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lhasa
Joined: 26 Jan 2008
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 Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 5:17 am Post subject: Portable Hard Drive |
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Looking to buy a high quality 500 GB portable drive here in Korea. Need something very durable....price isn't much of an issue....although solid state would be over the top.
Samsung's S2 looks decent but not sure how tough it is.
Any suggestions?
Thanks |
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Hindsight
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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I assume you are looking for a 2.5 inch 500gb drive.
I recommend getting the drive and the case separately.
I always get Seagate or Hitachi, and I have never had any problems. The Seagate model No. is ST9500325AS. You can find it through gmarket or elsewhere for under 100,000 won. You can get a 320gb drive for about 65,000 won.
When buying an enclosure, just keep it simple. Avoid models with unusual cords or power supplies. With a 2.5 enclosure this should not be much of a problem, but I did get one here that required two USB jacks, one for data, the other for power. Why? I got a 3.5 enclosure here that has a power supply with a proprietary looking jack going to the case.
Proprietary anything is not good because if you move and misplace it, it won't work. I got a Seagate 1 tb drive with enclosure in the States, and the enclosure is permanently sealed. Plus you need their power supply (not proprietary, but....) So if something happens, the only way I will be able to read the drive is to break it out of the plastic case.
Get my point? Buy the drive and enclosure separately. Plus, you know for sure what the drive is inside.
Keep it simple, stupid. You want a case with a standard USB connector. Some have eSata. I got one and couldn't get it to work; the jacks wouldn't fit. Other options include an easy opening case, if you will switch drives, and a case that looks like it will provide shock protection, though I'm not sure that's so important. Heat doesn't seem to be an issue with 2.5 drives, though I don't run them continuously.
I got a cheap Mascot enclosure for about 10,000 won. It works fine. I got a Next enclosure, and it works fine, too, though the LED sometimes doesn't flicker. They aren't pretty. You can find something nicer looking for about 20,000 won with a nice leatherette case.
One more bit of advice: Format the drive on an XP computer, presuming you're using PCs. If you format it on Vista, the drive won't show up on XP computers -- some new file system. But formatted on XP, it still shows up on Vista.
Samsung drives seem to have improved, judging from the reviews. But it still looks like they ship out some lemons. And the price is not that much cheaper. But I haven't owned one, so I can't really judge. |
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Pangit
Joined: 02 Sep 2004
Location: Puet mo.
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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You can get a portable USB drive instead of hard drive and enclosure so that you won't have to keep plugging it in every time you need to use it, and not worry about another wire (power cord + USB cable). Additionally, when you bring it places, you won't have to worry about adapters and voltage. Furthermore, they're quite tiny.
This 500 GB portable Western Digital is $100 US from Best Buy, for comparison's sake:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Western+Digital+-+My+Passport+Essential+500GB+External+USB+2.0+Hard+Drive+-+Black/9467105.p?id=1218109906721&skuId=9467105
I'm sure you can find something similar in Yongsan or online.
Format to NTFS if you're using NTFS, and if you want to put large files on it.
As far as durability goes, I guess look for something in rubber and aluminum. Or get a case for a good drive. Iomega has the eGo Black Belt, and Buffalo Technology has a "shock-resistant" product. Iomega's regular eGo line has "drop guard technology," but the Black Belt has some rubberized protection on it, which makes it look slightly rugged. |
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Globutron
Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Location: England/Anyang
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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Donnnn't get Western Digital!
I got a WD external 500gb. Then it broke. Bear in mind it had sat on the desk and not moved since I bought it, but that isn't the point, they all do that.
Trying to get replacement parts through them... no number for it. I tried the number on the website, which was the same given through many websites. Not even a real number, as far as my phones were concerned.
Emailed. Auto response. And again. Auto response. Third time was a pre-written response from somebody who obviously browsed lightly through my email and thought it appropriate.
I replied saying this is no good and gave even more details. Same email comes back to me. did it again, they provided the phone number. etc, etc, etc.
My lord, I ramble on.
Point is, if it breaks, you ain't getting any services from them. And they break somewhat easily. |
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Hindsight
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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Globutron:
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Donnnn't get Western Digital!
I got a WD external 500gb. Then it broke. Bear in mind it had sat on the desk and not moved since I bought it, but that isn't the point, they all do that.
Trying to get replacement parts through them... no number for it. I tried the number on the website, which was the same given through many websites. Not even a real number, as far as my phones were concerned.
Emailed. Auto response. And again. Auto response. Third time was a pre-written response from somebody who obviously browsed lightly through my email and thought it appropriate.
I replied saying this is no good and gave even more details. Same email comes back to me. did it again, they provided the phone number. etc, etc, etc.
My lord, I ramble on.
Point is, if it breaks, you ain't getting any services from them. And they break somewhat easily. |
Yes, but it's a great company to buy stock in. If you can figure out how to make cheap junk and get buyers to think they are the best in the world, you too can become rich.
If you buy a preconfigured portable hard drive, you risk getting a WD drive inside because they're the cheapest. It can be hard to find specs for hard drives that are sold with enclosures, and sometimes they feel free to stick in whatever hard drive they please. Even Seagate did not say much about the hard drive in their Freeagent enclosure. It could even be an IDE drive, which is now obsolete, but fine for the purpose. (NOTE: Buy a SATA drive.)
This is not rocket science:
Buy drive and case.
Open case
Slide drive into connector.
Close Case.
Attach provided USB cable to drive.
Attach the other end of USB cable to computer.
Done.
You may want to/need to format the drive, or divide it into partitions.
You could actually put the drive in your computer and load Windows onto it first, along with an antivirus program. If you do that, give it a 25gb to 50 gb partition. Then put it in your portable enclosure. If something goes wrong with your computer's hard drive, you can just slip it in to the laptop bay and you're good to go.
You should also copy the Windows backup disks onto your portable drive so that you can burn them to DVDs in case you need them.
Of course, another popular option is to take the drive out of your laptop and put it into the portable enclosure, while putting the new drive into your laptop. Then you need to reinstall your OS and programs, of course. But you reduce the risk of hard drive failure.
But if you want to upgrade your laptop drive, they have 320gb 7200rpm drives in Korea now. Here's the one I have:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=165644003
I can guarantee it will improve the performance of your laptop. But it won't do anything for speed from a portable drive because of the USB limitations.
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Definitions:
Portable drive: A 2.5 inch laptop sized hard drive in an enclosure that connects to the computer via a mini USB cable, which also provides power to the drive.
External hard drive: A 3.5 inch desktop sized hard drive in an enclosure with an external power supply that connects to the computer via a USB cable, sometimes the hard to find full sized type.
Last edited by Hindsight on Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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I have had no problem with WD, seagate on the other hand, noisy, had one fail, got it working again had to update the firmware in it.
Back to op
I just picked up a WD 500 2.5 with case for 100,000 at yongsan also picked up 2 wd 1tb 3.5 7200rpm with case for 120,000 each.
The cases are cheap and only come with usb 2 but it works, and if they fail, just get a new one |
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Hindsight
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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blackjack:
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| I have had no problem with WD, seagate on the other hand, noisy, had one fail, got it working again had to update the firmware in it. |
And I have had WD drives fail prematurely. I have not had any Seagate or Hitachi (IBM) drives fail, and none have been noisy. Updating firmware is not the end of the world.
Judging from the reviews on Newegg and other sites, users report failures with all brands of hard drives -- too many failures. No brand is flawless. But WD seems to have the highest failure rate; many reviewers report having had multiple WD drives fail. I don't buy WD drives anymore.
That's about all we have to go on: first hand experience. Some people are going to get WD drives that work fine. If all their drives failed, they would be out of business. Some people are going to get Seagate, Hitachi or Samsung drives that fail, too.
It's not my job to do their advertising for them. All I can report is my personal experiences and what I've seen on the product reviews.
If Seagate's reliability goes down hill, I will stop buying them. I am not going to tie my personal identity to any brand of computer hardware or software. Do you think they really care about little ol' you? What they care about is making as much money as possible.
The main difference is that some companies believe they can make more money by producing good products and maintaining their reputation, while other companies believe they can make more money by producing products as cheaply as possible and spending more money on advertising. Some companies that are in the first category change to the second category and exploit their formerly good reputation until they go out of business. Usually this is because they hire an imbecile CEO.
You are always taking a gamble with hard drives. Any hard drive can fail, either due to manufacturing defect or an accident or loss. It could be as simple as damaging a pin on a connector, though the SATAs seem better in that regard.
So if you have really important stuff, you need to do backups, and backups of backups, if necessary. Unfortunately, DVDs don't seem to be reliable for data. Two hard drives, your laptop and portable drive, would probably be OK. These 2.5 drives are so small and cheap you could make an extra backup on another drive of valuable stuff like photos, and stick it in a drawer.
If you don't mind the weight, a 3.5 drive is cheaper per gb. The 1.5 tb drives are reasonably priced. One 3.5, one 2.5 and your laptop should cover you. |
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Pangit
Joined: 02 Sep 2004
Location: Puet mo.
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:00 am Post subject: |
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| I think someone's missing the point about portability. If you get an enclosure and hard drive, you're going to have to deal with voltage issues when travelling. You don't have to go with WD, but a similar drive to the one I provided a link to doesn't require being powered. I also provided other options, such as Iomega and Buffalo Technology, which are more along the lines of what the OP is looking for (durable, portable drives). Enclosure and hard drive is not that portable, and probably not at all durable. |
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Hindsight
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 4:47 am Post subject: |
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Pangit:
| Quote: |
You can get a portable USB drive instead of hard drive and enclosure so that you won't have to keep plugging it in every time you need to use it, and not worry about another wire (power cord + USB cable). |
OK, you can use a 2.5 inch drive without an enclosure if you get a bare connector that converts the SATA connector to a USB connector. But they will cost you more than a basic enclosure. A 2.5 inch enclosure does not weigh that much. And why would you want to use a hard drive with the circuitry exposed?
Maybe someone is a bit confused. Perhaps it's me. I've never heard of a portable hard drive you don't have to plug in to your laptop. Is it wireless? Or are you under the misapprehension that a 2.5 inch enclosure requires a power source?
Look ANY 2.5 inch drive (the size used in laptops), whether SATA or the older IDE, when put in a portable drive enclosure that hooks up to the laptop via a USB port does not require external power, such as from a wall AC socket. *
I got a weird Mbox enclosure that required connection to two USB ports for power, but that's Korean thinking for you. USB ports provide 5.5 volts, enough to power a 2.5 inch drive. The power is sent via the USB port through the USB cable. It then goes to the drive through the SATA connector to the drive. The drive spins.
A 3.5 inch drive, the kind used in a desktop, requires a power source via a wall socket when used as an external drive. Therefore, it would not normally be considered portable.
A 2.5 inch drive in an enclosure is a portable drive.
A 3.5 drive in an enclosure is an external drive.
You do not need to pay fancy money for some company to sell you a WD or Seagate or Samsung or some no-name brand hard drive in a fashion statement enclosure using an off the shelf SATA connector. Iomega and Buffalo Technology do not make hard drives, as far as I know. I seriously doubt they make their own chips for their enclosures.
Look inside a 2.5 inch enclosure; there's almost nothing there. A 9,000 won enclosure with any hard drive is going to be just as fast as a 30,000 won enclosure with the most expensive drive made, even SSD -- the USB port is the limiting factor. How many times do I have to say things to get through to people? Sometimes I wonder why I bother. I guess some people only believe what they read in advertisements. (Of course, if you can provide test results that prove that I am wrong, please tell me.)
But hey, it's your money.
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* Note: Some 2.5 inch drive enclosures have provision for an external 5.5 volt power supply. If you use one of those USB splitters that connects to a USB port and then has four USB ports, there is no power to those ports. So then you would need to provide power separately to the USB drive. But if you connect the drive directly to the laptop's USB port, it will get all the power it needs.
Last edited by Hindsight on Sun Feb 21, 2010 5:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 4:56 am Post subject: |
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| Hindsight wrote: |
I got a weird Mbox enclosure that required connection to two USB ports for power, but that's Korean thinking for you. USB ports provide 5.5 volts, enough to power a 2.5 inch drive. The power is sent via the USB port through the USB cable. It then goes to the drive through the SATA connector to the drive. The drive spins.
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It is not a strange korean thing, many 2.5 external usbs have two. Some laptops put out less power through the usb, also if you are running it through a usb hub you will be getting less power |
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Hindsight
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:04 am Post subject: |
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Yes, many 2.5 inch drive enclosures have provision for a separate power input, if necessary by tapping a USB port. Here's one:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=162143397
The problem is my Mbox drive requires the use of two USB ports. I only have three ports on my Toshiba Satellite, so this is a pain. But then I don't use it. It went into a drawer, and I bought another enclosure.
I have two other brands of enclosures, and neither requires two USB ports.
The OP wants something that's truly portable. My point is, keep it simple. Get something that uses a simple, standard USB cable, so if you lose yours while on the road you can replace it easily.
And avoid a proprietary, sealed enclosure.
I did a search on gmarket for Iomega and Buffalo Technology. Iomega looks like it has a sealed plastic enclosure. Buffalo also looks like it is permanently sealed; it has a USB cord that looks like it is also permanently attached, which is good, if it is long enough (they give you an extension). Neither Iomega nor Buffalo specify which brand or model hard drive is inside, as far as I can tell, even on their corporate websites. Want reliability and durability? Get a mystery drive.
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=177861143
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=172806958
I see the Buffalo drive claims to have something called "turbo USB" that is faster than regular USB. That's new to me.
Gmarket lumps all their drives with enclosures, and enclosures alone, together in a category called "Exterior hard disk drives." Does that mean you can use them outside in the rain?
http://www.gmarket.co.kr/challenge_eng/neo_category/category.asp?gdmc_cd=200001097
I'll say it one last time: I would buy a drive and an enclosure and put them together. That way, if the enclosure hardware fails, you can put the drive in another one. And if the drive fails, you can put another drive in the enclosure. And you can buy a first rate drive, instead of getting a mystery drive.
That's what I would do. But hey, what do I know? I'm just one of those American idiots. |
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Pangit
Joined: 02 Sep 2004
Location: Puet mo.
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Pangit
Joined: 02 Sep 2004
Location: Puet mo.
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| Hindsight wrote: |
| That's what I would do. But hey, what do I know? I'm just one of those American idiots. |
No need for any of that. This is a discussion. |
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Hindsight
Joined: 02 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:29 am Post subject: |
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Hey, I can call myself whatever I want, eh?
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=178077
I was looking for another enclosure, but found these:
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=161922822
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=117961581
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=174812118
http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=174773901
The DataStation case has some internal shock protection; it looks a bit like the sleeve for the drive that laptops use. The Elecom has a foam padded pouch. They might add a little to the durability side.
I have no idea what the Iomega has, aside from the stuff on the outside. What's more important is the quality of the drive inside. See any names? I don't. Is it available in Korea? I don't think BestBuy ships to Korea.
I looked at the inside of my 2.5 inch drive enclosures. The drive slips into the SATA connector, but otherwise hangs there loose in all of them. If you are looking for a step up, look at the inside of the enclosure to see whether it has some system to anchor and support the drive.
On the other hand, you could add a little foam padding, yourself. Just get some of that window insulation stripping and wrap it around your drive, then put it in the enclosure. Heck, you could wrap some of the heavier stripping around the outside of the enclosure.
I still can't comprehend why anyone would want to have to connect a 2.5 drive enclosure to a wall outlet. You do not need to. If you are that determined, get a 5.5 volt adapter and connect it to a USB hub. Then you can power all the USB devices connected to it, including the drive. If you are running your laptop on battery, it would save some juice. But if you have a wall outlet nearby, why are you running on battery?
There may be some electronic differences among the 2.5 inch enclosures. On the other hand, it may be mostly hype. I find a 10,000 won enclosure works just fine.
The only way you are going to get any real increase in speed over USB 2.0 is an eSata connection. Too bad they haven't caught on with laptops (you can add an eSata adapter). Or wait for USB 3.0.
You know, if you are really concerned about reliability, you probably shouldn't get a 500 gb 2.5 inch drive. The 320 gb models are probably more reliable, though I can't say this for a fact. You could get two 320 gb drives for a little bit more than one 500 gb drive. |
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