Moving abroad; External HD advice

[comebacktobed]

Hiya,

I plan to move to China over the summer for work and am trying to digitize my life. I have a 2007 Macbook with 1GB of RAM -- I've already been to the Genius Bar at Apple to discuss RAM options (I'm going upgrade to 2GB), but now I need to figure out my external HD

I currently have 500GB external HD that I use as to backup files through Snow Leopard's TM. It connects with a USB, but still needs to plug into a socket for power. I know I would need an adapter and an electricity converter (any suggestions?)

My main concern is getting another external HD to store files onto. I am a teacher and I do not want to lug all of my (paper) files across the world, so my plan is to digitize everything before I go. I assume I'd only need 500GB to do this -- any suggestions as to a brand? The other HD I have, I received after I almost lost my data when my vault malfunctioned; the Apple customer service rep sent me an HD, so I don't actually know/remember the brand as I didn't do any research for it ...

I really just need to figure out the best external HD option that I can take with me when I move; compact & somewhat lightweight. Anything else you think I might need to function abroad would also be appreciated

Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[spinnerlys]

http://guides.macrumors.com/External_Hard_Drives

There are also many, many, many 2.5" HDDs using only USB for transfer and power, I know have four or five of them and hardly ever touch my 3.5" HDDs anymore, unless I need more storage or speed.

 

[comebacktobed]

There are also many, many, many 2.5" HDDs using only USB for transfer and power, I know have four or five of them and hardly ever touch my 3.5" HDDs anymore, unless I need more storage or speed.

Thanks for the link!

Do external HDs that use USB for power run slower? You mention you wouldn't use others unless you need more space or speed ...

 

[spinnerlys]

Thanks for the link!

Do external HDs that use USB for power run slower? You mention you wouldn't use others unless you need more space or speed ...

I work in video editing, which sometimes requires a constant read/write speed of more than 20MB/s for hours, so Firewire is the better option and 3.5" HDD are still cheaper when it comes to 1TB HDDs.

But USB 2.0 HDDs, be it a 2.5" or 3.5" HDD offer 35MB/s at peak speeds, so if you don't do anything intensive, that should more than suffice.

2.5" HDDs can deliver speeds of up to 95MB/s with 7200RPM HDDs, but only e-SATA can deliver that transfer rate, Firewire 800 tops out at 65-70MB/s.