Reliable external hard drive: Best brand?

Hi folks, hoping you can advise.

I have an iMac, and now need a good, reliable external hard drive, mainly for my music, photos, and videos.

I’ve looked at a few reviews/recommendations online, and the consensus seems to be to go for:
- USB + Firewire + eSATA capability
- Biggest capacity that one can afford, but 1-2 times smaller than largest
available, since this will be the price ‘sweet’ spot
- 3.5”
- Best warranty

Can anyone recommend a particular brand you’ve found to be reliable?
A colleague mentioned LaCie, but online reviews haven’t been overly positive.

Suggestions welcome. Thanks!

Donna

Thanks, Hellhammer. I'll check out that link.

I take your point about reliability. I simply mean not being problematic within the first few months, as was the case involving an external HD I once had for a Dell.

Thanks, Cougarcat. That LaCie sounds good (just been reading up about it). You mention yours gets noisy sometimes. I note a few people have commented on its quiet running (which would be a factor me).

Thanks for the link, cluthz. Will read through it now.

Thanks, miles01110. In fact, I'm off to the shops shortly to pick up a LaCie d2 1T Quadra Hard Disk. It has a 3-year warranty. And because I can buy it locally (as opposed to a couple of the other brands), if there's a problem at least I can go back to that shop.

I spent a good hour or two earlier checking out the links above, as well as doing more research on LaCie. I read dozens and dozens of reviews, and while there were plenty of negative ones - as I noted for other brands as well - there were enough positive comments to help me decide. In particular, a number of photographers spoke highly of their LaCies. This struck a chord with me, as I'll be using my external HD mainly for photography, slideshows, and music. Several people also mentioned how quiet it was. (And on the basis of some of the negative reviews, I'll be sure to make regular back-ups.)

So, wish me luck.

A big thanks for the excellent responses to my original question. They helped me to make a better-informed decision.

Donna