The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Which 500GB External Hard Disk to buy?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by sa_ill, Apr 16, 2007.

  1. sa_ill

    sa_ill Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    38
    Messages:
    701
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Which is the best 500 GB external HDD available.
    I want the best price/performance ratio.
    I am considering the Western Digital My Book
    1.) 500 GB Normal USB 2.0 $190
    2.) 500 GB Firewire with Capacity Indicator $215

    Which of these do you think are worth?
    Is there any other 500GB External Hard Disk worth considering?
     
    sa_ill, Apr 16, 2007
    #1
  2. Gautam

    Gautam election 2008 NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,856
    Messages:
    3,564
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    I have the dual interface (USB/IEEE1394) WD MyBook. It's a great unit - peppy, quiet and great looking. There is a firewire pass-through if that's useful to you. If you run Windows, it has a elegant LED gauge on the front to let you know what % of the drive is used.
     
    Gautam, Apr 16, 2007
    #2
  3. jetstar

    jetstar Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    1,095
    Messages:
    7,034
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    Consider the new Seagate FreeAgent Desktop. Its available in 500GB configuration.
     
    jetstar, Apr 16, 2007
    #3
  4. sa_ill

    sa_ill Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    38
    Messages:
    701
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    how much does it cost
    and what the difference b/w the transfer rates of USB and Firewire?
    can anybody please give me more alternatives
     
    sa_ill, Apr 16, 2007
    #4
  5. SideSwipe

    SideSwipe Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    756
    Messages:
    2,578
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I think nowadays based on numbers USB and firewire have the same speeds but in real time performance, firewire is still faster.

    You could also opt for a external with eSATA but you would need an express card to use the eSATA interface.
     
    SideSwipe, Apr 16, 2007
    #5
  6. FREN

    FREN Hi, I'm a PC. NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    679
    Messages:
    1,952
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Western Digital, Seagate, and Maxtor are the biggest names in external hard drives. I have a Western Digital, and I have heard nothing but good things about WD and Seagate.

    Have you considered building your own external hard drive? You need to buy a 500 GB internal hard drive, and then buy an external enclosure for it. Manufacturers inflate the prices on 500 GB externals because it's so big. You're basically paying a premium for the large amount of space that it holds. By just building your own external hard drive, you solve that problem by getting the hard drive for what it's really worth. And the plus side is, making your own external hard drive is as simple as installing new RAM. Just put the hard drive into an enclosure and pop in a driver CD!

    Build your own:

    500 GB Western Digital internal hard drive: $119
    3.5" External Hard Drive Enclosure: $20

    Total price including shipping: $145


    Just to put in perspective, Western Digital's 500 GB MyBook retails for $200.
     
    FREN, Apr 16, 2007
    #6
  7. sa_ill

    sa_ill Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    38
    Messages:
    701
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Well I had a external enclosure but since my use is pretty rough and tough, the case kept getting malfunctioned
     
    sa_ill, Apr 17, 2007
    #7
  8. FREN

    FREN Hi, I'm a PC. NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    679
    Messages:
    1,952
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    You'd be surprised how cheap and plasticky external hard drives feel, all of them. My Western Digital is made of plastic. There is no crush protection.

    The Kingwin external enclosure I posted above will be better than the Western Digital that I currently have. It's made of a lot of aluminum to protect shock and crush areas.
     
    FREN, Apr 17, 2007
    #8
  9. sa_ill

    sa_ill Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    38
    Messages:
    701
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    oh........didnt know that
    my friend has the western digital and i found it pretty decent
     
    sa_ill, Apr 17, 2007
    #9
  10. x31234

    x31234 Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    51
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    ive got the FreeAgentg 500gb external it was on sale at Frys for 139
     
    x31234, Apr 17, 2007
    #10
  11. sa_ill

    sa_ill Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    38
    Messages:
    701
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    if ya can ship is to dubai i wud luv it
     
    sa_ill, Apr 17, 2007
    #11
  12. Gautam

    Gautam election 2008 NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    1,856
    Messages:
    3,564
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    105
    If you guys want to buy & sell please open a new thread in the B/S/T forum.

    On the subject of speeds, IEEE1394 (Firewire) is technically faster, although in reality it's about the same as USB2.0.

    @FREN - Do you own a WD MyBook? It doesn't feel cheaply made or plasticy at all...
     
    Gautam, Apr 17, 2007
    #12