Best option for adding hard drive to an Xbox Arcade?

[mshan]

UPS should be delivering my Xbox 360 Arcade today, and was wondering what are best options for adding a hard drive?

I saw some cheap hard drive cages only on eBay, one marked aftermarket and ships from the USA, and the other presumably a knock off from Hong Kong:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...302588&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2137wt_941

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...951561&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_2082wt_941

Are these just as good as the genuine Microsoft part, and can I add my own hard drive (presumably any SATA notebook drive)?

If I go with a genuine Microsoft part, what is best option this way?

 

[AstroManLuca]

You can't just get a hard drive and put it in a shell. I'd recommend looking for a complete 120 GB hard drive. I got one a few weeks ago. It was one of the Hong Kong ones, but other than taking about a week and a half to get it, I didn't have any problems.

EDIT: Also, it was around $70.

 

[Queasy]

Yes, go with a genuine 360 hard drive.

You can hunt for deals at Amazon, Buy.com or other retailers. Or you can try Craigslist or eBay.

Don't install a non-MS hard drive as you'll be tempting fate with getting banned. MS recently banned 600k 360s using modified HDDs.

 

[Kabob]

I think that a 60GB drive is plenty big. I got mine back in March or so for $55 shipped off of ebay.

 

[happy medium]

Yes, go with a genuine 360 hard drive.

You can hunt for deals at Amazon, Buy.com or other retailers. Or you can try Craigslist or eBay.

Don't install a non-MS hard drive as you'll be tempting fate with getting banned. MS recently banned 600k 360s using modified HDDs.

I don't think they were banned for the hard drive. They were banned for the firmware mod on there dvd drive. You can also be banned for having saved pirated unpatched games on the hard drive.
I never heard of getting banned for using a 3rd party hard drive only.

Ebay has a 3rd party 250gig hard drive for 104.00$ You can get it @ 7200 rpm too! for 124$

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280416382043&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[Lotheron]

I don't think they were banned for the hard drive. They were banned for the firmware mod on there dvd drive. You can also be banned for having saved pirated unpatched games on the hard drive.
I never heard of getting banned for using a 3rd party hard drive only.

Ebay has a 3rd party 250gig hard drive for 104.00$ You can get it @ 7200 rpm too! for 124$

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280416382043&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I hate to say this, but if the OP is looking for help with adding a HDD to his new 360, he has no experience with this sorta thing (WHICH IS FINE!), however, it means that it would be in his best interest not to do anything to piss of Mother Microsoft.

My advice: Just get a Microsoft branded drive. It will just work and you wont even have the slightest risk of getting banned. 60GB is plenty, I have a 120GB elite and I still have 90+ GBs free.

 

[OCNewbie]

Wasn't it the Western Digital Scorpio 2.5" drives that were compatible with the Xbox 360's? Or something like that.

 

[BoberFett]

Nobody has asked the OP what he's going to using it for.

Are you installing games to the hard drive?
every Rock Band track ever released?

Or the occasional arcade game?

If you're doing heavy downloading or loading game to the drive and can find the 120GB go for it. If it's for the occasional demo or XBLA game, you could find a used 20GB very cheap from someone who upgraded to the 60GB or 120GB.

 

[AstroManLuca]

It's true, you could get a 20 GB for really cheap from a lot of people, including me. Only thing is the 20 GB is not very good even if you never install games to the hard drive. If you get a lot of game demos and DLC, it'll also fill up pretty quick since you only really get 13 GB to work with. A few map packs, XBLA games, and Rock Band tracks will leave you with enough space to install maybe one game to your hard drive.

 

[Tom]

I have a 20g hard drive from a Chinese Ebay seller on my Arcade. It looks genuine but I know stickers can be counterfitted.

I haven't used it for awhile so it doesn't have the latest updates. I'm now wondering if I should chance using this hard drive, or remove it before I start up the xbox ?

I'd rather have wasted $30 on the hard drive than $150 on the console, if it's true that even a 20g drive would get the console banned, if it isn't genuine.

btw, I've only dabbled in the xbox universe a little, last week my son's 3.5 year old 360 rrod'd, no warranty of course..now I'm not sure if I can turn mine on. Might be a good time to bail and cut my losses..