External HDD... Which is the best for me?

So I've been glued to my computer screen for 20hrs/day over the past week looking for a new external hard drive that would replace my Acomdata E5 250GB 7200rpm. (Actually, I just ran out of space--otherwise, it's been working fine for the past three years, although it crashed once before...)

So at first, I was looking at WD Passport 500GB, at which I was thrilled because it was port-powered and quiet. But when I found out that it wasn't compatible with Vista (I use both XP and Vista), I decided to go with Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB but I wasn't too pleased with the storage space (and it needs a docking port... not to mention unappealing aesthetics).

Then I decided to look into AC-powered 3.5" external HDDs. The first one that caught my eye was Lacie 1TB Neil Poulton. Some of the reviews I read were complaints about how loud it was and unreliability. So I went back and discovered WD My Book Essential Edition 1TB, but again there were many complaints about crashing and of the sorts.

I read somewhere that building my own external HDD was more often reliable than buying pre-made ones, especially in the case of WD and Seagate. I did more research in DIY external hard drives and Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB really grabbed my attention, especially because it was quieter than most other 7200rpm drives (except for WD Caviar GP 1TB, but that had worse drive performance so I wasn't too excited about that one). To accompany the hard drive, I found Vantec NexStar 3i (for Vista compatibility) as a nice enclosure. But, I found out that enclosures lowered the internal hard drive's performance rate, and that's not too good.


All in all, my top choices are:

1. Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB + Vantec NexStar 3i
2. Lacie 1TB Neil Poulton
2. WD My Book Essential Edition 1TB
(yes--they are tied in second)
3. WD Passport 500GB (and sadly give up Vista compatibility...)


but I still wanted to hear what others think about. In general, I require a hard drive that will fulfill the following (starting from more important):

1. High performance rate--fast reading capability
2. SILENT
3. Storage size... 500GB+
4. aesthetically pleasing (I thought about Cavalry External HDDs... they are pretty )
5. USB 2.0
6. Vista compatibility
7. preferably port-powered, but willing to give up for the above


Price does not matter to me THAT MUCH at the moment (although it's nice if it's cheaper).


So what do you guys think?


P.S. I searched EVERYWHERE for the information on Acomdata E5's acoustics but I can't find it!!! Does anybody know??


-edit-

I also think that assembling my own external HDD might be too much of a hassle... I was going to get my supplies from newegg, but there were complaints about how certain parts were missing for assembly and such... Help?

 

I never had an issue with Newegg not shipping all parts I ordered but for the one time I order a case of case fans and it was never shipped. I called and it was shipped for free over night.

My problem with a diy external drive is finding a good case. Most external drive cases I see looks good on the screen but, are cheap plastic crap when you get it.

DIY would be best cause most external drives only have one year warranty where a internal one has 2-3 years.

 

I just got myself a Maxtor 1TB drive - 102.75 Pounds in the UK (cheapest I found instore) and I'm happy sofar.

Else I've got 2 Medion drives (smaller) which are very nice and have been with me for quite some time.

They may be a viable alternative.

 

1. You're limited by USB2. Any disk will perform well enough, though USB performance can vary.

4. Google LaCie's ora-ito disk. It's worth it just for the pictures

7. Bus powered drives are convenient, but 2.5" drives are more expensive and offer less reliability, longevity etc.

Personally I'd recommend a good aluminium external hard drive and avoid plastic ones. Ally ones tend to be better made are more robust (but not shockproof) and help to cool the disk inside. They're more likely to be quiet etc. Check out the Freecom drives as an example.

 

1. is a very valid point. I've got 3 external HDDs on the same USB hub - transfer rate amongst them, 4,5 to 5,5 MBit/s

Edit:
Just on a note.
I bought a Maxtor drive today - it has a plastic casing - its been runnign 5-6 hours, data continously written to it, not very hot. Only slightly warm - 30-40°C - your hand doesn't get uncomfortable on it.

 

Why wouldn't that WD hdd be vista compatible!? It's just an external HDD like anyone else. It should work without a problem with any external HDD in Vista.

And Vista should be able to do all the same things as XP can.

I'm 99% sure you don't have to sacrifice vista for one of those WD's that you state isn't compatible with Vista.

 

:laugh: :laugh: Can't say I'm surprised!

£102-75 is a very good price in a shop, especially for Maxtor's which are sometimes quite pricey.

I've an old Maxtor One Touch which is a good few years old, perhaps five, so hopefully yours will last as well.

 

I hope so
That's the strange thing - for the 1TB drive Maxtor has a great price in PC World UK.

I think the Western Digital my book is 176 Pounds instore - 101 online...

 

I would never buy Maxtor going back to the days I fixed computers. Maxtor drive always just seems to disapear from people bios.

Every drive had it own jumper settings which was a pain to deal with.

 

Hmm....
Meaning?

 

They can't be trusted get a better drive. It might be different now that Seagate owns them.

 

I think it says Seagate on the bottom.
Well, if one BIOS chucks it out, I've got a second one :-D

Also, they offer 3 years of warranty - i.e. I run into trouble, I get back at them :-D

 

How does the LaCie Ora-Ito Disk compare to the other 3.5" external HDDs?

And how do you guys see Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB?

Also, I found out that WD My Passport doesn't work with Vista from the reviews at Amazon... Just to let you know.

 

Btw, what's all the hype about Seagate's Momentus 7200.4?? Do you think it's any better than the Samsung Spinpoint??

 

I would go with that. I have that same hardware or close to it and it is great. The performance depends on which configuration/connection you're using. Of course, if it is hooked up to usb, it will be slower. Is this just for backup data or storage?

If so, use usb or eSATA if you want the faster connection. I am only familiar with notebooks that have eSATA as providing that option. That's why I want a laptop that has that port. But, it's nice to know you can usb if need be.

I would not go with the other external drives because you are not sure who's making what or what parts are in there. I would rather choose my HDD brand, the storage capacity and just add an enclosure. More choices and cheaper overall. The Samsung you mentioned is a decent price now. Vantec Nexstar enclosures seem to work well and are popular now. I would get one with both usb and eSATA (if you can use it) and then you have many options. My two cents...

 

Thanks, puter1, for your well-rounded insights. The new external HDD will indeed be for storage use. I am looking at USB compatible drives because I have a lowly Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop that has USB 2.0 ports ONLY. (I use this as my primary system.) However, I also frequently use other computers that are not limited only to USB ports.

Much appreciated for your two cents.

 

I've got a WD Passport drive, and it is everything you want in an external HDD.

 

Is it Vista compatible?

 

I have the 120GB Passport, and it is definitely Vista compatible. I am almost certain that the 500GB My Passports are Vista compatible. They are also USB powered and are small enough to fit in your pocket.