Help Me Decide: Western Digital, Toshiba, or Seagate 250GB External Hard Drive

[takeit2dahouse]

I'm looking to buy an external hard drive for my MacBook and have all three options available at the same price ($99)

My options for the 250GB are..

1. Western Digital My Passport Essential 250GB Portable Hard Drive
http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/201495/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

2. Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External 250GB Hard Drive
http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/204446/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

3. Seagate® FreeAgent™ Go Portable External USB 2.0 Hard Drive, 250GB
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/403875/Go-Portable-External-USB-Hard-Drive/

I'm mostly looking for something that is easy to use and will withstand my 3 1/2 month study abroad trip.

I heard some hard drives need to be formatted and such and I'm not too computer savvy so I'd rather not have to do all that stuff. I just want something that works well with my MacBook and that I can just plug in and use easily.

Thanks in advance!

 

[khunsanook]

If you really don't want to mess with any formatting (although it's quite easy), then buy a WD My Passport Studio.

 

[Apple Ink]

Freeagent!

 

[takeit2dahouse]

Thanks for the help guys.

Are any of those brands faster or more Macbook compatible then the others?

 

[noodle654]

I wouldnt get anything that you suggested. USB 2.0 is slow (I have a Passport). I would get a WD drive with a FireWire 400. I think WD makes a Passport with a Firewire now.

 

[alphaod]

I'm a fan of Seagate reliability and performance.

 

[Apple Ink]

I'm a fan of Seagate reliability and performance.

Me too! I have 6 Seagate HDDs (both external and internal) and one of them has been running since 5 years now without a problem!

P.S.: If you want to open the Freeagent and "replace" the drive (not ''remove'') then forget it because the Freeagents are very tough to open smoothly! The outer shell often dents in process!

 

[iamvexed]

The Seagate warranty is hard to beat!

 

[M4CBOOK]

Wd