Preparing for External USB HDD support: Best Drives

[rockymtnhigh]

In anticipation of the release of External USB HDD support for the vip622, I am about to purchase a new external USB HDD. I currently have a WD My Book 320GB, and know that I can get a 500GB one for about $130. In today's newspaper, Best Buy had a WD My Book that was 750GB for $220.

I really like the idea of 750GB of HDD space; that should give me something like 50 or 60 hours of storage.

But is there a better drive out there in the same price range? I really can't spend much more than $200; as I have a few other purchases on the horizon I need to convince the wife of..

Thoughts? (And please, lets leave the "Dish will never release the External USB support..." to another forum )

 

[Bob Haller]

i wouldnt buy anything till you know whats supported, and its likely to be limited in many ways to make program providers happy

 

[navychop]

I second Bob's comments. Not much to be gained by an early purchase. Once they make it official, we'll know which will or won't work- at least, as Dish sees it. Then there will be plenty of time to buy something.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I agree with Bob (write this date down!)

Wait until its released, normalling in August computers and parts drop in price for the back to school sales. You could save money... and I dont see prices going up on them.

 

[Bob Haller]

I agree with Bob (write this date down!)

Wait until its released, normalling in August computers and parts drop in price for the back to school sales. You could save money... and I dont see prices going up on them.

its wierd posting something everyone agrees with

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I was more interested in identifying the particular drive to look for; wasn't going to purchase it yet. But everything we have told so far suggests that they are not going to require a particular device.

SO, I repeat my initial call for feedback on the best external USB Hard drives; being forward thinking. One critieria I am particularly concerned with is cooling. Keeping the drive cool.

Geez, while I want August 15th to arrive, I kind of don't, because it means that summer will be almost gone.

 

[riffjim4069]

I picked up two 500GB WD USB/eSata drives on sale for $129 last month. I have a few 250GB drives, but I needed more space and the drives were pretty cheap. I plan to use one or two of them with my 622s. If nothing else, I still needed the HD space anyway.

 

[Bob Haller]

buy whatever you want, just make certain you have other uses for it, so when the drive you buy isnt usble no harm done

 

[rockymtnhigh]

buy whatever you want, just make certain you have other uses for it, so when the drive you buy isnt usble no harm done

Too pessimistic Bob.

But the question is what is the best USB HDD; in terms of performance, and cooling.

 

[Bob Haller]

Too pessimistic Bob.

But the question is what is the best USB HDD; in terms of performance, and cooling.

pessimists arent disappointed

were jst thrilled when the drive support becomes available late 2008 and only carries a 5 buck per month enabling fee, rumors had it at 10 bucks a month unless you had AEP

Enjoy your shopping

 

[SpenceJT]

I was more interested in identifying the particular drive to look for; wasn't going to purchase it yet. But everything we have told so far suggests that they are not going to require a particular device.

SO, I repeat my initial call for feedback on the best external USB Hard drives; being forward thinking. One critieria I am particularly concerned with is cooling. Keeping the drive cool.

Geez, while I want August 15th to arrive, I kind of don't, because it means that summer will be almost gone.

I work in IT Support and can honestly tell you to stay away from Hitachi brand drives. We have never seen a failure rate as high as the Hitachi "DeskStar" (a.k.a. "DeathStar") drives.

Yes every drive is prone to failure, some are rated better than others and still others are certified for heavy duty "critical storage solution" type usage. As far as consumer brand drives available at most resellers, steer clear of Hitachi... at least until their cycle of defectives wane. I say "cycle" because I believe that all manufacturers go through cycles where their products have fallen in quality. This has happened in the automotive industry (Chrysler of the 80s vs. now) and home video industry (Samsung was complete and utter crap when it came on the scene with Samsung branded VCRs in the mid 80's and just look at the company now!).

Right now the most reliable drives I am seeing are coming from Seagate and Western Digital. Western Digital is on an upswing in the cycle as five years ago they had a very high failure rate. Personally, I have been a Maxtor fan, but as of late, they too appear to be on the slide as far as life expectancy.

Another thing, I wouldn't go with a pre-packaged external drive. Quite often you end up with more than you need, particularly for use as an external drive in a DVR. There is no need for any hard drive utilities, backup applications etc. when Dish will lay down their own proprietary FAT (file allocation table) and encryption. It is my opinion that most any USB2 enclosure would suffice for your drive of choice.

Options for enclosures range from the $29 at CompUSA (just large enough for a drive and no cooling) to something costing a bit more which would include a cooling fan of some sort.

Now then, as much as I hate to agree with Bob "doom & gloom" Haller (or anyone else for that matter), waiting is always the thing to do when technology is the item being considered. Prices rarely go up on current technology.

Cheers!

Spence

 

[SpenceJT]

buy whatever you want, just make certain you have other uses for it, so when the drive you buy isnt usble no harm done

Ah there is the old "doom and gloom" that we all know!

I'm going to out on a limb here with 90% confidence and say that any external USB drive should work. That said, faster, cooler and quieter is better, but I would still wait as the next deal is always around the corner and it just doesn't pay to spend now, when in 30 days you can have the same (or better) thing for less.

(I think my wife just fell over on that statement).

30 days people. Not a long enough wait to warrant an extra $20 or so.

Keep your eyes on sites such as;

eCOST.com - Online Discount Superstore home electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players
Newegg.com - Buy Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Cyberguys.com – Computer Cables, Computer Parts, Computer Accessories, Computer Adapters, PC Components

Spence

 

[navychop]

I'm a believer in waiting, but this offer, as posted in this thread (#128), is hard to pass up. 500GB FreeAgent for $120. The OP says the offer expires 7/21, so there is some leap of faith here. But not much money. Heck, when this first came up (external storage) I figured I'd be spending $300-$400.

I don't like CompUSA, but this strikes me as a major deal, and I think it includes shipping.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I'm a believer in waiting, but this offer, as posted in this thread (#128), is hard to pass up. 500GB FreeAgent for $120. The OP says the offer expires 7/21, so there is some leap of faith here. But not much money. Heck, when this first came up (external storage) I figured I'd be spending $300-$400.

I don't like CompUSA, but this strikes me as a major deal, and I think it includes shipping.

How good is the cooling on their external drives?

 

[SpenceJT]

How good is the cooling on their external drives?

Rocky (and all),

Great deals on all-in-one externals are a gamble. You can (as in usually "do") end up with crap internals.

Trust me, you are far better off purchasing an external enclosure (with or without fan) and then purchasing a "quality" drive for it. This is the only way that you can both save money and retain control over the quality of the components within.

For instance - Here is a 500GB SATA from Western Digital for $132 Internal Hard Drive - 500GB Caviar SE Internal Hard Drive (Western Digital) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players

All you would need is a USB 2 enclosure for an SATA drive.

For those who don't want to pay for a SATA enclosure, here is a 500GB WD EIDE drive selling for $148. Depending on the enclosure, you can spend between $30-$50 and you have your own quality solution.
Internal Hard Drive - 500GB EIDE Caviar SE Hard Drive (Western Digital) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players

Granted it is a bit more than a generic all-in-one external (containing a drive from an unknown manufacturer), but isn't piece of mind when longevity, stability and data integrity worth an extra $20-$50?

Enclosures with fans;
External Hard Drive - USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure (CP Technologies) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players
External Hard Drive - 3.5" Mini Portable Hard Drive Enclosure (Ultra) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players
External Hard Drive - 3.5" USB 2.0 Aluminum External Enclosure - Black (CD-390B-U2) (Coolmax Technology) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players

 

[navychop]

OK, back down to earth now. Spend more, last longer.

 

[datwell]

There are many possibilities and you can look at one good option here...

Newegg.com - Galaxy METAL GEAR 3507UC-Silver 3.5" USB 2.0 External Enclosure - Retail

Look at the reviews, especially the one by datwell

Just my two cents.

--Doug

 

[vurbano]

I would be surprised if any USB 2.0 drive fails to work with it.

 

[SpenceJT]

I would be surprised if any USB 2.0 drive fails to work with it.

I was going to say something to that effect, but took into consideration that it was after all "Dish Network".

I have hope that the "U" in USB will still stand for "Universal" (as opposed to "un-usable") after Dish Network plays with it.

 

[Bob Haller]

i think the program providers will hamstring any universal standard.........