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    Which external hard drives are 7200RPM?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by nomorejager, Oct 19, 2009.

  1. nomorejager

    nomorejager Newbie

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    Re there any name-brand portable external hard drive models that are 7200RPM, other than the FreeAgent Pro? External drives go on sale quite often and end up being cheaper than the hard drive alone, it would be nice to score a good deal on a drive and get a free enclosure.
     
    nomorejager, Oct 19, 2009
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  2. newsposter

    newsposter Notebook Virtuoso

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    try using the product finder on newegg.com. You can search for just about any parameter you think of.

    However.......

    Your data interconnect, that USB 2 connection, is no where near fast enough to keep up with most 5400 rpm drives. Unless you have a pressing personal status need for a 7200 rpm external, you can save a few bucks and go with a slower drive.
     
    newsposter, Oct 19, 2009
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  3. Mr._Kubelwagen

    Mr._Kubelwagen More machine now than man

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    True, although E-Sata has enough bandwidth to not be a bottleneck.
     
    Mr._Kubelwagen, Oct 19, 2009
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  4. nomorejager

    nomorejager Newbie

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    I was planning to extract the hard drive and re-use the enclosure, meaning USB speed limitation is not an issue. As I mentioned before, external hard drives are often cheaper than their internal counterparts - I've seen 500 gig models selling for around $70 at Best Buy every now and then. Just trying to save some money and score a free enclosure while I'm at it.
     
    nomorejager, Oct 19, 2009
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  5. deeastman

    deeastman Notebook Deity

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    Make sure you do a bit of research using google if you are planning to purchase a WD 500GB My Passport drive for that purpose. WD has gone to soldering the connector onto the drive (at least for the older models, 2 months ago). The model you get (soldered or slip fit) depends on what the code is after the R/N number on the product tag attached to the box.
     
    deeastman, Oct 19, 2009
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  6. Judicator

    Judicator Judged and found wanting.

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    I'm not certain, but I seem to recall that most of the external hard drives that go for $70 or so on sale are usually 3.5" models.
     
    Judicator, Oct 20, 2009
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  7. nomorejager

    nomorejager Newbie

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    Both Microcenter and Best Buy have 500 gig portable models on sale for $70-$80 every now and then.
     
    nomorejager, Oct 20, 2009
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  8. Judicator

    Judicator Judged and found wanting.

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    Ok, it's just something else to watch out for when you're buying. I think someone else might also have mentioned something about one of the WD models being screwless, and that extracting the hard drive required basically breaking the enclosure (I want to say it was sean473, but I don't recall for certain).
     
    Judicator, Oct 21, 2009
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  9. sean473

    sean473 Notebook Prophet

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    not me... that's for sure..
     
    sean473, Oct 21, 2009
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