Buying an external enclousure...

[Invader_sk00dge]

I'm ordering a bunch of shit off Newegg next week. 1 74GB Raptor , 1 160GB Seagate SATA w/NCQ, and a Ratpadz GS. Getting to the point, I want to get an external enclosure for my Maxtor 80GB PATA drive. What is the best external enclosure out there at a decent price? Any help would be appreciated. And also, should I RAID my two Seagates? If so, in what configuration and what are the benefits?

 

[ashmedai]

1 74GB Raptor

Congratulations, those things rock.

1 160GB Seagate SATA w/NCQ

I use alot of these and they're pretty good performers as well as quiet. The NCQ probably won't do anything for you so don't go out of your way for it. Last I looked, 200GB was pretty close in price to 160GB so you may want to look at those too. Hitachi is also making very good drives.

What is the best external enclosure out there at a decent price?

Can't say as it matters much. I prefer firewire ones, but USB are cheaper & easier to find. The difference isn't very big so just get a cheap one that you like the look of.

And also, should I RAID my two Seagates? If so, in what configuration and what are the benefits?

For a desktop computer, RAID is usually a Bad Idea. Just jack it in and maybe NTFS folder mount it if you want to get fancy.

 

[Invader_sk00dge]

Thanks for the advice. Being the impulse buyer that I am, I'm probably waiting until the Raptor supports SATA 2 and saving the rest of the money to get a 64 bit rig with a Venice/San Diego core. Don't know how this will all work out. Not sure on all this yet. Thanks again.

 

[ashmedai]

SATA II will not likely do anything for the Raptor performace-wise if they release another version. However it will probably be bigger. Given that they're frequently used for OS + Programs and data is stored elsewhere, 74GB is already more than adequate and you can buy it now (or whenever you want) without waiting for a newer version.