Just a couple of questions about external hard drives

[iMikeT]

I'm looking to buy a new external hard drive and this time was looking to buying an external enclosure and swapping out the drive when ever it I fill it up.

Anyway, I just wanted to ask a couple of questions.

1) How reliable are external enclosures and how reliable is the method of swapping out drives when one fills up?
2) What is the best way to store a drive that I have filled up?

 

[roker]

One suggestion I would make in reply to question 1), is to buy a decent enclosure- the first external hdd I had I put together with the cheapest enclosure I could find thinking it wouldn't matter, but now I know it's worth buying a pricey casing (less rattling/vibration from hdd, hdd stays cooler (esp if it has it's own fan), overall higher quality materials & sturdier in general)

Hope this helps

 

[iMikeT]

One suggestion I would make in reply to question 1), is to buy a decent enclosure- the first external hdd I had I put together with the cheapest enclosure I could find thinking it wouldn't matter, but now I know it's worth buying a pricey casing (less rattling/vibration from hdd, hdd stays cooler (esp if it has it's own fan), overall higher quality materials & sturdier in general)

Hope this helps

At which point, I am probably better off getting and OEM external hard drive.

 

[seany916]

G-Technology has been very reliable for us. Used exclusively for video editing. Writing over and over and over again. NO problems with 8 drives. (We are at 3TBs currently). If you don't need a fast drive, their G-drive minis (only 4200rpm) are really portable, bus powered, and dead reliable.

I've actually edited really simple DV on these drives with no dropped frames.

Get the 100GB one or a larger one if available. It's small, portable, and reliable.

I do not work for G-Tech or affiliated. I lost a LOT of infor from 2 failed LaCie hard drives. Though their external CD & DVD drives were dead reliable for us.

 

[xfiftyfour]

G-Technology has been very reliable for us.

OWC makes some good enclosures, too (they sell both: enclosures only, and enclosures with drives). I love their elite-al line.