Question re External Hard Drives

Hi There,

I want to purchase an external hard drive as a second back-up system to ensure my data is safe and would very much appreciate some advice on which of the below two systems would be better. The drives would be backing up my laptop and another external hard drive. Both of my current drives are Seagate (one is a GoFlex Desk and the other a Go Portable). I've listed the "pro's" for each of the two I am considering in order of importance to my needs.

Seagate Goflex Desk 2tb USB 3.0

1. Same s/w etc. as current system
2. cheaper
3. uses less desktop space

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Lacie Minimus 2tb USB 3.0

1. On/off button (I like this feature very much)
2. Much better reviews
3. Potentially cooler and perhaps better quality (??)[/

​

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I'm leaning toward the Lacie BUT I am concerned that there may be some issues with the Seagate s/w I am using for auto-back up not playing nice with a non-Seagate system. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about this??

Any other experience or opinions on these two systems would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!​

 

If you're going to keep the drive at your desk and not move it too much, look into a desktop hard drive and an external enclosure. Hard Drives are Hard Drives and you don't need to worry about compatibility (99% of the time anyway).

Lacie drives usually look nice, but that's about it though.

 

La Cie drives are good, but they mostly tout Mac compatibility (given they've been with Apple since day one). But if you don't need Firewire or Mac compatibility, there's no real reason to buy La Cie (they are usually overpriced over a WD or Seagate external).

Personally I don't use any software as it saves your data in a proprietary format. I just dock a 1.5 TB and 1 TB drive via eSATA to my Alienware to put my music and anime.

 

That exactly, unless you need the extra connectivity option or you really don't mind paying more for the style, avoid Lacie drives.

 

Lacie Minimus 2tb USB 3.0
On/off button (I like this feature very much)
Much better reviews
Potentially cooler and perhaps better quality

I have this drive and it sits on my desk, usually running as part of my laptop deskop system via the USB 3 port. It never gets hot. I got it as a gift from my kids which was purchased at BB so I don't know how much it cost... but I do know I LOVE it. I previously used it with an OLD laptop via its' USB port which was probably an old USB 1... and it was slow. But now with USB 3 connection, it is as fast as my laptops internal SATA 5400 HD.

And YES, the on/off button allows me to just seperate my backup drive from the internet (potentially) whenever I desire without doing anything to my laptop.

So far have backed up and used the Lacie for 2 different laptops(one Lenovo and one HP using their included recovery/backup software) and one retired laptop which I just did the drag to the Lacie of documents and files I wanted to keep.

 

Moved to accessories. Usually, i'd suggest the DIY route, but right now with the HDD prices being what they are, it might be better to go for a "classic" external.

 

I recommend the Thermaltake MAX5G/MAX5.

Thermaltake MAX5G USB 3.0
Thermaltake MAX5 USB2.0/ESATA

I have the ESATA/USB2.0 version and it is awesome. Temps on the HDD never get higher than 29.0'c ever, and the fans are completely silent.

Features:
Power on and off switch.
Light on and off switch.
USB 3.0. (MAX5G), USB 2.0/ESATA(MAX5)
SATA 3/2/1 Compatible.
collapsible foot for stability when in use and easy packing for travel.
Extremely Silent.(especially with the green 5900RPM seagate drive.)
Low Vibration due to the user placeable foam spacers that they include to cushion the HDD.
Rubber Grips on the bottom for stability.

This is the HDD I got, but you can get whatever one you would like.

Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch 5,900RPM



EDIT: Here is a CDM Benchmark with the MAX5 plugged in via ESATA and using the 5900RPM drive.

Spoiler

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

I don't see a lot of good deals at the moment. Personally, I don't advise 3.5" hard drives anymore. Too much vibration and noise, not to mention the inconvenience of having to plug into a surge protector or UPS.

With the final arrival of native USB 3.0 this year, I don't have any doubts or reservations about 2.5" portable external hard drives.

The only problem is price. The HDD industry underwent a consolidation and with the Thailand floods, the "Bit Two" really took advantage of the situation.

 

If you want capacity, you need a 3.5" external or a bunch of 2.5" which would be impractical. 2.5" for backups on the go, but 3.5" for fixed backups solutions and large capacity storage.

 

Agreed, I am glad I have an express port to get a USB 3.0 card only thing that I am missing, but ESATA is doing fine by me right now. So not in a rush to grab an EXport USB 3.0 card. I honestly think this is one of the best external enclosures I have ever used.

 

I've been using this sucker: Amazon.com: E377-U31 Storage Enclosure - External - Black: Electronics and it works quite well, sturdy, has a fan on/off button too. It doesn't need the fan to keep the drive cool enough, but with the fan the drive stays frosty of course.

 

That is a nice enclosure Tijo, Looks very sturdy.

IDK why, but I really like my external enclosures color to be black, always been that way. I love my AkiTio MyCloud Duo Personal 2-Bay NAS the most though. Extremely nice NAS/Personal Cloud server

 

Yeah, it is sturdy, i always go for aluminum and best of all it is tool less, it is a bit bigger because of that, but putting a drive in it is extremely easy.

 

Might check that one you posted out for this other 1TB drive I have currently in a broken plastic external. It was an IOMEGA external I bought not a custom put together one like the MAX5, but I may just reformat it and throw it into my AkiTio which has currently only one 2GB drive.

 

I thought the licking mechanism would be a bit loose, but i was actually impressed at how well it did fit. The fan grill is a little loose, but that's it, nothing a shim won't fix.

 

Thanks for all the help!

Tsunade wrote that software saves data in a proprietary format. Thanks for the information! Can you or someone else elaborate? How is the data changed or saved that is different from the original? I use software to set my backup to be performed automatically at a specified time each week. I am now using the s/w provided by Seagate. Is there another (or better) way of doing this? Perhaps consideration of seagate's s/w is mute if I should be backing up using a different method altogether?

And thanks Mechanized Menace and tijo for the DIY ideas. The enclosures do look pretty good but it appears the price may be about the same as the Lacie ($50 + $130 = $180 and I've seen the Lacie for that; the Seagate I've seen for $140-$170). Perhaps its better quality for the money? Also, what is involved in putting these together. I like the idea of DIY but very inexperienced with it in the computer world!

Thanks again!

 

DIY used to be much cheaper before the floods in Thailand and HDD shortages. The DIY route means you have to work with a couple of screws, but that's it. You should have the tools needed for this at home. Those enclosures usually have a tray where you plus the drive on a SATA connector, screw it in place, slide the tray in the enclosure, screw that in place and done. It literally takes less than 10 minutes to have it set up.

What Tsunade means is that backup software don't always copy the files over, but make an image of what's on the drive and saves that image in it's own proprietary format. This is useful to back up an OS installation, but when it comes to backing up files, better use the backup feature in windows since you'll be using windows anyways or simply click and drag.

 

With the MAX5G, The back comes off with a couple of square shaped screws, and the screwdriver to remove them is included. There are two clips that lock into the screw holes on the HDD. one of these slides the other is fixed. You put the drive in place, the Foam spacers where you would like them, then you push the drive into place and lock the stationary clip into place. Put the back cover on and done. 5 min process, and there are very good instructions that come with the enclosure. The Lacie may cost the same, but I guarantee it will not keep the HDD cool like the MAX5G (or Tijo's recommended enclosure), which will extend the life of the drive, and the performance that the MAX5 enclosures can pump out is rather good, but I have never used a Lacie before. I just prefer the DIY route, because you can choose the parts(Most external HDD sellers choose cheap HDD's), and the assembly is cake.

 

The external Lacie i have is the older USB 2.0 version of this: LaCie - LaCie d2 Quadra USB 3.0. Overpriced, yeah i know but i needed an external fast back then and the uni's store only had those with e-sata, on the bright side, that enclosure uses screws, so changing the drive is actually possible and easy enough. Keeps the drive cool for a fanless enclosure (never seen it hit over 45C, stays in the low 30s unless i push it real hard), but it can't hold a candle to the enclosures with fans. Having an enclosure with fans is great if you plan to transfer loads of data as that is when the drive heats up a lot. The lacie you mentioned has an aluminum encosure which should somewhat help with temps, provided it has some ventilation holes somewhere.

If you plan to have the drive transferring data non stop for an hour or more, that seagate will run hot for sure. Here is a review of the 4TB version: AnandTech - Seagate's GoFlex Desk 4TB External HDD Review. Not good for temps if you do large file transfers, it should stay cooler if you do small transfers periodically though.

 

I have to thank both tijo and Mechanized Menace again for all the great information!! I am convinced and will go the DIY route.

I would like to better understand what Tijo and Tsunade mean about back-up software using proprietary formats. And what is the difference between creating a copy and creating an image? Is it the use of compression? I have been using Seagate Manager to schedule back-ups of the entire C drive. Is this an “image” in the traditional sense? All the files in the back up appear to be the same – file extensions are the same and the files that I have opened from the external drive work as they would normally. However, I have just now noticed that the C Drive takes up a lot less space in the external. Is this because it is compressed? How does this affect the files?

Thanks again for all guidance.