educate me on external enclosures

[1fastdoc]

I currently have a P4 system with an Asus P4C800-E Deluxe MB and a WD 36GB drive as well as a WD 160GB drive that I built in 2003. It has served me well but the drives are full and I'm concerned about their longevity.

I had originally planned to buy another internal HD but lately I've been thinking that it would be nicer to have an external that I could carry downstairs and hook to my DVD player through it's USB port to watch movies.

From reading this forum it seems that most would recommend buying a HD and an enclosure vs. just getting a retail external setup. But when I started looking at external enclosures it left me with a bunch of questions and there are a whole lot of choices.

FWIW, I will be building a whole new system in 2 years, which will get the WD 640GB drive I intend to use for the external and I haven't kept up to date with all this stuff since my last build so I feel like a noob all over again. The new HD will go into the next computer.

The first question is whether or not I should get an enclosure with eSATA. Can my mobo support SATA II? I can't find any mention of it in the manual.

Next question regards the enclosure's internal interface. Some are IDE, some are SATA. Does this matter? On that note, what is the benefit of a firewire port? I've never used mine on the computer.

Lastly, I see some monster sized enclosures and some slim ones that look far more portable. Where the heck to I begin? I can't understand dropping $50 on an enclosure when the drive only costs $100. That brings the cost up significantly over the retail externals. So going back to the question -- where do I begin??

Thanks for any help. This place has been a very valuable source of info.

[mpichescs]

If an eSata enclosure is more expensive you dont need it. It seems you only plan on reading media files from it and usb or firewire would be just fine. And for the same reason I dont think it matters if its IDE or SATA.

I think you should focus more on brand or model that proves its reliability because you will be moving the drive around. Focus your attention there because the interface doesnt really mean much to you.

Also about your MB and sata II I have no idea I just work here.

[Old Hippie]

Next question regards the enclosure's internal interface. Some are IDE, some are SATA. Does this matter?
Match the internal interface to the drive you're going to install. You'll be buying a SATA drive, buy the interface that matches. (Hint....it's SATA :D)


The first question is whether or not I should get an enclosure with eSATA.
Might as well. Having external USB and eSATA interfaces gives the best of both worlds and more than likely, your new computer will have an eSATA port.



Lastly, I see some monster sized enclosures and some slim ones that look far more portable.
You're probably getting confused between 2.5" and 3.5" enclosures. 3.5" is for desktop and 2.5" are for laptop drives.


I can't understand dropping $50 on an enclosure when the drive only costs $100. That brings the cost up significantly over the retail externals
Increased reliability and troubleshooting are the major factors that roll-ur-own have over the pre-built units.

In the end, it's all about how valuable your data is to you.

[1fastdoc]

You're probably getting confused between 2.5" and 3.5" enclosures. 3.5" is for desktop and 2.5" are for laptop drives.


Thanks for the replies, they've been helpful.

After looking more closely it appears I was confusing enclosures with docking stations, which looked a lot bulkier in the pics.

Since I plan on moving it around and I have a curious 2 year old boy I would think an enclosure is a better option.

So should I just pluck one from the top of the rating list then? Most of these brand names are new to me. Here's where I'm looking:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010090092+1053807123+1054107131+1054207137&name=USB+%26+eSATA&Order=RATING

[Old Hippie]

My standard recommendation is the Antec MX-1 (http://www.antonline.com/p_MX-1-GP_288738.htm).

Good Luck!