External drives and enclosures

[Poppa_Meth]

I'm in the process of building a new computer. I need an new larger capacity external drive for backup. The mobo has plenty of USB 3.0 headers on it. I'm running into a little dilemma though. I can find plenty of drives with decent reviews like a WD Element, but they tend to be limited to 5400 rpm drives. I can also build my own like I've done in the past, but I'm having trouble finding enclosures that have anything but problematic reviews. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm probably looking for a 1 or 2 TB drive. Usually I've used Rosewill enclosures with built in fans. These have been USB 2.0 and eSata combos and have worked well in the past. The new models have several issues if you trust reviews. I guess I'm spoiled on speed from the eSata interface.

[hello_hello]

I think manufacturers tend to use 540rpm drives in external enclosures as they're quieter and run cooler.

Have you considered a standard "internal" drive and a dock or do you need a drive in a case?
http://gizmodo.com/5013801/hdd-plug-in-dock-gets-some-two-slot-esata-action

You could even consider a PC case with a sata dock built into the top. There's quite a few these days.
http://pc.mmgn.com/Forums/PC-Hardware/cases-with-external-hard-drive-docks

The links are just the first hits google offered.

The upside of docks is you can swap out hard drives without needed a separate power supply and USB /sata cable for each drive, just one for the dock, which makes life easier. I've got about a dozen drives and a dock connected to both PCs, and there's two TV's with built in media players in the house, both with a dock connected to them. I swap drives around quite frequently. The downside is docks are maybe a little less portable than a drive in an enclosure.

I'd recommend USB3 for dual drive docks. It tends to just work and it's backward compatible with USB2. Sata tends to be a bit more hit and miss and multiple drive docks require a sata controller that supports port multiplying. Many sata controllers don't.

[Poppa_Meth]

I like the case but I have my parts on the way already so that won't be an option. I will look at the dual dock though. I had looked at these, but in this instance the drive stays sitting on top of the coputer all the time so I was a bit worried about dust over the long run, which is why I was looking at full enclosures. I'll keep digging but definitely keep the dock in mind.

Thanks,

[usually_quiet]

I'm in the process of building a new computer. I need an new larger capacity external drive for backup. The mobo has plenty of USB 3.0 headers on it. I'm running into a little dilemma though. I can find plenty of drives with decent reviews like a WD Element, but they tend to be limited to 5400 rpm drives. I can also build my own like I've done in the past, but I'm having trouble finding enclosures that have anything but problematic reviews. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm probably looking for a 1 or 2 TB drive. Usually I've used Rosewill enclosures with built in fans. These have been USB 2.0 and eSata combos and have worked well in the past. The new models have several issues if you trust reviews. I guess I'm spoiled on speed from the eSata interface.

I have both of the enclosures below, which have been fine for my (intermittent) use. Are they the same Rosewill enclosures you mention in your post?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173042
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182247

[bbwizard]

You might consider future expansion and buy a multi-drive external like this MediaSonic ProBox.

http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProBox-HF2-SU3S2-SATA-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4

I started with this for $99 and one WD Black 2TB drive (7200RPM 5-yr warranty) and added one at a time til I had all 4. It is NOT a raid unit, and the 4 drives show up as separate drives, but it only takes one USB 3.0 or eSata connection, and runs cool and quiet. I have been using mine for 9+ months now and so far, it hasn't so much as hiccuped. I use 2TB drives because I am still running XP, but the enclosure supports up to 8TB per drive for newer OS.

[fritzi93]

Just a few observations:

You may find a current 5400 rpm drive to be surprisingly fast. I got a Samsung 5 TB 5400 rpm external recently, and timed some file transfers. This drive is faster than a 5700 rpm Seagate green drive that's 2 years old, and nearly as fast as a 1 year old 7200 rpm Barracuda. And those drives are mounted internally in the tower.

I was also surprised at how much USB 3 has closed the speed gap with eSATA, as opposed to USB 2.

If the drive is for backups and not intended to be on continuously, perhaps you could get by with a Seagate/Samsung/WD external and not worry about an aftermarket enclosure? The Samsung I mentioned has not gotten unacceptably hot, even for file transfers lasting hours. IIRC, it never got above 45 degrees C.

[lingyi]

You might consider future expansion and buy a multi-drive external like this MediaSonic ProBox.

http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProBox-HF2-SU3S2-SATA-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4

I started with this for $99 and one WD Black 2TB drive (7200RPM 5-yr warranty) and added one at a time til I had all 4. It is NOT a raid unit, and the 4 drives show up as separate drives, but it only takes one USB 3.0 or eSata connection, and runs cool and quiet. I have been using mine for 9+ months now and so far, it hasn't so much as hiccuped. I use 2TB drives because I am still running XP, but the enclosure supports up to 8TB per drive for newer OS.

+1 on this. I was going to suggest this, but bbwizard bet me to it!

I have three of these with the oldest one running 24/7 for over a year. The only inconvenience is that you have to restart when you reboot or turn on your system.

[Poppa_Meth]

Thanks for the input. Yes that first link is the Rosewill enclosure I've been using. I haven't tried the USB3 version yet. I like the idea of the multi-drive. I'll put some more thought into that one. I seem to always be running out of storage now.

[redwudz]

Another decent brand of external enclosures: http://www.startech.com/HDD/Enclosures/?page=1

I have several models of these.

[DarrellS]

I took the guts out of my WD MyBook and have a good external drive hooked to it with MB screws for feet. I take the drive out and hook to the top dock on my CoolerMaster 690 II (the one in the 2nd link except mine is black). I also have a CoolMax external enclosure but I mostly use it to wipe out drives that I want to put an OS on.

I love my CoolerMaster 690 II case. I've done a few builds with the same model. It is getting hard to find though. My old MyBook and CoolMax both use eSata, USB and Firewire.

I keep the TV in the Living Room hooked to a WD HDTV which has the 1TB MyBook and a 30GB thumbdrive hooked to it. I have my PC connected to my Surround receiver in the BR via HDMI and the Hauppauge 1212 to the PC and to the receiver via Component cable.

[glenpinn]

As an external Drive, you don't need anything faster than 5400rpm, and if i was you, just grab a 2tb portable drive that runs only by the USB 3.0 ports, no need for plugging into a mains power point.

[Poppa_Meth]

Well I ended up with a normal USB3 enclosure with a WD Caviar Black in it for now. I'll look into expanding storage later, but I got this enclosure dirt cheap on a Cyber Monday sale so I couldn't pass it up. $15 for a nice aluminum shell with heavy power and USB cables. Reviews extremely well.