Best External Drive 750GB/1TB

[smogsy]

looking for a good External Drive Give me some Recommendations

Needs
USB 2.0

Would Like
Firewire
To Look Nice Next to MacPro
to be quiet

 

[SpaceMagic]

I'm looking at this at the moment:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Dig...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1220173905&sr=1-22

It's 1TB, Firewire 400, 800 and eSATA. Currently have a MacBook but am thinking of upgrading later this year and so I would like the FireWire 800.

 

[richard.mac]

OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro.

- USB 2.0 & Firewire 400 + optional Firewire 800 &/OR eSATA
- case matches Mac Pro
- no fan so very quiet

the only noise comes from the platters spinning in the hard drive. you could always just order the case and then order a very quiet 3.5" hard drive like Samsung's SpinPoint then it would be ultra quiet .

mine has an old IDE Maxtor which is a bit loud so i put some foam inside the case and now its whisper quiet. it also has an annoying blue LED which i removed from the board when i opened the case.

 

[sickmacdoc]

While richthomas' suggestion from OWC would be the first one that came to my mind too, the quad-interface drive from G-Tech would be another one to consider based the same qualities described above....

http://www.g-technology.com/Products/G-DRIVEQ.cfm

 

[cube]

I have an OWC Elite Pro (non quad), and I find it's a bit tricky to screw in the drive.

I prefer the Macpower quad interface that I just got. It has no problem with the Samsung F1 3Gbps default configuration.

The F1 is fast, dense, and inexpensive.

 

[ayzee]

I'm looking at this at the moment:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Dig...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1220173905&sr=1-22

It's 1TB, Firewire 400, 800 and eSATA. Currently have a MacBook but am thinking of upgrading later this year and so I would like the FireWire 800.

Ill also be getting this in the next few weeks, but ill be getting it from Dabs.com. Its a little cheaper and free delivery.

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=56HN

From reading reviews just to warn you of the following "However, on a Mac you need to make sure you plug the power supply first, then firewire into the hard disk, then the other end of the firewire cable into the Mac. Otherwise it won't work, and you need to unplug it altogether and start again"

 

[AppliedMicro]

I got two Western Digital Caviar GP drives a few weeks ago (1 TB each).

With only 5400rpm, they're surely among the quietest drives I ever had. Way quieter than anything I've had from Samsung in the last years (only a 5400rpm Samsung beats it), and still fast enough for USB and/or FireWire. I'd definitely recommend them. Just get a decent fanless case to put them in...

 

[Fonzijr1964]

Western Digital My Book Studio 1TB single drive

 

[smogsy]

does that G qaud fit inside the Arch of the handles of the mp? if so thats cool & can it be brought within uk?

 

[Fonzijr1964]

does that G qaud fit inside the Arch of the handles of the mp? noif so thats cool & can it be brought within uk?yes

yeah

 

[AppleNewton]

probably not entirely what your looking for, but I like to be able to just purchase OEM drives and pick up a solid case.


I like the 750AAKS series from WD or the WesternDigital Caviar Black 1TB drives

or even this 5400 to 7200 1TB drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...36151&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-22-136-151-_-Homepage

and pick up a case like this:

USB2.0 & eSata:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817198004

USB2.0 & FW400:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817198004



personally, i use the latter, since I dont have eSata installed on my machine, but either one works identically well.
No internal fan, so its silent...the drive is barely noticeable in there as the heat and sound dissipated through well placed vents.
the casing really matches the MP as i have it sitting on top of it and doesnt get warm either.

They have 4 pads (removable) to rest easily on top of the MP, and it fits flush with the handles, not under but even at the top.

hope that helps =)

 

[Lesser Evets]

Anyone ever try this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...drive&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1210378658347

?? It's a Maxtor, which has spelled ass in my past. But I am hoping they changed. It was on sale for about $170 a week ago.

 

[nanofrog]

Anyone ever try this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...drive&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1210378658347

?? It's a Maxtor, which has spelled ass in my past. But I am hoping they changed. It was on sale for about $170 a week ago.

Seagate bought Maxtor.
However, I doubt its improved the quality at all. Especially when I looked at the customer review rating of 2 /5 stars.

 

[sickmacdoc]

does that G qaud fit inside the Arch of the handles of the mp? if so thats cool & can it be brought within uk?

No, it's not short enough to fit there unfortunately- it is 1.8" tall while the slot is approximately 1.25". A cooler use for that slot anyway is the upcoming release of the Nervian Card Reader Pro that is designed to slip right in there! http://www.nervian.com/

Sorry can't help regarding the UK availability, but I did note that they have a European support number that should be able to provide info- or emailing customer support from the website would answer that.

 

[sickmacdoc]

Anyone ever try this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...drive&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1210378658347

?? It's a Maxtor, which has spelled ass in my past. But I am hoping they changed. It was on sale for about $170 a week ago.

Note that it is USB 2.0 only. They make another model which Best Buy also carries which is called the One Touch 4 Plus that includes FireWire 400 in addition to the USB 2.