Instant External Hard Drive.

The cost of external hard drive is way above the internal version with the same capacity and specs.

I heard from a friend that he buys internal IDE (ATA) hard disk and just buy an external enclosure. Now it is external and can be used as a back up unit or what have you...

I was wondering... Is it also possible for the firewire 800 hard disk?

 

I bought a notebook drive and put it in a $15 enclosure. I got USB, but you can also buy firewire.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

Can the enclosure be bought in Compusa and bestbuy or fry's electronics?

Is it the same for all? Or are there are specific enclosures for each model of harddisk?

I searched the website of the computer stores and found the firewire 800
to be only in external versions ( which is expensive)... WHat formats (IDE,SATA, etc.) of internal hard drive can be converted to external just by putting enclosures?

Are there websites which teach on how to do an enclosure?[?][?][?]

 

It's really easy. Just make sure that the interface of your hard drive (ide, ata, sata) matches that of the enclosure, and it is the same size (2.5 vs 3.5) disk. You usually just open the enclosure and slide the disk in.

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x512 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

I bought mine at www.newegg.com. They offer tons of choices...

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

Mine was from newegg as well. They ship very quickly, and for very low cost. www.newegg.com is highly recommended by me.

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x512 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

1. Among the HDD Array Interface: IDE (ATA/EIDE/ATAPI), serial and ultra ATA...what are the other options...
Which among them are the fastest? And why so many ???

2. Among the interface... IEEE 1394 (Firewire), USB 2.0, what are the other options...
Which among them are the fastest?
(Coz I have seen firewire 400, 800)

3. There are choices of usb-firewire combo... what is its advantage?

4. There are aluminum casing and plastic casing... which do you recommend? Is there a benefit???

5. There are choices of with fans and shock absorbers...
In other words... What do you look for in finding the best enclosure...

[?]

 

Just get whatever is cheapest for the HDD interface, it doesn't matter that much. Get USB so it can be powered by your notebook. Aluminum casing is better for heat dissipation, so get it. Shock absorbers are nice, but you don't need fans. You really shouldn't need to pay more than 40 dollars for a decent one.

GPU cooling (100°C->75°C)* Inspiron 8600 * 1.8ghz Pentium M * 128 MB Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo (337/242 -> 400/300) * 2x512 MB DDR2700 SDRAM * Aquamark 3: 24058 * 3DMark'03: 3404 * 3DMark'01 SE: 13120

 

Mostly I'd say pick whichever enclosure is cheapest and will fit (size/interface) the hard drive you intend to put in it. But I don't recommend getting one that can only be powered through USB. Not all machines provide enough power through their USB ports so I suggest getting one includes an AC adapter. If you do want to power it through USB you'll have more chance of success with a 2.5" enclosure and a laptop drive.

 

Are there 3.5 siza which can be powered at the same time with USB and also has the option of having an AC adapter?

(I think if there are lots of units connected to the USB hub, there won't be enough power to supply all of them. Or am I mistaken)[?]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by red_chief

 

What size enclosure to buy really depends on your needs. If all you want is a mostly stationary backup device, then a 3.5" enclosure using external power supply will be fine since 3.5" HD is cheaper and faster than their 2.5" counterpart. Seeing that you have an XPS, this is probably the route to take. The interface of choice in this case will be firewire if your laptop have the necessary port. However. I would not waste money on a Firewire 800 case unless you also plan on running a lot of firewire device at the same time.

If you want portable secondary storage/backup, then a 2.5" enclosure with USB 2.0 and Firewire that will work on USB power will probably work best. I would suggest a metal enclose for better heat management and better protection. The interface of choice in this case will be USB 2.0 since most PC laptop does not offer 6 pin firewire port that would provide power to the drive. Do look for one that use the power from 2 USB port which provide better load handling.

Bottomline, I wouldn't worry too much about the interface (as long as it's between USB 2.0 and Firewire) since none of the HDs on the market will even comes close to their bandwidth on sustained transfer rate on a single drive basis.

 

Just to share with you guys. There are actually some 3.5" HD casing that can be powered up by firewire (6pin type). I personal was suprise to see my HD running before I switch on my AC switch.

I agreed that most 3.5" HD casing can't be powered up by USB or firewire. But there's one can. I am using it. Brand is 'ICECUBE'. Interfact is 6pin firewire port only.

I went to try with my other 3.5" firewire interface casing. It dun work. BTW, my notebook is Acer Aspire 1711SC (desktop replacement). Come with a 4pin and a 6pin built-in firewire port.

I personally hold a few external HD casing both 2.5" and 3.5" type. Personally prefer to get casing with firewire interface. Reason being firewire connected device can be daisy chain up whereas USB interface device can't be daisy chain up.

* Daisy Chain - To link up a group of devices like PC link to A, then A can link to B and B can link to C. PC can access all A,B and C. But remember each casing need to have 2 firewire ports.

 

Thats a good find stingray.... Are there any other brands with the same feature of self powered with firewire?

Is there such a thing as self powered firewire and USB 3.5. hard drive enclosure...

Kindly tell us the site where you found one

 

I use the IOgear ION drive enclosure and threw a Hitachi 80gb Travelstar in it for extra storage. You can pick up the enclosure at Best Buy for about $40 or so. It's a little pricey, but it comes with a power adapter, usb and Firewire (400) interfaces. It's very thin virtually indestructible.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by stingrray

 

I always use the AC adapter the only time I use the battery is for off line Thunder and Lightning storms which I play games, until the storms pass. I then plug the DSL and AC adapter back in and I am online. I am a crippled user I don't take it anywhere but where I am sitting. BTW anything needing more then my 80GB hard drive I burn to CD or DVD R/RW. Going to 1,024GB with 2 SoDimm Kingston, one 512MB is on a rush order from Frys Electronic outpost at $64.98 plus $7.50 shipping from OH to PA.

/Chaz