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    Seagate 250GB 2.5" vs 500GB 3.5" external drives

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by pixelot, Nov 29, 2010.

  1. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    I need a new, bigger external drive for backups, and I'm trying to choose between this and this one.

    They were both highly rated on Newegg, and since I don't have a lot of time to research, I just narrowed based on rating.

    The first is 250GB, which is fine for my needs, and USB-driven, which is a plus. But I don't think it's as good a deal as the second, and would also be slower.

    The second one is nice and large at 500GB, but would require external power. But it would be fast. I thought I saw someone on here saying something against Seagate Expansions, and so that's my only hesitation on it.

    Any thoughts?

    TIA,
    pixelot :cool:
     
    pixelot, Nov 29, 2010
    #1
  2. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    If you're going to connect through USB 2.0 you'll hardly notice any speed difference.
     
    Phil, Nov 29, 2010
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  3. Nankuru

    Nankuru Notebook Evangelist

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    In the past 3.5" drives have been much more reliable, longer lasting, perform better and be much better at large data transfers which can cause overheating in 2.5" drives. The difference is lessening, but probably still there.

    I doubt you'd notice any speed difference in normal use, but self powered drives are much more convenient.

    Never used a Seagate external, but some say they aren't the best. I prefer the tougher, metal cased ones which seem to last longer.
     
    Nankuru, Nov 29, 2010
    #3
  4. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    Phil is correct, the speed of the drives will be limited by the speed of USB 2.0
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Nov 29, 2010
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  5. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    So I guess reliability and performance are a factor, but speed isn't. My only benefit from the 2.5" drive would be convenience, whereas the other is a better drive for the same price. I'm leaning toward the 3.5", as the warnings I had seen about the Expansion drive only applied to non-USB 2.0 ports.

    Thanks for the replies so far! :)
     
    pixelot, Nov 29, 2010
    #5
  6. linuxwanabe

    linuxwanabe Notebook Evangelist

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    Lousy deals. External drives with double the respective capacities were selling for the same price on Black Friday.
     
    linuxwanabe, Nov 29, 2010
    #6
  7. pixelot

    pixelot Notebook Acolyte

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    Hmmm. I would have thought Cyber Monday would offer better deals on digital storage. Darn.
     
    pixelot, Nov 29, 2010
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  8. Kyle

    Kyle JVC SZ2000 Dual-Driver Headphones

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    Kyle, Nov 30, 2010
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  9. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    Not a bad deal, but do you need absolutely need a portable drive? You can find a 3.5" external for much higher capacity.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Nov 30, 2010
    #9
  10. Kyle

    Kyle JVC SZ2000 Dual-Driver Headphones

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    But 2.5" drives have a higher shock tolerance....
     
    Kyle, Nov 30, 2010
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  11. linuxwanabe

    linuxwanabe Notebook Evangelist

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    In some cases, there were better deals available before Black Friday.
     
    linuxwanabe, Nov 30, 2010
    #11