iMac Accessories Questions

[pMad]

Soon I will be purchasing an iMac 24" 3.06

Kingston's 4GB upgrade is $140.00 + shipping - Apple charges $180 so I'll just let Apple do it.

750GB internal hard drive (Apple charges $90 to go from 500GB -> 750GB but $135 to go from 750GB -> 1TB)

Here are the accessories I planned on adding:

1TB External Hard Drive (actually internal with enclosure)

Hard drive:
HITACHI CinemaStar 7K1000 HCS721010KLA330 (0A35274) 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145169

Do you suggest something else?

Enclosure:
Do I want USB or FireWire (1394)? Why?
What do you suggest?

I was thinking about:
Rosewill RX-358-S BLK (Black) 3.5" SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173042

or would you do something more simple like
Rosewill RX35MV-SU-D BLK 3.5" SATA to USB 2.0 External Enclosure
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173049


USB hub:
I have a lot of USB usage - scanner, inkjet printer, iPod shuffle and iPod Classic, camera dock, external hard drive, GPS, etc. (My laser is wireless)

I was thinking:
Rosewill RHUB-310 USB2.0 7 Port Shining Standing Hub With Power Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182139

Suggestions?

Any other accessories you would add?

Thanks

 

[macdot]

It's probably cheaper just to buy an external HDD rather than put together your own. I believe the new iMacs have FW800 which is faster than USB2, so I'd get a drive with that. FW trumps USB anyways because of more consistent data transfer rates.

 

[flopticalcube]

Go with FW800. Even FW400 is faster than USB most of the time. Buy a separate disk and enclosure as you get a longer warranty on the drive.

 

[Artful Dodger]

I would go with a FW800 case and at that point did you look at www.macsales.com for other options? I found their top unit with your needs for $339 and a 2 year warranty and you could choose a different case for less money like this: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB
Since the iMac comes with a FW800 I'd go that route because it will handle better than the USB over larger files.
I only listed this because I didn't find any warranty info with the unit you listed on NewEgg. I would also see if you live near a Sam's Club, Costco or a BJ's type of whole sale club looking at their stuff for a USB hub. I found a Belkin unit that sells for $50+ for $25 at my local Sam's Club and it works great. Just a thought if you need it now or if a port doesn't work it's a quick return/replace otherwise that looks nice. Not sure what the person meant by "short cables" unless they were under 3 ft. long.