Questions about 3.5 external hard drive

Hello. Newbie here. This is my first post.

I just got my 1st laptop about 2 weeks ago. I've been using a desktop for years. Now i am making my laptop my main computer. Here's the specs:

AMD Turion 64 X2 (2x2.1GHz)
4GB Dual-DDR2 800MHz
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200
250GB 5400RPM HDD

Since i used to use a desktop which had 360GB of hard drive, I find the 250GB quite small. And the brand of the hard drive is Hitachi and it doesnt sound as reliable as Seagate...

So now, I am thinking of getting an external hard drive. I am eyeing on 3.5inch 7200RPM internal desktop drives with an enclosure. I dont think i want a 2.5inch external HDD since it's more expensive (less GB for the $).
I intend to use it by just leaving it on my desk (beside my laptop "docking station"). I dont want to change my laptop's internal drive either because it will void the warranty, and it's expensive.

Here's what i will use it for:
- It will stay in my room beside my laptop "docking station"
- Windows Backup - i will have windows automatically back up to the hard drive because i dont know if this internal Hitachi Travelstar is reliable. I dont want to lose my data...
- HD movies - i'm getting fond of HD movies but they're quite huge in terms of file size...
- Games (heavy ones)
- Whatever i think i wont need in my laptop when I travel
- When the need arises that i may have to bring the external HDD around


So here are my questions:

1. Will a 7200RPM 3.5 inch external drive outperform a 2.5inch 5400rpm external drive? since they both use the USB interface anyway...

2. Does a 3.5inch enclosure still need a power brick and plugged to the wall outlet?

3. Since it's using the USB interface, is it fast enough for me to be able to run heavy games from the external hard drive?

4. Is it "bad" to keep the hard drive in the enclosure because of heat?
I plan to put a Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM SATA in it. That's a lot of data. So i dont want it failing anytime..

5. How many USB ports will it need on my laptop? I've seen those external hard drives that need 2 usb ports for it to work. but those were 2.5 drives.

6. I will be keeping it on my desk most of the time. But there might be times that i really need to bring it with me. Is it bad to bring a 3.5 HDD around even when it's not spinning?

7. Power surges are quite often here in our area. Can it damage the hard drive? (If #2 is a yes)

8. Would it be okay to have the HDD running for a long time? like a few hours, if not days?

9. what are the advantages/disadvantages of 3.5 externals against 2.5s?

10. Are there 3.5 HDD enclosures that are better than the other? Are there those that read/write slower or faster than the other? Are there those that may damage the hard drive?

11. Which one would perform better? Which one would i rather install games on? The internal 5400RPM or the externa USB 7200RPM?


if you have suggestions for me, please do let me know.

thanks for reading.

 

1. Higher RPM = faster access

2. Yep

3. Games will be impacted when accessing external drives.

4. No, just keep it in a well ventilated area

5. I personally would not recommend any external drives that need 2 USB ports to work.. Either with one or one with external power.

6. I carry my external drives with me all the time

7. Possible

8. Sure, many drives run 24/7

9. 3.5" are heavier and more often require an external power source.

10. Personal preference I guess. I go for cost and storage capacity more than brand name.

cheers ...

 

hey thanks for the reply.

regarding number 1: since both use USB interface, would the 7200RPM really be a lot faster than the 5400RPM?

number 3: would games perform better if i install them on the internal 5400RPM drive than the USB 7200RPM one?

number 5: would care to tell me why you wouldnt recommend such?

number 6: what kind of external drive do you carry with you? a 3.5 inch?

number 10: do enclosures have a maximum capacity?

thanks again.

 

Many of the drives that come with a dual port connector do not require two ports. However if the laptop isnt giving enough juice out of one port then two definitely becomes necessary.

Ive had 2 simpletechs which contain western digital caviars dont remember the power specs on them but they both operated off a single normal power usb port and i believe the drive was rated for slightly less then the usb specification for full power (5.1 volt 500mah).

 

No. The USB 2.0 interface (480Mbps max) is the limiting performance factor in this case, regardless if you are using a 5,400RPM, 7,200RPM, or even a 10,000RPM hard drive with a USB 2.0 interface. Hard drives can only perform as fast as the USB specification allows them to.

Yes. This is due to the fact that the performance of a 7,200RPM hard drive will be capped by a slow USB interface versus a fast internal interface (SATA I/II) in your laptop with a 5,400RPM HDD. However, the performance of a higher spindle speed hard drive in games will only be seen during map/level loading.

500GB 2.5" HDD all the way. The smaller formfactor is ideal for me from a mobile perspective. With 2.5" 5,400RPM external HDD's, I don't need to worry about additional USB power plugs to power my storage solution like some 7,200RPM drives make you do.

Yes. Most DIY external enclosures are capped at 1TB HDD capacities.

 

hey thanks for the replies. i have another question. Is it bad to bring a 3.5 external HDD around? Its normally going to be on my desk but if ever i really do need to bring it around, is it bad? I know i should never plug it in and use it if i'm moving (in a car, or airplane). But if it's not plugged in, is it really very fragile?

 

My external HDDs have travelled a bit with me - moved house a bit... still work

But the 2,5" is recommened for travelling - more robust, smaller, doesn't need a socket.
Maybe get two drives? A 3,5" for home and a 2,5" for travelling.

 

hmm. i dont badly need an external drive to bring with me all the time. i'll just bring my whole laptop instead as it is built for mobility.

so anyway are there enclosures that are better than the other? in terms of performance probably? are there enclosures that may break my hard drive? Should i avoid cheap enclosures as they may break my hard drive? what brands of enclosures should i look for?

and which hard drive is better?:

Seagate Barracuda 500GB Sata 7200RPM
Western Digital Green Power 500GB 7200RPM
Samsung 500GB 7200RPM

I want a drive that is durable... and reliable... i dont want to lose my data.

 

Why don't you buy a drive designed as an external drive?
Drive in an exclosue with USB cable and power supply.

Western Digtal and Maxtor do them - I have 3 of such a kind.

 

a lot of cheap drive here http://shop.seagate.com/store/sgateus/Content/pbPage.OnSalePage