External hard drive advice needed

Jess

Can anyone recommend a good external hard drive for storing music and photos on. It's on my daughter's christmas list and I haven't a clue about what's good, bad or indifferent. Maximum spend about £100 if that's realistic.
Thanks

Lakeuk

I'm been happy with my Western Digital MyBook. If it's not going to my moved much then go for a MyBook or Elements model, if it'll be moved about go for a MyPassport model



How much music/photos has she got, you can get 1Tb Element drives for £65 of amazon.co.uk

busenbust

Jess wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a good external hard drive for storing music and photos on. It's on my daughter's christmas list and I haven't a clue about what's good, bad or indifferent. Maximum spend about £100 if that's realistic.
Thanks

Yes, £100 is more than realistic. You might want to opt for a drive that has both usb and e-Sata and/or firewire (more flexibility and speed).

Wherryman

£100, should be more than enough
Stick with a known/big brand.
Don't buy just for the software supplied, plently of freeware backup software available.
Tesco, Amizon, Play all have a good selection.
With firewire if possible but not essential.
1 Tb should be more than enough for the average person for quite a few years worth of backup.

I have one of these, it works OK as they all should.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitachi-S1000U-Turbo-External-Drive/dp/B001CZCVG8/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259411091&sr=8-18

JasX

Basically you get 2 classes

3.5" / Desktop type -> needs to be plugged into mains whenever used, more space for your money (typically 2x), physically bigger -size of a thick book.

2.5" / portable type -> runs off USB cable so no mains power needed, smaller physically (ie pocket-ish size), more expensive per GB storage.

best to ask whats most important for your daughter's intended use, storage space or portability. WD is a good brand for either class of drive.

MX5huggy

The thing you have to decide is if she wants one that will sit on her desk plugged into the mains and the computer all the time, or a portable one that only need the usb to the computer, better if its for moving files between locations but costs more per Gb of storage.

Bikertov

You don't really need more than 500GB - bigger than that and you are risking all your data on one device. Not many people think about that aspect ...

Price - you can get loads from £50 up, so you don't need to spend as much as £100. When you have chosen the model, do shop around for the price, as they can vary a lot between shops, online etc.

Try to get one that is USB powered only, without needing a mains adaptor. They are a pain to carry about with you, but more important, if they break the cost of replacement is rediculous, and can cost as much as a new drive. USB power means that is not a problem.

456789

WD MyBook ftw!

Jess

Thanks to all, I am off shopping armed with all your advice

busenbust

Not a problem. Let us know how you get on