A good 1TB external? - Tech Support Forums

-FMA · September 18th, 2008, 02:44 AM

I've been on Newegg for a while now and I just can't seem to find a good 1TB external HD. I'll read the reviews and many of them will say great things but on majority of them it seems like they say they run hot.

So if anyone knows of any good drives or has bought one that works well enough, let me know.

Thanks in advance,

FMA

BipolarBill · September 18th, 2008, 08:29 PM

Assemble your own. Buy your preferred 1TB drive and install it in an Antec MX-1 enclosure. It's eSATA too, so you can get ludicrous speed!

-FMA · September 19th, 2008, 12:29 AM

I'm not so much concerned about speeds as I am about reliability. Purchasing a 1TB drive and then the enclosure is getting to be a bit more than I want to spend.

So, since speed isn't much of a concern to me, usb 2.0 will do, any suggestions on a drive that won't run too hot?

ATM, this is what I'm considering: Newegg.com - Western Digital My Book Essential WDH1U10000N 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive - External Hard Drives

It does not have an on/off switch though, but if it's cool, I should be able to live with that.

pullmyfoot · September 19th, 2008, 12:45 AM

I have the 500Gig version. Pretty reliable but a little slow when accessing the drive (it takes 3 or 4 seconds when you click on the drive icon to get into the drive). Other than that I quite like it.

BipolarBill · September 19th, 2008, 06:27 AM

Buying an all in one is cheap, but limiting. If it fails, you have to return the entire drive. If you remove the drive from the enclosure, you risk voiding the warranty. Build your own.

I can't speak about anything but what I own. The Antec has great cooling.

pullmyfoot · September 19th, 2008, 10:36 AM

Well if you have to bring the drive back if it busts I dont see the difference bringing back a hard drive or a hard drive in a case.

BipolarBill · September 19th, 2008, 11:04 AM

What about getting your data off? Perhaps the enclosure half of the package died. If so, you cannot remove the drive from the enclosure to get your data (or even test the drive) without losing your warranty. You have to surrender your perfectly good data to the manufacturer, who will never return it.

Think.

pullmyfoot · September 19th, 2008, 01:05 PM

Yeah. I guess. Well Id say go for it if its just a backup drive for stuff on your computers.

-FMA · September 20th, 2008, 07:38 AM

Yeah, I'm not really going to be putting anything personal on it.

As far as buying an all in one drive being limiting, I'm not really concerned with that. If it fails, getting it replaced is the least of my worries, it'll be all the fansubs I lost.

I only car for it to be quick enough to let me play videos off of it.

But does anyone know of any good deals? This drive is a bit more than I wanted to spend but if it's one of the better buys I can't do much about it.

J1mmy · September 20th, 2008, 07:57 AM

I've always been quite inclined towards the Western Digital My Book drives. I've owned the old version and the new essential edition, of a 500 and 750gb drive, and they've served me well.

You can definitely stream movies of it, it also spins only when it's in use so that partially eliminate the heat issue. It has vents all around the casing anyway. The Essential Edition is also quieter than previous models.