External Hard Drives Questions

[Keeper]

Hey guys, looking to buy a 1TB External Hard drive this weekend, and need some feedback.

Is it better to buy a Harddrive and Enclosure seperatly? (I mean, do the already external ones have Seagate?)

If I buy the thing already in an enclosure, what brands should I go for, which are cool (and a price too please)

Ive seen the Iomega 1TB at Incredible corruption for R1700, and im willing to spend up to R1900 or so....

 

[tyerone]

ic is about the cheapest i think, look at the ic crazy sale thread more info on hd's thier

 

[mikef]

AFAIK the Iomega only comes with a 1 year warranty - buying a separate enclosure and Seagate drive or a dedicated Seagate external drive provides you with a 5 year warranty.

 

[Tun@]

Each to their own i guess but I prefer seperate
i now have 2 Vantec NexStar 3 external cases,have'nt had any problems with them.
The NST360 SU model has eSATA as well as USB2 connection option,u can get in black/blue or orange.
Only bad thing i'll say about them is that where the case endcover gets screwed on, the machining is pretty 3rd world quality.

This & a Seagate 1Tb drive from ComX with R75 freight was R2500 a few weeks back.

The case
http://www.comx-computers.co.za/computer-store-specifications.php?products=2913

The HDD
http://www.comx-computers.co.za/computer-store-specifications.php?products=12771

HDD has gone back up in price a bit this week
Also those Vantec cases fit 1 TB drive fine - says differant on the site

Those cases can be found cheaper elsewhere but i bought from them as their HDD price was the best i could find at the time + to keep freight down

 

[PHTech]

I would definately go with the complete Seagate external 1TB package... You can expect to pay around R2,600.00 for the Seagate, and also have USB / eSATA / FireWire connection!

The Seagate HDDs usually comes with a warranty between 3 and 5 years, and personally, Seagate have the best quality HDDs on the market...!

 

[Keeper]

Where can I find the cheapest prices for a 1TB HDD at an actual store? Not an Online Store, I don't have a card....

 

[PHTech]

Well, Incredible Infection can help you, or find a local dealer who can supply you with the Seagate drives... But trust me on this one: Don't purchase any cheap brand HDD...!

 

[Keeper]

Im in Kempton Park, but i'm willing to go almost anywhere in the east rand.....

nobody know of any shops OTHER than Incredible connection?????

 

[hj2k_x]

The IC sale is over, so that 1TB Iomega is now R2899 again

 

[PHTech]

I didn't know that Seagate can actually be cheaper than Iomega. But anyways. Why don't you purchase it directly from a supplier like Bethesda computers...? You don't need to be VAT registered or have a registred business... Their prices are good sometimes for people who sometimes need stuff without too many hassles... I don't know any shops in the east rand as I am from Mpumalanga's side. Sorry...

 

[hj2k_x]

Where can I find the cheapest prices for a 1TB HDD at an actual store? Not an Online Store, I don't have a card....

Do you have a bank account? Most decent stores accept internet transfer/direct deposit.

Prophecy have good prices on hard drives, external and otherwise.

 

[.Froot.]

Your best bet is to go to Prophecy or Sybaritic or whatever and buy a Seagate 1TB and a hdd chassis from them and pay via EFT. Will be the cheapest solution by far. Prophecy delivers for free as from R1000 and Sybaritic doesn't charge all that much, depending on the courier solution you use.

 

[BTTB]

Hey guys, looking to buy a 1TB External Hard drive this weekend, and need some feedback.

Is it better to buy a Harddrive and Enclosure seperatly? (I mean, do the already external ones have Seagate?)

Separately in my humble opinion.

Seagate is a good choice, but do not buy the Seagate FreeAgent™ Pro combo.
I own one of these. Haven't had the drive fail me yet, but I have a number of issues with this piece of hardware.

Cons:
1. The 2 Prong Plug makes for poor electrical contact. Change this immediately. I hot glued mine into a three prong plug.
2. The SATA connection on these drives is a known issue if you search the internet. Loose connection of sorts. I use USB to avoid this issue.
3. The hard drive switches off OK when you turn on your computer, but then comes back on by itself and stays on. Not a good idea with all the power outages.
4. Ask yourself what you will do if the hard drive within the casing fails and there is critical data on there? Can you remove it for access?
5. Another Transformer on your desk.

Pros:
1. Looks nice.
2. Neat.
3. Portable.

My advice is to buy your 1Tb drive, Seagate should do, but place it within an External Enclosure of your choice. There are several on the market to choose from. Just do not buy the all in one solution.

 

[Keeper]

Do you have a bank account? Most decent stores accept internet transfer/direct deposit.

Prophecy have good prices on hard drives, external and otherwise.

Like I said, no card... LOL

They have good stuff on the site, but i'm gonna pay in cash...

Anyone got prices from Jasper Computrers near east rand mall / Matrix Warehouse? Their sites don't have pricelists...

 

[hj2k_x]

Like I said, no card... LOL

They have good stuff on the site, but i'm gonna pay in cash...

Anyone got prices from Jasper Computrers near east rand mall / Matrix Warehouse? Their sites don't have pricelists...

Matrix's site: http://www.matrixonlineshop.co.za/index.php?osCsid=106b0ce77b168080dfe64a92825eb87a

I see some prices there...

 

[Tun@]

@Keeper i seen those Vantec cases in my local IC the other day,never looked at the price but maybe a lead 4 u.(careful on model,some don't have eSata option)

@BTTB - re point 4 ,Is it not possible to open those freeagents up? OR are you meaning for warranty reasons the problem?

 

[Keeper]

Seagate is a good choice, but do not buy the Seagate FreeAgent™ Pro.

I own one of these. Haven't had the drive fail me yet, but I have a number of issues with this piece of hardware.

Cons:
1. The 2 Prong Plug makes for poor electrical contact. Change this immediately. I hot glued mine into a three prong plug.
2. The SATA connection on these drives is a known issue if you search the internet. Loose connection of sorts. I use USB to avoid this issue.
3. The hard drive switches off OK when you turn on your computer, but then comes back on by itself and stays on. Not a good idea with all the power outages.
4. Ask yourself what you will do if the hard drive within the casing fails and there is critical data on there? Can you remove it for access?
5. Another Transformer on your desk.

Pros:
1. Looks nice.
2. Neat.
3. Portable.

My advice is to buy your 1Tb drive, Seagate should do, but place it within an External Enclosure of your choice. There are several on the market to choose from. Just do not buy the all in one solution.

Some GOOD Advice here.... i think I should buy the HDD and enclosure Seperatly - if it fails i can change the Drive, and I can also Upgrade it later if needed.....

the Seagate FreeAgent™ Pro looked great...damn

Now I just need to find a shop...

 

[hj2k_x]

Some GOOD Advice here.... i think I should buy the HDD and enclosure Seperatly - if it fails i can change the Drive, and I can also Upgrade it later if needed.....

the Seagate FreeAgent™ Pro looked great...damn

Now I just need to find a shop...

Indeed. The 1TB was only a great deal when the sale was on.

 

[Keeper]

@Keeper i seen those Vantec cases in my local IC the other day,never looked at the price but maybe a lead 4 u.(careful on model,some don't have eSata option)

@BTTB - re point 4 ,Is it not possible to open those freeagents up? OR are you meaning for warranty reasons the problem?

sorry, whats eSata?

 

[Tun@]

Faster transfer connection than USB,if your PC supports it.
Unit comes with the SATA to eSATA PC adapter & eSATA cable.
I don't use as i only use laptop but i assume it plugs onto the motherboard SATA & you can join up to the Ext HDD with the eSATA cable.