HD in external enclosure

[mrbobdobalina81]

Hi guys, I'm looking to purhcase a HD and USB external enclosure. The HD will be used mainly to backup some data. Speed isn't a big concern, and I'd like an enclosure that I can leave off when not in use. Can anybody recommend a reliable HD and external enclosure? I'm thinking about a Seagate HD. Do I go with IDE or SATA?

What are the benefits of an external HD versus internal in an external enclosure?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Harvey]

If speed isn't a concern, IDE (aka ATA or PATA) is probably cheaper, but that's changing as SATA becomes more common, and you'll lose some of the speed of SATA in translation to USB.

The only advantages of an external enclosure that connects through a USB port, instead of a mobile rack, are that you can pack it up and easily connect it another machine through the USB port, instead of needing a matching rack assembly in the other machine.

Here are examples of both from a vendor close to me:

Moble racks for ATA and SATA.

External enclosures for ATA and SATA.

 

[mrbobdobalina81]

Thanks for the help Harvey.

 

[Harvey]

:thumbsup:

Fixed the link to the external enclosures. Note that they cost more because they require their own power supply.

 

[myrcgarage]

i have this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817145657 and I love it. It has both firewire and usb. It is very quiet.

I bought it for the same reason as yours that I backup my data once a week. I could have just plug in another hard drive into the machine, however, I don't want it to run all the time since I don't turn off my PC. Also, it is very mobile that you can just pick it up and go somewhere else. Plug it in and you have access to your data.

 

[StraightPipe]

I'd go cheap unless you're planning on traveling with it alot. you can get enclosures for $15.

this is a list of powered IDE enclosures at newegg.com

 

[StraightPipe]

i say that cuz if your traveling you're probably want a heavy duty with rubber on it. if it's sitting in an office on a shelf, who cares if it's made of plastic?

 

[StraightPipe]

oh, almost forgot. be sure you get USB2, it sooooo much faster than USB1.1

 

[StraightPipe]

I dont htink anybody has commented on your HDD choice yet. Seagate is good. Western Digital is my personal favorite. I'd go to newegg and sort them out. just narrow it down by size or price. right now the sweet spot (cheapest price in $/GB is in the 160-250GB range. IF you really shop around you can get them for about 20-25cents/GB if you go biggetr (300-500GB) or smaller (120-80GB) they get more expensive.