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USB hard drive recommendations?

R

Rifleman70T

n00b
Joined
Jan 16, 2005
Messages
30
Hi, I'm looking to buy a USB 2.0 hard drive with ~200GB capactity. I can't seem to find any comparisons - but I'll concede that I'm probably not looking in the right places.

Can you recommend a good USB hard drive - one that is reliable and doesn't require any fancy drivers or programs?

Thank you.
 
My recommendation would be to buy a USB enclosure for about 25 bucks and then you can put in whatever hard drive you want. I have two such enclosures and have had no problems.



 
If you are running Windows XP with at least Service Pack 1 or 2000 with SP4, you do not need any drivers for a USB or Firewire external hard drive. Most external hard drive kits are overpriced - have you considered making your own? You can make your own with an internal drive and an external enclosure, and choose what capacity and brand of drive you want. The enclosure typically costs $30-45,

Firewire is generally a tad faster than USB, and exhibits lower CPU utilization during transfers. You will want to buy a hard drive with fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) motors, as they run significantly cooler than conventional ceramic or metallic bearing motors. Hitachi, Samsung, and Seagate are on FDB across the board, there are still some Maxtor and WD drives made without FDB motors. This enclosure (admittedly USB only) is $30, and this 250GB Hard Drive gets you 250GB for $161.50, compared to $177 for the cheapest 250GB External drive on Newegg. Building your own, you control what hard drive you put into the enclosure, and will get better perormance from the 250GB Hitachi drive I linked to than whatever 7200RPM drive an integrator decides to put in their enclosure. Granted, you do not get any software with a DIY external drive, but ti sounds like you don't want any anyway. I'd build your own. Cheaper, you get a better drive, and a warranty on the drive from a vendor you can trust. Also consider a 200GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 PATA drive for Seagate's 350G non operating shock resistance, a potential plus if the drive will be moved around a lot, along with a 5 year warranty direct from Seagate.
 
Hi, thanks for the advice. A USB 2.0 external enclosure looks like a good option. But, I am definitely not getting a Hitachi Deathstar since I've seen firsthand how badly they fail. Sorry, I won't be buying another 250GB Hitachi.

Thank you for your trouble.
 
All the more reason to build your own. If you don't like a particular brand of hard drive, your only options to be 100% sure that you don't get that brand are to build your own, or buy an external drive from one of the major makers (Seagate, Maxtor or WD) But they're way overpriced. I by no means suggested that the Hitachi was the only way to go - indeed, I recommended the Seagate for the better shock resistance and longer warranty, both nices bonuses for a drive that will be moved around. And for the Seagate on Zipzoomfly, the bare drive costs half ($119) of what the external kit direct from Seagate does ($255). Doing it yourself costs $100 less, and the warranty on the drive is 4 years longer on DIY, as Seagate only warrants their External kits for 1 year :eek: Admittedly, the warranty on the enclosure is the same 1 year, but the drive will fail in the vast majority of cases long before the enclosure does.
 
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