Best Portable HDD

I'm looking for a USB powered, 1TB (or larger) HDD for under $200, and so far I'm not having much luck. I need something that is durable and easily portable. Most of the reviews I've been reading regarding these types of drives are negative. Is there a drive I'm missing, or an alternative I'm over looking?

I don't know much about enclosures, but if there are options that fit what I'm looking for I'd be open to them as well.

Finally, from what I understand most 1TB USB powered drives require 2 USB slots to function. Is that correct?

Thank you ahead of time for any help.

 

If you're specifically looking for 2.5" 1TB externals, then yes, they will most likely require 2 USB slots to function properly (or, at all).

If you're open to 3.5" 1TB externals, then more than likely, you'll need a seperate power supply to spin up the HD.

For the price you state - it seems like this should be an easy question to answer, but for truly portable use - it seems like this is still something we're all waiting for. (A quick search did not yield anything local for me).

What I suggest is getting a Vantec enclosure and a bare 2.5" HD. The Vantec comes with a 'wallet' to protect the drive while in transit and although we're currently limited to 640GB 2.5" drives right now, this should be considerably cheaper than the $200 you're willing to spend. Maybe even cheap enough to get two drives/enclosures?

Good luck.

 

Unless I am missing something, you can find plenty of Portable, USB powered HDDs on Amazon for far less than $200.
And some also give you faster interfaces like USB3 and eSATA. If you just want to use it as a portable drive I suggest you avoid enclosures (or at least make sure to get a decent one) some of them are pretty tacky compared to external drives.

But if by durable, you mean rugged drives, they are pricey and you won't find many @ 1TB (especially at lesser than $200)

 

No, I have the WD My Passport Essential 2.5" 1TB drive and it runs perfectly fine with only one USB connection. I got it for less then $200 and it's very portable.

 

The drive must be USB powered (no ac adapter). I own an ASUS G73JH, so I don't have eSATA. I'd like a single 1TB drive as opposed to 2 500GB, but ultimately if the smart money is on 2 500GB, I'll go that route.

This is not a drive that's going to be sitting on a desk, it's going to be moving and I'd rather not loose access to the data because it can't stand a little wear and tear.

I'm worried about the WD My Passport Essential's durability. My friend has one and his cable doesn't connect well with the HD, I'm worried about having the cable disconnect while the drive is running. He bought his when they first came out so I'm not sure if this is a problem they fixed or if it's a problem of any real concern. As of now though it's the drive I'm most interested in.

Right now the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1 TB USB 2.0, Toshiba Canvio Plus 1.0 TB USB 2.0, and the Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 2.0 are the 3 I'm most interested in. Anyone have personal experience with these drives?

 

I just bought this, and it's genius.

usb 3.0, 1tb, bus powered (single usb port), 2.5".

as far as i know, it's the only one of it's kind, and it only cost me £100 (~$150).

 

The WD drive connects solidly on both ends (to my computer and to the HDD). I use it daily and haven't had any issues with for the past 4-5 months, though that might not be enough time to tell.

 

I have a 1TB Toshiba Canvio. It works most excellently.

 

Get the Toshiba Spinpoint 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM HDD from newegg.com for $120 and the HE-2521b at geeks.com for $14 + $6 shipping. Comes with an eSATA cable that can provide power as well as long as you have an eSATA/USB combo port. Or you can just use the eSATA cable plus USB cable to provide power. This way you get SATA speeds, 1TB storage for $140.

Otherwise $120-$140 for an external enclosure with USB 2.0 speeds, lots of options, but the Toshiba ZaZ mentions seems to be decent quality and good price.