What should I look out for if I wanna buy a external hard drive?

Answer 1

I think the best thing to look out for is computer connection. Most drives have either a USB or Firewire interface for connecting to the PC. If your PC is equipped with USB 2.0, this is the speediest solution.

Second, look for what kind of buffer memory is available. This is not an essential thing to know, but it is useful in determining what drive will be best for you. If you will be transferring a lot of large files (like video files) from your internal drive to your external drive, then you might want to look for a higher buffer memory. 16mb is a high buffer memory, and 8mb is generally the standard you will find. 16mb drives will cost more than 8mb, and it's really up to you what you would like to get.

Third, be aware of what the drive utilizes for cooling purposes. In general, external drives with less than 300GB of storage space do not come with a fan-driven cooling system (the kind used to cool the components in your computer case or laptop). Fans are generally one of the most effective ways to cool a drive, but in many of the smaller drives, a fan will not fit. Most external drives are cooled with a vent system of sorts that allows at least a moderate movement of outside air to cool the heating parts inside. It is worth looking into to find an external drive that provides a switch to turn it on and off. This will allow you to turn off the drive if you feel that it is getting overheated, or if you are not using it for extended periods of time. There are also certain cooling devices you can buy on the internet as an added precaution.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, you want to look at storage space/cost ratio of external drives. This is really where individual use dictates a proper buying. Someone who wants to back up their files or put some MP3s on an external drive does not need a 500GB external drive. However, someone who is a movie enthusiast or videographer could very well need a drive that boasts this kind of storage space. So now it becomes a search for a drive that best suits your storage needs for the best price. Although you should look for an affordable drive, do not let price alone sway you. Some very cheap drives are solid, but others are cheaply put together and can fail due to overheating or poor construction. A good way to go about this search is to read user comments and reviews of certain external drives. People are honest about these sorts of things, and you should look for repeated occurrences of either satisfaction or dissatisfaction to help you out.

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Answer 2

stick with some thing with a known brand name like western digital . there are a lot of good external hard drives out there.
biggest thing is price.

Answer 3

You could buy an IDE or SATA enclosure which connects to your computer through USB port. You will be able to use any standard internal IDE/SATA hard disks of any capacity upto 300GB through it to work as an external hard disk. And they can be easily connected / taken out.

Answer 4

i have 2 "LACIE" external hard drives, they are both 250gb
after searching online for awhile i decided on this model.
they have given me no problems, and are very easy to use!!!!
i paid around $139.99 +tax each for them at a "BESTBUY" store
go to this link below, its the 4th one down on this list.(250gb// usb hookup)

http://www.nextag.com/lacie-external-hard-drive/search-html

i have even invested in 2 usb extention cables (10 feet)each
this way my drives are down beside my modem and i can switch them both back and forth between my 2 computers using the front port usb plugins KOOLNESS!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

exterior harddrives are quite in uncomplicated terms for storage. you quite won't be in a position to apply them to run purposes enormously video games nicely. terrific wager is purchase a greater robust inner hard drive on your computing device and toss the previous one.

Answer 6

u could by a SATA hard drive

Answer 7

That there truly is a need for it & not a bigger internal one.

Answer 8

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=136&