So as the title suggests, I'm looking for an external drive for a 2.5in HDD with eSata. I saw some Seagate offerings of 500GB at 7200 RPM with eSATA, but I also saw some external drives with eSATA. I'm just wary of external drives since I find very few reviews on the specific ones, and as my criteria is rather specific as well, it narrows it down. I'd like something transportable, but simple. So if anyone has an success/failure stories about relevant products, please post. Here's what I was looking at from Seagate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148576 with a 20 dollar eSATA powered cable it comes to 110 USD. And the custom one Enclosure http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3743052&CatId=2783 HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=samsung_spinpoint-_-22-152-236-_-Product Comes out to be around 100 USD with shipping. EDIT: Merry Christmas!
like the samsung drives.. I've had a problem with the f1 but it was replaced.. the f3 has been fine though never really had a issue with seagate drives.. but heard plenty of stories.. it's personal preference but I'd go with the seagate.. ultra started off good but then (like tigerdirect) went into the toilet imo- just don't trust the brand or vendor anymore merry christmas =]
Cheers for the heads up about Ultra. I only stooped to TD since it was there, but I'll be sure to look at other options.
Anyone else have any experiences with External drive enclosures they'd like to share, or prebuilt externals? reliability, etc.
That Seagate doesn't have an eSata port. BTW I've rarely ever seen a powered eSata. Maybe USB 3.0 would be good enough since since you wouldn't need a power adapter (since most eSata isn't powered). Try any one of these, they all should have eSata http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...deValue=542:46122&PropertyCodeValue=542:44018 I myself would build it myself. I've built 3 external enclosures (all 3.5") because drive manufactures tend to use cheaper drives to max profits. Plus building it yourself you get to choose exactly how it looks.
What enclosures did you buy/brands? I'm going to be throwing this into my backpack daily, so something durable would be nice. That Seagate drive has separate connections on the hard drive to allow Firewire, USB 3.0, eSata, and 2.0. The dock is 2.0 only and it comes with the drive. My laptop has eSata but not USB 3.0, hence my dilemma
Ohhh, I didn't see the Sata power/data connections. I thought it was just USB 2.0 and maybe a port for a wall wart. That's kinda cool especially if you can buy different adapters. If your laptop really does have a powered eSata, I'd go for the seagate. Otherwise with non powered eSata you're going to need a power source and a wall wart which isn't always convenient with a laptop
i've had a few external hdds, both premade, and self assembled. the freeagent is good, but you can get twice the capacity for the same price if you're willing to get a 3.5", otherwise its a pretty good price. personally i tend anymore to say to get a good bare drive, and find a cheap aluminum enclosure to put in it. its my experience that the control boards go out alot in these external drives and i end up having to swap the drive to a different case after long anyway. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817729009 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314 drive and case separate, and yes its only a 5400 rpm, but its unlikely to be that noticeable. you won't need a wallwart ever with a 2.5 external. thats what the usb cable is for, power. at least that has been the case on all of the esata drives i've used.
This enclosure, if you go for a custom made external (usually works out cheaper and more useful in years to come, in my opinion), is absolutely awesome and very cheap for the quality of the build and features: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/icy-...o-usb-20-and-esata-host-inc-75cm-blue-led-fan Not to sound too much like I'm plugging a product on behalf of scan (I don't care where you buy it, for what it's worth) but mine has proven fantastic. This is my fourth external caddy and by far my favourite. You really can't do better for the price and features.
Cheers for the suggestions, I was looking for a 2.5 big capacity is nice, but ill be throwing this into my backpack daily and something small is ideal, I'll keep them in mind when the need arises again though. I just went ahead and about the seagate as it'll do everything I need it to in a small neat package, thanks for the responses
Today's Newegg shell shock deal includes the Seagate GoFlex 500Gb, the one you were looking at for $55 between 10:00AM - 12:59PM PT http://www.newegg.com/Special/Shell...&cm_mmc=EMC-SW011110-_-email-_-E0-_-SneakPeek
