making my own external hard drive?

[Steve325]

I'm trying to understand this. I'm looking for a lot of space, preferably 300+ GB, which are typically running for around $120 on ebay for this space. Would it be cheaper to just buy an external case and add my own hard drive? or is this even possible?

 

[AirForceElite]

yes it is

buy hard drive enclsure for like $20
put ur desktop hard drive in..and you are good to go.
and i wouldnt suggest buying hard drives from ebay
hard drive is not something that u can quickly tell if it has been used or no.

better go with online retailer, because they sell for almost the same price
try newegg.com

 

[AmphibSailor]

Enclosures are pretty inexpensive. (One of my favorite vendors is at geeks.com but they are available all over.) Things to look for are the type of internal interface such as PATA or SATA and the external interface (USB 2.0 or firewire are the most common). An aluminum enclosure is good for radiating the heat off the hard drive. Then pay attention to whether the power supply is built in to the enclosure (most of the ones I've seen use the same power cord as a PC) or uses a power brick. The choice is a personal preference.

As for hard drives, just remember some drives are hotter than others....

 

[silverdj]

Whatever you do, don't get a compusa brand enclosure. They do not work for beep!