Need help deciding on new external drive

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Jun 18, 2004
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The time has come for me to get a new external hard drive and since I already have a FreeAgent Go I am now looking for something that focuses on capacity rather than portability. After some searching, two drives that have caught my eye are the 2TB Seagate GoFlex Desk and the 2TB Western Digital My Book Elite. I don't have much experience or knowledge in this area so could anyone give me some insight on these two drives, or recommend a different one altogether if I've missed the mark in narrowing it down to these.

The main difference I see is the GoFlex's ability to upgrade to USB 3.0. I'll be using this drive with my XPS M1330 which doesn't have that technology, but it looks like I'd have the option to upgrade to it with a kit that includes an ExpressCard accessory. At $80, though, this would bring the GoFlex to the $230 range rather than $150 if I wanted to take advantage of USB 3.0, which is quite a difference (and makes it comparable in price to the WD My Book 3.0 if I decide to go that route). Also, the Western Digital has a longer warranty (3 years as opposed to 2) and a customizable display, which is pretty cool, but none of these are deal breakers for me.

So other than the things I've mentioned, could anyone tell me the pros and cons of these two models? Which one is better when it comes to software, reliability, performance, etc? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
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no love? i guess what the question boils down to is this: given the fact that with the goflex one has the option (albeit a costly one) to upgrade connections if so desired, is there any reason to opt for the my book elite instead? also relevant may be the fact that i'll likely never use that option, at least not anytime in the near future. any response from someone who has experience with one or both of these drives would be especially helpful.

alternatively, if there are better options in the same price range, please recommend.
 
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If it will be used to store large files, i would recommend a 5400rpm HDD due to heat reasons. USB 3.0 would also speed up transers considerably assuming your PC does not have (external) Serial ATA; which is still superior to USB regarding latency.

Simplest would be to buy your HDD yourself and buy a USB 3 / eSATA external enclosure.
 
I have a 2TB (and a 1TB) AcomData external drive that uses USB2.0 or eSata. I have it connected via eSata and it is much faster than USB. And according to a previous poster, if I am not mistaken, faster than USB3.0.

I use the 2TB to back up large media files. I am quite pleased with it. If I recall, it was under $150 shipped.

Good luck
 
One advantage to getting the drive and the external enclosure separately is that enclosures sometimes die much earlier than the drive and if you have to RMA the whole thing you will not get your data back so you contemplate whether or not to open the darn thing to get the standard sata drive out and forget about the warranty.
 
drescherjm said:
One advantage to getting the drive and the external enclosure separately is that enclosures sometimes die much earlier than the drive and if you have to RMA the whole thing you will not get your data back so you contemplate whether or not to open the darn thing to get the standard sata drive out and forget about the warranty.
Click to expand...

Are there any other benefits of buying the HDD and enclosure separately? It doesn't seem to be much of a money saver unless you buy the cheapest of materials, and looks like it could easily end up costing more depending on one's choice of enclosure, so does it come down to performance? Will a Samsung Spinpoint F3 hard drive with a USB 3.0 enclosure, for example, outperform a WD My Book 3.0?

Also, if I decide to buy the parts separately should I go with a USB 3.0 or eSATA compatible enclosure? My laptop doesn't have ports for either, so either way I'd have to get an expresscard to make it work.
 
Check out the posts below to get a general idea about the differences.


http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1479332&highlight=external+hard+drive

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1529870&highlight=external+hard+drive

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1517026&highlight=external+hard+drive

The lack of response has nothing to do with you and I commend you on your command of the English language. :)

This question has been asked/discussed many times and many here are old, tired, and hoping someone else will answer.....least I am! :D

AAR, check out those threads and maybe by that time somebody here will have some energy to answer specifics! :D
 
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