 External HD, Recs? |
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Welcome to Bleeping Computer, a free community where people like yourself come together to discuss and learn how to use their computers. Using the site is easy and fun. As a guest, you can browse and view the various discussions in the forums, but can not create a new topic or reply to an existing one unless you are logged in. Other benefits of registering an account are subscribing to topics and forums, creating a blog, and having no ads shown anywhere on the site.| Important Announcement: We have a terrific contest still running on the site that I wanted all our members and guests to know about. The chance to win two Seagate FreeAgent external hard drives. More information about this contest can be found here. I suggest everyone submit an entry for them. - BleepingComputer Management |
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 Oct 7 2008, 02:44 AM
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Member  Group: Members Posts: 23 Joined: 30-September 08 From: USA Member No.: 242,461  |
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Oct 7 2008, 10:06 AM
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Forum Addict Group: Members Posts: 6,841 Joined: 3-September 05 From: Killeen, TX Member No.: 33,068 |
You want the drive to have its own power pack, not be dependent only on USB.
USB is a connection technology, like IDE or Firewire...not a powering system (although we may refer to it as such). That's why so many USB devices (scanners, printers, etc.) have power plants attached. If it were me, I'd just buy a USB 2.0 hard drive enclosure and put a hard drive inside it...rather than buy an external drive. As for "best", I don't think there is such...since no one can guarantee the life of either the enclosure or the hard drive. I'd approach it the same way I approach buying hard drives...depends on what the prices are that day  .Louis |
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Oct 7 2008, 03:41 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 23 Joined: 30-September 08 From: USA Member No.: 242,461 |
Why does the HD need its own power supply? (Why two plug-ins? One for the USB connection and one for the power.)
So, go with the best price? |
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Oct 7 2008, 04:15 PM
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#4
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Forum Addict Group: Members Posts: 6,841 Joined: 3-September 05 From: Killeen, TX Member No.: 33,068 |
Actually, it's the enclosure (that the hard drive is in) which needs an external power supply/pack.
Think of it this way...if that drive were directly connected to the motherboard, does it need a power connection? Of course it does, courtesy of the power supply unit which is installed in the system. You take that same drive, really do nothing to it other than put it in a USB 2.0 enclosure (because you want to connect it by USB or you don't have any motherboard connections to accomodate it, etc....you still need a power connector. A USB 2.0 case with external power connection provides that, just differently than the power supply which is inside the computer case. If an enclosure doesn't have an external power connection...what's going to feed that hard drive in the enclosure? The system cannot do it through the USB connection. I can only tell you that I go with the best price for hard drives when I buy them. I currently have Samsung, Western Digital, Maxtor, Hitachi drives installed...they all do the job without problems. I have a personal bias for Seagate drives, but I think that's predicated on nothing more than sentiment/ideas that should have disappeared the day I went to using XP. Some persons think that there are "better/best" drives, you should probably wait for some inputs from them. Louis |
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Oct 7 2008, 07:06 PM
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#5
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Member Group: Members Posts: 23 Joined: 30-September 08 From: USA Member No.: 242,461 |
I've gots me one of them new-fangled laptops. Lets me hop on that information superhighway to see what's all the fuss with them interweb tubes. Thinkin' 'bout one of those smaller hard drives, the kind that is self-contained that come built in its own enclosure; and I was planning on using one of the laptop's usb ports to power the new HD. Are you sayin' that's not what I should do?
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Oct 8 2008, 12:39 AM
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#6
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arachibutyrophobia Group: BC Advisor Posts: 4,961 Joined: 4-March 05 From: Northern CA. Member No.: 13,532 |
Because this is laptop there is a definite advantage in have an external enclosure with its own power supply, it will not be drawing from the battery on the laptop. If the external drive was drawing from the laptop battery is would decrease the amount of time the charge would last on the laptop.
It is true that all manufacturers will have the occasional failure, but I still like Seagate, they have the best warranty as well as a very good product. You can check out what Newegg has to offer here. -------------------- Lord, may we please have a little more chlorine in the gene pool?
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Oct 8 2008, 04:12 PM
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 405 Joined: 7-May 07 From: Hull England Member No.: 129,329 |
hi,,, i also find that external hdd's with there own on off switch (rocker switch) are a lot better than having it turn on every time you switch your pc on, and then its sitting there getting hot unless you get under the desk and turn the power pack off.
-------------------- Figgis,,,, LUFC
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