Which (quiet!) external hard disk to buy? (500gb)

[bushi]

Which external hard disk should I buy? My most important requirement is that it's very silent. I've got a macbook so only fw400 and usb 2.0

-Iomega 500 gb USB 2.0
-WD My Book (home or studio so fw400!)

Thanks!

 

[Reflow]

Which external hard disk should I buy? My most important requirement is that it's very silent. I've got a macbook so only fw400 and usb 2.0

-Iomega 500 gb USB 2.0
-WD My Book (home or studio so fw400!)

Thanks!

Here is the one I have. Little or no noise. Plus you can add it to your network through a network cable.

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/product.htm?pid=10844

 

[RichyHo]

Freecom 500GB

I've got 2 of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freecom-Drive-500GB-External-silver/dp/B000LQA652

Very quiet, well built (feel solid) and the aluminium and polished black front match my iMac nicely.

 

[Morod]

I've got a G-Tech 500GB f/w 400/800 drive that is very quiet. There's no fan so no fan noise. They're a bit spendy but I found the best price at Amazon.com. They also have a 3 year warranty if that means anything.
Morod

 

[theLimit]

I put one of the new Western Digital GreenPower drives in a Rosewill RX81 external case and it's as quiet as the hard drive in my MBP. Plus, it looks like a Mac Pro.

 

[gordyc44]

Best one I found...

Hi,

I've just ordered my second Rocpro 800 AV from Rocstor.com. Built-in auto-switching power supply (crucial factor in my decision - I hate the extra brick in the power cable and the fact that you have to use the manufacturer-supplied adapter), no fan, very fast. My MBP recognised it immediately for Time Machine and it's great. Has FW400, FW800 x2 and USB2.

Good luck!

 

[queshy]

The MyBook Pro sounds like a dishwasher. I only turn it on to do TM backups...

 

[Abstract]

There aren't too many differences between WD MyBook models, but if you get one of the World or World 2 models and plan on using it for "Anywhere Access" (ie: accessing your harddisk via the ethernet when you're not at home), you can't transfer mp3s, avi files, and most other media files.

Also, aren't WD drives supposed to suck?


That's a funny statement to make, since I just bought a WD Passport yesterday, but their main drives are a bit different and have a lower rep. Not sure. I only went with the WD Passport because of their capacity, and because they didn't seem to have a negative reputation for laptop drives.

 

[bushi]

Think I've made my decision. It's gonna be a Western Digital Passport 320gb
Because:
- it's very quiet (probably significant lower noise level than the mybook?)
- don't need 500gb
- not going to use it to run programs from, only time machine back up and storing movies

Any thoughts?

thanks in advance!

 

[bobr1952]

I recently bought a SimpleTech 500GB drive that I like a lot. Very nice design, reasonable price ($120 at Best Buy) and quiet.

 

[danny_w]

I got a WD MyBook Essential Edition (USB only) 500GB for work and it is extremely quiet, almost silent. It is not too fast, but it works very well. I have it partitioned and use SuperDuper! to keep a bootable image up to date on one partition and Time Machine on the other partition. So far it has worked flawlessly. And if you sleep your computer or unplug the cable the WD goes to sleep or powers down too. The drive itself is quite small and fits neatly on a shelf. I would highly recommend it.

 

[Cave Man]

Which external hard disk should I buy? My most important requirement is that it's very silent. I've got a macbook so only fw400 and usb 2.0

If you want quiet, get a Samsung Spinpoint M6 500 gb and put it in a USB/FW400 box.

 

[bushi]

thanks for the advice everybody.

Last question: am I right to state that a WD passport will be MUCH more quiet than a WD mybook?

 

[danny_w]

thanks for the advice everybody.

Last question: am I right to state that a WD passport will be MUCH more quiet than a WD mybook?

No, that is not correct. The earlier models of the MyBook got a lot of complaints, but the newer models (with a vertical blue light instead of a circle) are virtually silent (at least mine is - just the cheapest 500GB model they make). Of course the Passport is also silent, but not much if any more than the MyBook. I've owned both.

 

[Techguy172]

Passport is releativley quiet it does make 'whirling' sounds when spinning but overall pretty quiet. I have never heard a MyBook in a quiet environment so can't speak about the difference.

 

[sidharth80]

Folks,
I am basically looking to buy a external HDD which I can acess from anywhere over the internet.
I dint hear good reviews abt the WD My Book.
Any suggestions on any other HDD which has the above mentioned feature?

 

[KJdanReuben]

I have a G-Tech 500gb FW400/800 drive and love it. I use it as a scratch disk with Final Cut so it is always spinning, and it is super quiet! I'm looking at getting an Iomega 500gb USB/eSATA/FW400&800 UltraMax for Time Machine though. Does anybody have one of the Iomegas?

http://www.iomega.com/direct/produc...&ASSORTMENT<>ast_id=63191&bmUID=1205120420373

 

[PodPacker]

I Only Rely on RocStor Drives

RocPro 800 AV: G212M6-01 750GB Desktop and Mobile 3.5” FireWire & USB

Buffer size: 16MB

Rotational speed: 7200 rpm

Interface: FireWire 800/IEEE 1394b, FireWire 400/IEEE 1394a/iLink, USB 2.0 (1.1 compatible)

Connectors: 9-Pin FireWire 800 Connector x 2, 6-Pin FireWire 400 Connector x 1, 4-Pin USB Connector x 1

Dimensions:
(HxWxD) 5.8” x 8.7” x 1.6”

Weight: 2.9 lbs.

No additional adapter brick needed. Fanless, silent operation

Includes: Free carrying case, Firewire 400 cable, Firewire 800 cable, USB 2.0 cable, Stand for vertical operation

I'm not just saying this cuz I sell them and can offer the lowest price on the 'net. After owning 2 of these I decided to become a reseller. These drives are tops.

You try firing up a WD MyBook and have that running for a while and see how loud that fan is, and even the USB-powered drives hum. Don't get my started on the flimsy Seagate drives, with that "secure" foot base. These drives have them all beat in every way, especially if you value space. They plug in using a standard power cable, so unwieldy brick or special connector. If you are using this store media for playback you will appreciate the silent operation, let your subwoofer make your ears ring, not a droning fan.

 

[MinorBidoh]

RocPro 800 AV: G212M6-01 750GB Desktop and Mobile 3.5” FireWire & USB

I'm not just saying this cuz I sell them and can offer the lowest price on the 'net. After owning 2 of these I decided to become a reseller. These drives are tops.

Can You do a better deal than £146? And this is the 850. (not sure of the differences tho)

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Rocstor-Rocpro-850-Hard-Drive/3251492/product.html?cid=133635

 

[ymarker]

^ grave digger.

don't encourage it.

 

[alphaod]

I own the OEM version of the G-Tech and it's very quiet. Of course I also chose a quiet 5400RPM drive.

 

[waynechriss]

I recently bought a SimpleTech 500GB drive that I like a lot. Very nice design, reasonable price ($120 at Best Buy) and quiet.

I can vouch for that. i got a simpletech and its great.

 

[Badger^2]

why are you people posting on an 8 month old post?

the only thing i dont like about this forum, top posting, gets confusing