External hard drives

[imported_wuzilla]

I'm shopping around for an external HD and it seems like, as far as price in concerned, the enclosure + separate drive is the way to go. I'm just wondering if there are compatibility issues. For instance, will the standard desktop hard drive fit into an enclosure, or do I have to be aware of hard drive types, compatibility, etc.

Also, any advantages between Firewire and USB 2.0?

 

[corkyg]

Yes - any HDD will fit into an external enclosure for 3.5 or 3.5-in drives. That is one way to use your old drive after an upgrade. I have both - 2.5 and 2.5. (Laptops get upgraded too!)

I prefer Firewire to USB 2.0 for drives - the sustained data transmission rate is a bit faster with Firewire, and I have found it to be more reliable. Now I am waiting for the availability of Firewire b cards and enclosures. At 800 speed it is a no brainer.

 

[LTC8K6]

Yep, I bought a barebones system that came with a 5400RPM WD 40GB hard drive. I knew I was not going to keep it in the computer, so I bought a BYTECC USB2 external case for it. Works like a charm and it averages 17Mb/sec transfer rate.