Portable HDD

wombat

wombat

Lives in a hole
For whatever reason, I've never really gotten around to buying an external HDD, although I often find myself wishing I had one, as a 16Gb fash drive just isn't cutting it, especially for carrying around media files.

So, what's good?
Anything from 320Gb is going to be fine capacity wise, as it'll mostly be a transport thing, not a long term storage device.

Firewire isn't commonplace on the machines I'm using most of the time, although eSATA is, so something with eSATA would be a big bonus. However, I'm not willing to carry around a power brick, so unless it will do data over eSATA and power via USB, then it's out.

Size and weight aren't huge issues, although I don't really want anything massive; it'll be a 2.5" drive unless I can find a reasonably priced 1.8" drive that matches the following criteria...

I'm after something pretty; and probably shiny. Yeah yeah, call me vain or whatever, but I'm a sucker for shiny stuff. There's a plethora of drives available, some are butt ugly but plenty are quite pretty, so I don't see any need to settle for something fugly.

I'm very close to getting a Lacie Starck drive; mainly because I think it's pretty stunning. I've read that the USB plug is a little bulky though, which isn't ideal, and I sadly wish it had an eSATA port.
(Also kind of wish it didn't have "STARCK" embossed in it, but meh).
Lacie%20Starck_Mobile_3-4_Front.jpg


Is there much out there in a 2.5" eSATA drive? I've found caddies which would do the job, and that's fine, but they're generally not terribly attractive, and the girl's 3.5" Nexstar has proven to be a vibration machine, so I'm wary of what some drives will do to these enclosures without good isolation.

Surely somebody has a suggestion for a picky bastard?:)
 
Have a look here - they do some pretty good pricing. I have abought a few items off them, and service has been fine to me.

http://www.citysoftware.com.au/Drives_-_External_Hard_Drive.aspx

I'm after something pretty; and probably shiny. Yeah yeah, call me vain or whatever, but I'm a sucker for shiny stuff. There's a plethora of drives available, some are butt ugly but plenty are quite pretty, so I don't see any need to settle for something fugly.
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You're kidding me right! It's a hard drive, not a fashion accessory. My first priority would be reliability.
 
When I bought mine I didn't realise some models need to be plugged into a powerpoint to work, not just the USB:(
 
wombat said:
Yeah, but....fuck, it's ugly.
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Depends who you ask. They're industry standard now, and as such have become pretty much accepted by everyone who needs decent quality equipment. I actually find it relatively attractive.
 
Go look at Australia post. I recently bought a 1tb Seagate drive for $130, after going to Betta Electrical and Retravision where the same drive was $290!
It needs to be plugged in to a powerpoint to work, as far as I know all drives of that size need to be, but it's shiny. Isn't that the most important thing? :p
 
Tristan23 said:
Depends who you ask. They're industry standard now, and as such have become pretty much accepted by everyone who needs decent quality equipment. I actually find it relatively attractive.
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Oh don't get me wrong, as far as high vis flotation devices go, it's gorgeous.:p

If I was still lugging shit to uni, I'd probably actually get one (and a black sleeve for it, or some black paint for the silver bits), but It's not often that I'd be haphazardly throwing stuff in a bag now, so the toughness might not be as important. I am attracted to the idea of being able to drop it from over my head, but not as attracted as I am to having a pretty unit sitting on my desk.

Whatever I get I'll probably get a pouch for too, if only so I don't forget to take the cable with me.
 
Buy whichever one is prettiest. HDDs are like bikes, they all come out of a few factories and get thousands of different cases and stickers slapped on them.
Under the covers most of them will be a Seagate or Western Digital anyway.
 
wombat said:
Oh don't get me wrong, as far as high vis flotation devices go, it's gorgeous.:p

If I was still lugging shit to uni, I'd probably actually get one (and a black sleeve for it, or some black paint for the silver bits), but It's not often that I'd be haphazardly throwing stuff in a bag now, so the toughness might not be as important. I am attracted to the idea of being able to drop it from over my head, but not as attracted as I am to having a pretty unit sitting on my desk.

Whatever I get I'll probably get a pouch for too, if only so I don't forget to take the cable with me.
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Haha...you weirdo.

I've got a watch designed by Philippe Stark by the way. Mum bought it for my birthday. Although it attracts lots of comments, it's pretty much useless for anything but telling the time, and that's frustrating. Not waterproof (can't even take it in the shower), no day or date, bulky, etc. Way overpriced IMO.
 
wombat said:
I'm after something pretty; and probably shiny. Yeah yeah, call me vain or whatever, but I'm a sucker for shiny stuff. There's a plethora of drives available, some are butt ugly but plenty are quite pretty, so I don't see any need to settle for something fugly.

I'm very close to getting a Lacie Starck drive; mainly because I think it's pretty stunning. I've read that the USB plug is a little bulky though, which isn't ideal, and I sadly wish it had an eSATA port.
(Also kind of wish it didn't have "STARCK" embossed in it, but meh).

Surely somebody has a suggestion for a picky bastard?:)
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Talking of designer stuff, I have a Porsche pencil - it's nice and heavy, and writes and draws stuff..........And has Porsche on it.:cool:
 
Tristan23 said:
I've got a watch designed by Philippe Stark by the way. ...... Way overpriced IMO.
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Yeah but watches are more of a fashion thing than HDDs, plus you wear them every day so paying more for "designer" isn't as wierd.
I've got a Raymond Weil which cost a fair bit (not Rolex money but well over a grand) - all it does is tell the time but I love it heaps. Every day when I put it on I'm stoked.
 
Tristan23 said:
Haha...you weirdo.

I've got a watch designed by Philippe Stark by the way. Mum bought it for my birthday. Although it attracts lots of comments, it's pretty much useless for anything but telling the time, and that's frustrating. Not waterproof (can't even take it in the shower), no day or date, bulky, etc. Way overpriced IMO.
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Yeah, to be honest I'm not even a huge fan of Starck himself (although Juicy Salif is pretty damn cool looking) I just really like this drive. Thankfully it's not too expensive either; not cheap cheap, but I can get one for around $110, which I'm willing to pay, I think...

scblack said:
Talking of designer stuff, I have a Porsche pencil - it's nice and heavy, and writes and draws stuff..........And has Porsche on it.:cool:
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Porsche Design have done a few HDDs too, a couple for Lacie I believe, sadly, they've been pretty ordinary looking IMO. It'd probably be the only Porsche I could afford!

Hrmmm. It seems like I'm just talking myself into the Starck one, doesn't it? I guess I'll just settle for something without eSATA, and get it.
Might even post pics. :p
 
Wombat, just get yourself a 320Gb WB My Passport (or what ever they call them now.) Around 88 bucks as already posted and last a long time if you treat them right. Mine is still kicking around the bottom of my manbag (Backpack) and still working after a couple of years.:D

I have 5 of them in different shapes and sizes.
 
You think you've made a decision, and then you get bored and google kicks you in the balls.

20091116184036490.jpg

Sure, it's not as pretty, but it's kind of funky, supports eSATA (with USB power) and has rubber shock protection. I guess it falls somewhere between the Lacie Starck, and the Lacie PFD. Just need to try and find someone selling them locally if possible.
 
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