External Hard Disk Backup

thefonz on 29/10/2009 at 22:55

I'm in the market for an external hard disk.

Specifically >=1tb for no more than £100 if possible.

Any recommendation? How valuable/robust are these things since I essentially just want to have it as one point on my network where i can backup my music and files etc from my desktop pc and laptop (hence the large size) since I deal with alot of big bulky projects and excel sheets.

Answers on a postcard; appreciate the help :)

Fonz.

LarryG on 29/10/2009 at 23:40

I've had a (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=466) Western Digital My Book for about a year now. No complaints. It isn't as fast as an internal drive, but speed is adequate.

Matthew on 30/10/2009 at 12:26

Likewise.

Hesche on 30/10/2009 at 15:15

(http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/External/Buffalo+1TB+DriveStation+Combo4+Firewire+800%2F400%2C++eSATA+and+USB+2.0+Comobo+external+hard+drive?productId=33684) Buffalo DriveStation Combo 4 (HD-HS1.0TQ)

A bit above your price limit with £117.22 inc. VAT, but it has 1 TB storage and features 4 different connection types (USB 2.0, Firewire 400, Firewire 800, eSATA) for fast transfer rates and it´s silent.

I would suggest getting a drive with eSATA connector.

Quote:

With the ever increasing demand for digital content creation and storage, file sizes are getting larger and people have a need for faster data transfer and back-up. The DriveStation Combo4 Turbo USB comes with a choice of interfaces types - eSATA, FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0.
Support of FireWire 400 and 800 interfaces ensures high speed communication and data transfer rates within a Mac environment.
The USB2.0 interface transfer speed is further boosted by the use of Buffalo’s Turbo USB software, offering an improved transfer rate of up to 20%.
eSATA is becoming the external storage interface for many video and audio specialists who require high transfer speeds. This combination of interfaces on a single product offers universal connectivity for both Windows and Mac users.

thefonz on 30/10/2009 at 17:02

What about these 500gig and 750gig "passport" drives from WD? They seem well worth it and advantage is they do not have a power cable!

(http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176480)

Ostriig on 31/10/2009 at 22:19

I'm not sure I understand, couldn't a regular HDD and an external enclosure work? As a random example, a (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Hard+Drives/Serial+ATA/1TB+Seagate+Barracuda+7200.12+SATA+3Gb%2Fs+Hard+Drive+?productId=37204) 1TB Seagate and a (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Drive+Bays/External+%28For+SATA+Drive%29/Icy+Box++IB-318StUS2-B+External+Enclosure+for+3.5%22+SATA+HDD+?productId=35986) 3.5'' enclosure would you get you around 80 quid.

thefonz on 1/11/2009 at 20:54

Yeah I had one of them but it broke, my point is - small, compact and only usb powered...the WD Passport seems to be the best bet.