encased external hard drive or dock + hard drive?

[pictures]

I'm needing to get myself an external hard drive for backing up my iMac but am not sure what to get.

Most of the reviews I read for the external ones like the WD mybooks are not that great; that they are expensive, don't last very long and use annoying software to do simple tasks.

So maybe I just want a big blank hard drive I can format myself and put into a dock. That way I can switch out drives easily.

Finally, any recommendations for drives (and docks for that matter, though there are less to choose from)? The hd in my iMac is 1T, but I have barely used 1/10 of that! Should I go ahead and get a 2 T or stick with the 1? Are there some brands that are consistently more reliable than others?

thanks for the help!

 

[tug]

hi, I've been using a wd 1tb mybook for about 6 months now with no issues, it works flawlessly with time machine using usb 2.

i also read some negative revues about this drive but mostly the revues i was looking at were positive.

so i went ahead and purchased it, glad i did.

now looking to purchase another so i can safely store my mp4's and mp3's.
got about 200 gb... just in case.