400GB external hard drive

barnishroader

i dont really plan on moving it all that much, i just want to lessen the amount of data that is currently on my pc, hoping it won't run a s slowly.
also i want it to be safe if the pc ever crashes.
i have a couple of normal hard drives spare but don't want to have to be always taking the side panel off my pc and connecting them up with the 32pin cables.
is there maybe an easier way of doing this?

what i get from above is that is should be looking for a SATA external drive.
i take it they just connect via usb?

Sput2001

Yeah, they connect via USB. I've got a 500Gb Iomega one which I use for backing up, and it's just dandy.

Just bear in mind that they can conk out like your PC can, so it's worth having your important stuff on two separate drives for safety.

almillar

If you have spare drives, have a look for a 3.5 inch IDE hard drive enclosure. That's something you can put your spare drive into and plug in using USB instead of taking your computer apart, and will be cheaper than buying a whole new HDD.

RICK..._2

I had two internal hard drives, backed all my data up onto one of those, took it out and it's now stored away in a anti static bag/box. I'll be copying the stuff onto a 1.5tb external aswell, so if the external does fail, i know ill have a back up locked away in the cupboard. Simples!

barnishroader

almillar wrote: »

If you have spare drives, have a look for a 3.5 inch IDE hard drive enclosure. That's something you can put your spare drive into and plug in using USB instead of taking your computer apart, and will be cheaper than buying a whole new HDD.

I might look into that then.
Is there anything in particular i should be looking out for spec wise?

almillar

Nope, you've already said 32 pin cables so I've assumed that you've got IDE drives and not SATA, then the only other thing is get the right size of enclosure, for 2.5 inch (laptop) or 3.5 inch (desktop) drives. Just keep in mind that you can end up spending quite a lot and if the drives aren't that big it might be better value spending £60 on a 1TB external drive than spending £20 on an enclosure for a 160gb drive...

Scrilla

barryheffron wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good, not expensive, 400gb+ external hard drive?

Although you've decided to move towards the enclosure route, can I suggest the LG XD2 500GB (£60) which is a portable external drive which is speedy and good value for what it offers (should you so wish to buy a hard drive). I bought one recently and have been impressed. I personally have moved completely away from the 3.5" mains powered drives. Convenience, space, one less cable and plug socket needed, able to shift around anywhere relatively easily (such as to plug into my WD media player) are some of the reasons.

barnishroader

almillar wrote: »

Nope, you've already said 32 pin cables so I've assumed that you've got IDE drives and not SATA, then the only other thing is get the right size of enclosure, for 2.5 inch (laptop) or 3.5 inch (desktop) drives. Just keep in mind that you can end up spending quite a lot and if the drives aren't that big it might be better value spending £60 on a 1TB external drive than spending £20 on an enclosure for a 160gb drive...

I checked last night at home and the drives say ATA on them.
they are both 80Gb which might be adequate.
I saw these enclosures which aren't too badly priced so might give one of them a go.
http://safekom.com/code/frogsearch.aspx?skus=35-IU
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Value-Combo-Drive-Enclosure-Drives/dp/B000TV3TN0/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1251195876&sr=1-9
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TeckNet-PH-35UA-HARD-DRIVE-ENCLOSURE/dp/B000Q7K9DA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1251195876&sr=1-5
Any comments on them?

almillar

Srcilla is right of course about 2.5" drives being easier to carry around, and some of them don't need seperate power supplies, but one thing to note is that, capacity for capacity, age for age, they are slower than desktop drives, so be wary of this especially if making big transfers.
I'd definately go for a 3.5" drive if it's just going to stay in one place or be moved rarely.
barry - ATA is fine (should really say PATA but whatever), as long as it's not SATA, and has the big plug with loads of pins, we are talking about an IDE or (P)ATA drive, and that's the enclosure you need. As above you can have a far bigger drive for £40 I reckon, so spend £10 on 1 enclosure between the 2 drives or else it starts to get worse value. Therefore I'd recommend just going for the cheapest. You might do better on eBay too, but I can't see it getting much lower than £10 TBH

barnishroader

almillar wrote: »

Srcilla is right of course about 2.5" drives being easier to carry around, and some of them don't need seperate power supplies, but one thing to note is that, capacity for capacity, age for age, they are slower than desktop drives, so be wary of this especially if making big transfers.
I'd definately go for a 3.5" drive if it's just going to stay in one place or be moved rarely.
barry - ATA is fine (should really say PATA but whatever), as long as it's not SATA, and has the big plug with loads of pins, we are talking about an IDE or (P)ATA drive, and that's the enclosure you need. As above you can have a far bigger drive for £40 I reckon, so spend £10 on 1 enclosure between the 2 drives or else it starts to get worse value. Therefore I'd recommend just going for the cheapest. You might do better on eBay too, but I can't see it getting much lower than £10 TBH

is the one i linked above in the first link good enough?
is a fan a good option to have with it?