Smallest external 1TB hard drive

I'm searching for the smallest, lightest external hard drive around at the moment (must be reliable)

Needs to be powered by usb(3).

No other requirements.

So far i've come across this:
Samsung S2 – 1TB USB 3.0
8.2 cm x 11.1 cm x 2 cm ; 200g

any better options?

Thanks!

 

Get a 2.5" 1TB drive and an enclosure that supports usb 3.0. Assemble yourself and voilà. Something like this drive: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136927 with an enclosure you like.

 

WD is a bit expensive. Better get Samsung M8 1TB + external enclosure.

 

I recommended this to my friend and he liked it, I don't think is really expensive for me, but I don't know other ones, and I trust WD:

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digit...SQ9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317737945&sr=8-1

 

I got one of the Samsung M8 1TB 2.5" drives and a USB 2.0 case. It's USB powered, light, and only cost $99 total. Once I do get USB 3.0 capability, then I'll consider getting a USB 3.0 case for it, but it works fine the way it is now. Watch out though what case you get. Some don't support up to 1TB.

 

Has your friend told you how good the performance is? That looks like a really good external HD and I like WD drives =).

 

WackyT is right, a lot of 1TB drives are 12.5mm thick and most enclosures are made for 9.5mm thick drives. I use the USB2.0 version of this enclosure and i like it: Newegg.com - Mukii TIP-230U3-BK Aluminum 2.5" Black with Red Highlight USB 3.0 USB Powered External Enclosure. The body is made of aluminum and it is very sturdy. Powered by USB, but you can use an external adapter as well if you want since the jack for it is there. Sometimes, you can find it on special for 10 to 15$.

 

Samsung M8 1TB is 9.5mm high.

 

Yep it is, as is the scorpio blue i linked. Aside from those two, there isn't that many drives that are 9.5mm thick. Phil is right, considering it'll be an external drive, get the samsung as it is cheaper.

 

Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0/2.0 all the way!

 

@pmack - WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB for me too. Here are some benchmarks I took when received my drive:

 

using samsung 1tb 9.5mm in a usb3.0 enclosure....
and here are my benchmarks.....

 

So far he is really satisfied, with a USB 2.0 he copied 30GB in approximately 20 min, he doesn't have a 3.0 USB unfortunately.

Anyway I am thinking to buy it too, I know its a popular external drive, and I like WD as well.

 

Thanks for the advice people.

I was already going to get a samsung m8 for my x220, so I may as well just get two, and then an enclosure.
But why are people suggesting I build it myself instead of the Samsung S2 – 1TB USB 3.0?
The dimensions of that are 8.2 cm x 11.1 cm x 2 cm ; 200g (so i presume 12.5mm drive)
The dimensions of that Mukii enclsoure are 14cm x 8.4 x 1.4 (weight unknown, but the M8 9.5mm drive is 108grams)

 

I simply suggested building it since you wanted the smallest one possible and as far as i know almost every pre-built 1TB external 2.5" are 12.5mm thick drives. I prefer thinner enclosures even if they are slightly wider/longer. It might not be the same for you and i'm certain there are smaller enclosures than that mukii. Oh and a lot of pre-builts are made of plastic and you can easily get an aluminum enclosure if you build it yourself. The edges of the mukii are plastic, but the main portion of the body is aluminum.

 

ok thanks fair points.

is it true that the mukii requires two usb ports, i.e. one for power? ( http://techreport.com/articles.x/20650)
If that's the case i would definitely go the Samsung S2

 

That will depend on your laptop, currently using a mukii Transimp U2 (USB 2.0 version of the one i linked) with an Hitachi 5400RPM 320GB drive and it requires only one USB, same for my other enclosure with a 160GB Fujitsu. So far, all 2.5" external drives i saw had a dual USB cable in case one USB wasn't enough to supply power. I never ran into a situation where it was necessary though. It might be different for the USB 3.0 enclosure or if you put a 7200RPM drive in the enclosure.

If you're not sure about the dual USB, get the Samsung, i'm certain it'll serve you well. I only went for the aluminum enclosure since scratches don't really show, the drive gets carried around a lot and i already had spare HDDs from upgrading my G73, N50 and PS3 HDDs. I'm a tinkerer as well so i tend to got for the DIY solutions.

 

Same here, I've never seen one USB port not being enough for a 2.5" hard drive.

 

i am using SSK HE-T300 which only has single usb cable and working alright.
i have seen one IT-CEO 700 cover which felt pretty slim as compared to mine......

 

The enclosure I have my 1TB in has the attached single USB cable, and it runs fine. The other USB/Firewire enclosure I have recommends one of those split USB cables for added amps.

 

son anyone reccomend some other enclosures or is the Mukii a winner?

 

Any decently priced enclosure made of aluminum should do the trick. I recommended the mukii since they served me well so far and i like their color scheme. Discrete black with a hint of color.

 

if you don't need the second cable to power the mukii enclosure, is it not annoying having a Y cable with an unused plug on it? or is it best to just buy a new usb3 cable

Still a bit unsure of this