Best external hard drives to buy right now?

Ended up grabbing this one after all, but they paired it with some cheap-ass enclosure and now the whole thing runs like a total snail... 🙂

Wasn't that a total rip-off $300 for a 1TB drive?

Seagate IronWolf Pro 1TB... I think he went with the

I'm looking for a solid 2.5" external hard drive. Needs to be at least 320GB, and I'd really appreciate something with decent transfer speeds........

Western Digital Elements Portable.
It actually shorted out on me a few months back—pretty wild, honestly—but man, it’s such a solid little drive 🙂

It sounds like you’re leaning toward one of those portable 2.5'' external USB drives, so you're likely weighing this particular option that my colleague suggested against Western Digital, though if I’m being honest, I’ve always had a bit more of a soft spot for this one.

Both are solid choices—honestly, you’re looking at the exact same drive inside two different enclosures 😉

Yeah, this one feels more like a high-end, glossy version of the standard model, almost like it’s aiming for a bit of a premium aesthetic 😁

What’s the actual difference between 2.5" and 3.5" drives? Also, what kind of price range should I expect for a standard 500GB external HDD versus a 1TB one?
🙂

http://www.amazon.com/hard-drives...e=3979&order=2

The only real differences are the capacity, how much they weigh, and obviously the price tag...

Which brand would you recommend I go with?

Hey there!
I could use some help picking out an external drive.
My gut says it might be better to just grab a standalone drive and a separate enclosure, but honestly—I don't know enough about the components to play matchmaker with them properly.
Then again, maybe those off-the-shelf external drives aren't actually a bad move?
Open to any and all suggestions...
Here’s what I’m looking for:
- 2.5-inch size
- USB 2.0 (though if USB 3.0 fits the budget, I definitely won't complain)
- 500 GB capacity
- max $233

Thanks in advance!

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 500GB—if you ask me, that’s your Best Buy right there. Now, if you're looking for something with a bit more flair in the casing, Seagate My Passport 500GB
might be more your speed.

Is it possible to grab a 2.5" external hard drive, rip it out of its casing, and just pop it straight into a laptop, PS3, or something else?

coppertrucker11 said:Is it possible to grab a 2.5" external hard drive, pop it out of its casing, and then toss it into a laptop, a PS3... you name it?

Sure enough, you can—but just keep in mind that those external drives almost always use slower disks (usually 5400 rpm), and you’re essentially paying an extra premium just for the enclosure itself.
If your main goal is simply to get a drive for a PS3 or a laptop, I’d suggest just buying a bare 2.5" internal drive instead—you could opt for a faster 7200 rpm model, or if you stick with 5400 rpm, it'll likely be a bit easier on your wallet.
For instance: Seagate Backup Plus Slim 320GB at 5400 rpm comes $123 as an external unit, whereas a standalone Seagate BarraCuda 500GB at that same 5400 rpm speed would cost $110.
Alternatively, a Seagate FireCuda 320GB which features a 7200 rpm spindle and a 16 MB cache would run at $137 (just the drive itself), though it'll definitely be snappier than the other options mentioned.

Now, if what you actually meant was buying an external drive just to swap out whatever is currently in your PS3 or laptop—or perhaps putting your old internal drive into an external case to repurpose it—then you'll need to hunt for an external drive where the housing isn't a nightmare to open without breaking it. In my experience, that isn't exactly a walk in the park with something like the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 500GB we discussed earlier... (plus, you'll void your warranty the second you crack that shell open).
In that specific scenario, your best bet is probably just buying a bare drive and a separate external enclosure.🙂

Thanks a ton... here’s where things stand

I’m looking for a 500 or 640GB hard drive specifically to use with my PS3. I was wondering if anyone knows where I could pick up something like that for around $167 (doesn't matter if it's used or new)

In that case, I’d say you're making a solid call going with the Seagate BarraCuda 500GB. Honestly, you probably don't even need the extra speed of a 7200rpm drive—unless, of course, you're really craving that extra kick, in which case Seagate FireCuda 320GB might be the way to go 🙂
. Still, we have to keep an eye on the budget, since those 640GB drives tend to run quite a bit higher in price than the $167 🙂

Will I actually notice a massive difference between 7200rpm and 5400rpm drives while I'm gaming?

Nope.

Hey everyone!

I need to pick up an external drive to handle my backups and store all my movies and music—looking for at least 500 GB, though honestly, more is probably better. I’m sitting at about 230 GB of random files right now, and I know that's going to balloon pretty quickly, so I’m feeling totally lost on what I should actually be looking for.

I don't really care if it's portable or not; I mean, sure, those sleek, colorful cases look great on my desk, but I guess I'm willing to give that up😢.

The main thing is that it needs to be reliable, shouldn't break the bank, and most importantly, it needs to make my laptop stop nagging me with those constant "no backup detected" warnings.

There is just such a massive jungle of options out there that I feel like I've managed to get confused five different times already. I did find this little Seagate Expansion 640 GB model, but apparently, it uses a USB interface, and now some guy is telling me that transferring data over that is going to be painfully slow.

So, what am I supposed to do now?
🤷