Portable hard drive for laptop with AC power?

eclectichoney

Hi guys

Looking for a portable hard drive (500gb) for my laptop but i want one with an ac power supply as access to a plug is no problem and i don't want to use up an extra usb port by powering it (plus I have heard that they run faster with ac power, don't know how true this is though!???) All of the ones on mymemory seem to be usb only though, do ones with adapters still exist? I'm running Windows 7 in case that makes a difference.

Thanks a mill

bonzodog2

They won't run faster on AC
2.5" externals generally use 2 USB ports
You can get 3.5" externals that use E-SATA or Firewire

You could get a USB hub

pwd

I've two 2.5" drives that run off one usb port. I think this depends on the computer rather than the drive though - i.e.: computers provide varying levels of power to the usb ports.
This is preferable to using an external source for mine because it gives a constant mild electric shock when you touch the handrest while something is plugged in to a usb port that is running on external power.
Seriously look:
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49295100,00.htm

It is only minor though - feels more like something's vibrating inside it than anything else. Had loads of shocks for good periods of time before I realised they were shocks.

Anyway; You should try to find out what power your laptop provides at the usb ports, to see if it would need the second usb anyway.

bonzodog2

The USB standard specifies that 500mA @ 5V can be supplied to a device. All 3 of my external 2.5" drives come with a 'Y' cable that plugs into 2 sockets to get the extra current required