Can anyone recommend a good external hard drive?
Nov 1, 2011 18:51:17 #
I'm looking for a better way to back up my photography. I don't want to rely on my laptop. Can anyone recommend a good external hard drive?
Nov 1, 2011 19:04:52 #
I have a Western Digital, 1tb, about 75.00 if I recall, its not the fastest but it works fine, good idea to have an external hard drive, my computer is over 4 years old, its a dinosaur in computer years, so I decided it was time to get an external for my pics and other documents.
Nov 2, 2011 06:54:48 #
I have a Western digital 2tb. Works great and it is fast. Cost less than $100.00. WD has many drives even up 6tb but cost around $475.00. The 6tb model can run RAID 1 which means you end up with two 3tb drives. You back up to one and it automatically backs up to the other drive. And you can easily remove one drive for transport off site. They also have everything in between.
Nov 2, 2011 08:04:35 #
The Western Digital drives are viable options. Good company.
I use the Seagate FreeAgent drives. One thing I like is that they have a 5-year warranty. If (when) one fails, you can go online to Seagate, enter the serial number of the drive on the warranty claim page, and they will send back to you an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number and shipping label. Simply box it up, print & affix the shipping label and get it on a UPS truck. In a week to 10 days, your replacement drive shows up.
I use the Seagate FreeAgent drives. One thing I like is that they have a 5-year warranty. If (when) one fails, you can go online to Seagate, enter the serial number of the drive on the warranty claim page, and they will send back to you an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number and shipping label. Simply box it up, print & affix the shipping label and get it on a UPS truck. In a week to 10 days, your replacement drive shows up.
Nov 2, 2011 08:21:41 #
very happy with my seagate 500gb. was around$55, and well worthit. i would, however suggest looking into online storage.
Nov 2, 2011 08:45:50 #
My kids gave me a 1.5TB Western Digital external hard drive last Christmas. I think you can get them at places like Staples and Best Buy for ~$100 or less. Even though I shoot mostly in raw format, it's taking a while to fill it up (it will hold up to 300,000 jpegs).
Nov 2, 2011 08:45:52 #
If you want a faster drive, look at the specs. You'll want 7200 as opposed to 5400. My preference has always been Western Digital.
Nov 2, 2011 09:12:02 #
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Nov 2, 2011 11:05:00 #
I use a Buffalo CloudStor network drive which sits on my desk and is connected to my router instead of my laptop or it's Hub. It provides for up to 4TB w/2-2TB Drives or 2TB with the drives mirrored. It has a self-contained fan. It was easy to set-up and I am quite pleased with it.
Being connected to my LAN via my router makes it a bit slower than a drive connected to my laptop via the USB port. But it has the advantage of being accessed by any of my portable devices or any device that is connected to the Internet (wired or wireless and password protected) from anywhere, even if my computer is turned off. It appears on my desktop the same as any other HD and on my iPod via a free app.
Being connected to my LAN via my router makes it a bit slower than a drive connected to my laptop via the USB port. But it has the advantage of being accessed by any of my portable devices or any device that is connected to the Internet (wired or wireless and password protected) from anywhere, even if my computer is turned off. It appears on my desktop the same as any other HD and on my iPod via a free app.
Nov 2, 2011 11:14:46 #
I have an iMac and I use a 1TB LaCie external. it is fast (Firewire 800). It also looks cool. It is a shiny black box which glows blue on the bottom. Anyway, I use it for Time Machine. If you don't have an iMac, Time Machine is a built in feature of OS X. It automatically backs up your main hard drive several times a day. You can then access it on a timeline. I've recovered files that I deleted a couple of weeks ago. It doesn't slow your machine down either. The first time you use it, it backs up the entire hard drive. After that, it only backs up the changes to your system, and it's automatic. I got mine for a little less than $100 and it works great. This is my second LaCie external. They make great hardware.
Nov 2, 2011 12:04:38 #
fabians
Loc: Glendale, AZ
You already have plenty of suggestions and Western Digital and Seagate are probably the most popular. If you are using your laptop and may want to consider an external HD that uses the USB cable for its power. That way you don't have to have an electrical outlet to run the HD, it runs off your computer power.
Nov 2, 2011 12:27:18 #
Dontrain
Loc: Chicago suburb
After an unfortunate (read neglected backup) system crash I bought a Seagate 2 Tb external drive which so far has worked perfectly. But the best part that I did not expect was the Free Agent software which is bundled with the drive. I have the drive connected to one of the USB ports and the software constantly monitors any new entries text or photos and transfer to the Seagate. A comforting monitor pops up often confirming that a backup has been made. There is an optional upgrade (of course) which I bought that enhances the whole backup deal. Seagate also has a cloud option for storage which I have not bought into yet. I am very pleased with the drive and especially the software, so far.
Nov 2, 2011 13:43:22 #
Rangerfan wrote:
I'm looking for a better way to back up my photography. I don't want to rely on my laptop. Can anyone recommend a good external hard drive?
Get yourself a HD docking station which will allow you to mount from 1 to 4 internal HDs externally. Buy yourself HD drives of your choice and backup away . Use a Grandfather, Father, Son system alternating three HDs for the most reliability. What I'm talking about:
http://www.startech.com/HDD/Docking
:-D
Nov 2, 2011 14:21:58 #
I have three external drives... two are Western Digital. I've had no problems with any of these. I'd like to suggest that if you can afford it and arrange the logisitics... have two drives and keep one of them somewhere other than your home. Or if you don't need constant access, keep your external drive somewhere else. This guards against fire, flood, theft, etc.
You might have a family member or friend that could jump in... each of you have one drive and keep a backup copy of the other's photos.
Online backup is a perfect solution for most risks... just have to rely on the network speed.
You might have a family member or friend that could jump in... each of you have one drive and keep a backup copy of the other's photos.
Online backup is a perfect solution for most risks... just have to rely on the network speed.
Nov 2, 2011 14:45:10 #
Seagate and Western Digital are great companies, terabytes and 500 gigs are great but what you need to look at is if your laptop has the power to handle 500 gigs. mine doesn't. I have a 250 gig and it works just fine. Something else to consider if you're adding hardware is a usb hub with EXTERNAL POWER SOURCE. I know its a pain in the b_ _ _+ but then your laptop won't have to work so hard and it will run cooler which is a big plus
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