Ext. HardDrive's any recommendations?

[StuR]

Hi, I could do with an ext. HDD and as there really cheap now (compartably so) I'm comsidering which to get.
Probable 250GB would do but I've seen 500GB for £60 which is probably the best value.
Problem I'm not sure of two thing's
1. Brand/reliability.
2. Bundled Backup software.

The lowest priced in the UK I've been looking at are Iomega, Lacie, and Matrox.
The Iomega no longer have backup software bundled the others do. The Lacie have to be horizontal, I'd prefer the vertical option for desk space.
So backup software -any point- there's plenty of other options for that, though I don't use it. It's planned as backup for folders and not whole drive images etc.
Some Matrox and Seagates seem to offer 5yr warranties, haven't seen the small print though.

Cheers for any advice, I haven't found any good multibrand reviews online yet.

[StuR]

Any thoughts? Doesn't have to be UK folks experience any opinons fine. 8)

[byteguy]

Size... get one size bigger than you think you will need. I say go for 500GB.

I've had a couple Maxtors over the years and they always worked very well. They had fans which made them slightly louder but made me feel better about heat issues. And they had a nice look to them when they were on my desk

I have a Lacie right now. Works like a champ. Ugly little box but I got a new desk and it's tucked away so it doesn't matter.

Backup software when you start talking this size is sort of useless. You end up with stacks of DVDs that have to be restored using the exact same software. I just got into the habit of using a regular burning program and creating partial backups of the stuff that really mattered to me. Otherwise, the best option is get a second drive, copy to that every so often, and then take that drive off-site.

[redwudz]

It mostly comes down to the hard drive the unit uses. Seagate and Western Digital have 5 year warranties on most drives. The external unit would likely have the same warranty. You might also consider a external enclosure and installing your own drive. But the packaged units are easier and the prices very good at times.

If you have a desktop computer with a spare internal SATA connection, you could also get a SATA PCI slot adapter and use a external SATA enclosure. This has a great advantage in that the drive will run at the same speed as your internal drives. And no USB/FireWire problems.



The external SATA enclosures are becoming more common. Most use eSATA, which is just a different cable. You can also find some units with both eSATA and USB, which would make them more versatile. Just a few suggestions.

[StuR]

Cheers for the reply,
I'm not considering a DIY ext. HDD as they look to me to be less cost effective. So for simplicities sake a USB2 will have to do as my laptop only looks to have firewire 400, otherwise I may go for a FW800 as that is faster than usb2.

[oldandinthe way]

I would stay with an external drive from a drive manufacturer. Therefore I'd select Seagate, Maxtor or WD.

I'd avoid Iomega, LaCie, I/Omagic and any other company that repackages other peoples drives. If you're not inclinced toward DIY you may find them to not be superior. There is great similarity between some integrators products and the cheapest DIY products.

Backup software varies widely in quality. Bundled backup software is bundled because it costs very little. And often is a tease to get you to pay for a higher capability version. Decide what you backup needs are and decide which software meets it. It probably won't be in anyone's bundle. I do not use any of the free backup software which came with my drives.

[redwudz]

A FW800 drive will run at FW400 speeds, if that your laptop interface speed. FireWire is often a better choice as an interface compared to USB 2.0, which is not designed for large file transfers. FireWire is also less prone to interruptions from the OS than USB is.

[Video Head]

I have been using a Seagate 500GB USB2.0 for a few months now. I just use it to store media files and it makes it convenient to move files/projects between workstations and the media centre. It is quick to transfer files - DVD5 in 3 minutes - and playback over USB2.0 has never quivered.

[JohnnyMalaria]

I have a variety of external drives from Seagate, Maxtor and WD. Some of these are USB2.0 only and others are dual USB2.0/FireWire.

I use USB2.0 exclusively. I used to use FireWire but found the connectivity very fickle - i.e., a lot of messing about getting the PC to recognize the drive when turning it on/plugging it in. The very same drive connected via USB2.0 was flawless.

The differences in transfer speeds are insignificant in the realm of video capture and editing (for DV/HDV at least). There is some CPU overhead but it, too, is insignificant for video.

FireWire can be very fussy when more than one device is connected to the same port and the speed of the bus will drop to that of the slowest device. Many camcorders operate at 100Mbps. If you have a FireWire hard drive daisy-chained with the camcorder, it will operate at 100Mbps. For this reason, I never mix my camcorders with hard drives. The large number of USB2.0 ports typically available make it a non-brainer which interface to use for an external drive.

If you get a dual interface one then you can use the most appropriate one at any given time.

Just my two pence, of course.

[StuR]

Great replies, thanks.
I'll likely stick to USB2 and format to NTFS, as a DVD in 3mins is fine for my needs .... more piece of mind.
Shame about the no to Iomega as they seem to offer the best value for money with a good loking housing, Seagate-ugly, WD lumpy also Iomega have an on/off switch whilst many are auto (handy if the drive isn't always used, but left plugged in)
As for backup software I'll look else-where, I think Nero is the only bundled software I've ever used.