External HDs: Suggestions from this list, please!

Dinarius

I would be grateful for a couple of suggestions from this list please.

http://tinyurl.com/5m2k7g

I know it's only one supplier, but Argos are convenient to me.

I'm a photographer and I go through these at quite a rate, so 500Gb is the minimum.

Reliability and longevity are my main concerns, natuarally.

Many thanks.

D.

hugejeans

Wow, Argos is expensive!!

I have this one:

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=343423

on your list for €100 more.

Its been fine for me but after buying it i was told western digital hard drives arnt great. Still, no probs so far.

DonkeyStyle \o/

Wow, and I thought I was bad with my 10 gigs of photos
Out of that list, I've got the Freecom 400Gb (in black), and have had no problems with it in the year+ I've had it (apart from the plug which hums annoyingly, but maybe that was a fluke).

Dinarius wrote: »

Reliability and longevity are my main concerns, natuarally.

I think every harddrive manufacturer has some failure rate... if you absolutely can't afford to lose data I'd say make at least two separate backups... maybe buying two external 500gig drives and backing up the same photos to both... even keeping one off-site in case of fire, burglary, throwing it out the window, etc.
Only having one copy of something is risky IMO... I think no matter what the reputation a drive manufacturer has, you can always be unpleasantly surprised.

hugejeans

I see the point about Reliability, so if your worried you might loose some photo's maybe look at something like this:

http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=338035

Its 1TB (2 500GB drives) but will give 500GB strorage if you use the RAID Mirroring.

odonnellcarey

I have a Western Digital My Book 500GB
and a Maxtor One Touch 500GB

Both are in constant daily use and I've had no problems.

If your Photos are important you should have an extra backup kept off-site.
Remember Murphy's Law - "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way"

Dinarius

Thanks guys.

I just bought two of the WD My Book Essentials 500Gb on Dabs.ie. At €85.00 they're a fiver more than Komplett, but I have an account with Dabs.

I also buy office supplies from BizQuip in Sandyford Ind. Estate and the exact same WD model is........€194.19 incl. VAT!!!!

I have just paid Dabs.ie €185.15 for two delivered to my door!

You have been warned.

D.

StonedParadoX

i actually swear by freecom

i bought 1 400 gig near 6 months ago and the only problem is the strange humming once in a blue moon

and then i bought a 500 gig and i also get the strange humming but i personally have no problems with it

2 excellent buys
i much prefere external hd's to the ones inside the pc


that being said i now have to guy buy another 500 cuz my 500 and 400 are near full