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    Which external storage solution is best, especially large ones...

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by CrunchDude, Jul 10, 2010.

  1. CrunchDude

    CrunchDude Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi everyone. I'm looking for some advice about what kind of external hard drive solution you can recommend? Which kind of connection is recommended? If it was an option, would eSATA be a good way to go about it? What about USB 3.0, or FireWire?

    As for the implementation of external hard drives, is there an empty caddy (housing?) that takes SATA and SATA II drives that I could use to connect one or more of my 2.5" hard drives? Then again, should I just get a 2TB drive and consolidate them all onto one drive? What are some of the better brands of hard drives these days, particularly high-capacity ones like 2 or more TB?

    I'd be grateful for any suggestions that you may have for me.

    Thank you.
     
    CrunchDude, Jul 10, 2010
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  2. woofer00

    woofer00 Wanderer

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    eSata is fastest, but USB is going to be the most compatible. If you can, I'd choose an option that can connect to a computer either way.

    If it were me, presuming you have multiple hard drives around, I'd keep all the drives as they are, and get a dock to plug in and read as necessary. I'd also back them all up where possible to a single very large drive that gets locked up in a safe place.

    As for brands, I've had better luck with WD than seagate or maxtor recently. Opinions will differ though, and you're sure to get all kinds of preferences.
     
    woofer00, Jul 10, 2010
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