Which external hard drive brand is most reliable?

[tofuguy]

I was thinking about getting a Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 500GB 7200 RPM and it has both usb and firewire.

Any suggestions?

Edit: and if anyone has a maxtor already is it a aluminum or plastic exterior cover?

[ahhaa]

I have one; it works fine so far- good long warranty. Plastic shell.

In answer to your question- the one they are out of?

[piano632]

My recommendation always is to build your own external drive. Buy an internal drive and an empty external enclosure from NewEgg or somewhere, that way you can pick which brand of hard drive and enclosure features you want. If you can connect a couple of cables and use a screwdriver, that's all there is to it. Just be sure to get matching interfaces (SATA, IDE, etc.) and hard drive size (2.5", 3.5", etc.), and you should get one with a fan if you intend to leave it on for long periods of time.

[jameshgross]

I carry two maxtor 160 G USB drives for work.

They have been banged around, through airport xrays,
reformatted dozens of times and have never let me down.

[fritzi93]

My recommendation always is to build your own external drive. Buy an internal drive and an empty external enclosure from NewEgg or somewhere, that way you can pick which brand of hard drive and enclosure features you want. If you can connect a couple of cables and use a screwdriver, that's all there is to it. Just be sure to get matching interfaces (SATA, IDE, etc.) and hard drive size (2.5", 3.5", etc.), and you should get one with a fan if you intend to leave it on for long periods of time.

Second that.

I have a Nexxtech enclosure, aluminum shell, no problems in 3+ years, and swap drives out every now and then. Not difficult.

[RLT69]

My recommendation always is to build your own external drive

Except you can't build an external driver cheaper than a "ready made" one.

Seagate 1TB external HD $109 at newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010150414%2050001305%2010...ame=7200%20RPM

The other problem with building them is compatibility. The firmware of the case is not always compatible with all computers. People have had problem with the device not being recognized or fail to work after awhile. Buyer beware.

Fact is external HDs are so freakin' cheap these days DIY kits aren't cost effective.