chips used in these enclosures support 2tb drives...i know for a fact that they support 1.5tb...as for the enclosure itself, i love them...they're all-aluminum and fanless (who needs a fan when your entire enclosure is a heat sink and your drive is specifically designed to run cool?)

what do i win????

8/27/2009 2:46:53 PM

EDIT: or you can get a 1tb WD black drive (top o' the consumer line) for $76, no rebates with 10% BCB (you have to use IE, type "newegg" in the search, and click the link...do not use the "go to store link" since that's only 6%...go figure) and promo code HD8251X for 10% additional

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

pick up an enclosure for ~$25, i guess

[Edited on August 27, 2009 at 2:57 PM. Reason : well, nuts, i didn't mean to make a new post...how about you not suspend me as thanks? ]

8/27/2009 2:56:59 PM

i think i'm gonna get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136450

[Edited on August 29, 2009 at 9:36 PM. Reason : it's the 1.5TB version of http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136321]

8/29/2009 9:35:00 PM

is it possible to plug in an internal hard drive to an e-sata port (provided you can power it too)???

8/30/2009 6:05:06 PM

sure

8/30/2009 7:13:26 PM

ended up getting that 1 TB green fantom quagmire. even though i didn't really need it, i couldn't resist the allure of eSATA

i'm also going to get an internal WD Caviar Black 500GB SATA300 32MB ($69.99 free shipping woot) to replace my dev machine's wimpy 75 gig drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

dammit, i can't make up my mind on a single thing. went with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136359 a 750GB Green instead for $59

[Edited on August 30, 2009 at 11:00 PM. Reason : final order]

8/30/2009 10:43:02 PM