Most Reliable 1TB-2TB External Storage?

[centurymeltdown]

I currently have a Maxtor 750GB OneTouch 4 for about a .. 8 months now, and i am impressed with it - but, its my only external backup device and also holds over 500GB of media!

Im paranoid - im not going to deny it, so im thinking of getting a another external HDD which i can backup into again. I need it to be reliable as well, something sturdy but will stand the test of time in the long-term.

NOTE - Yes, i know you cant say which brand lasts longest in some cases - but im asking for opinions here.

I was thinking of either a single 1TB drive or a 2TB drive configured to be 2x1TB RAID - so if one drive failed the other would remain safe and sound. Not only that, ill have my Maxtor OneTouch doing compressed backups of all data weekly.

What do you think guys? What are your experiances and what do you reccomend? D:

 

[raybay]

Seagate or Western Digital, in an external enclosure you buy and setup.

Next most reliable is the Seagate system. Third most reliable is the Western Digital...

the most UN reliable is the Maxtor, followed by the Hitachi, then the Samsung...

Fujitsu and Toshiba are very reliable but use the laptop sized drive, which sometimes cannot handle the extra heat as well.

 

[centurymeltdown]

Seagate or Western Digital, in an external enclosure you buy and setup.

Next most reliable is the Seagate system. Third most reliable is the Western Digital...

the most UN reliable is the Maxtor, followed by the Hitachi, then the Samsung...

Fujitsu and Toshiba are very reliable but use the laptop sized drive, which sometimes cannot handle the extra heat as well.

You think i should buy a hardrive and enclosure seperately and then set it all up like that? Well, i suppose it would be cheaper and prehaps i could have 1-3 drives all setup in a box with a fan or something. Any other opinions?

What about this -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Elements-External-Drive/dp/B001GO9ERE/

?

 

[raybay]

Sort of depends on what you are already accustomed to using...

We much prefer the home built with external enclosure... but the factory built ones have some convenient settings where you press a button and get you computer backed up. they are nice, but I find they are unreliable over time... as problems arise.

 

[centurymeltdown]

Sort of depends on what you are already accustomed to using...

We much prefer the home built with external enclosure... but the factory built ones have some convenient settings where you press a button and get you computer backed up. they are nice, but I find they are unreliable over time... as problems arise.

Im not exactly "amazing" when it comes to upgrading computers, i can do RAM - but if its complicated i have a feeling things might go wrong if im installing a HDD into a enclosure.

All i want is something built to last which has the space, nothing more, nothing less Apprently having decent cooling is the main factor, and is it possible to have for example, 3 drives in a enclosure?

 

[LookinAround]

Do you need a network connected drive or is USB sufficient to meet your needs?
Are you looking for a RAID drive (a drive with multiple hard disks with built in redundancy/fault tolerance)?

In any case, i've had nothing but excellent experience to date with (fully assembled) drives from Buffalo Technologies.
> And p.s. IMHO only buy a drive if it comes with its own A.C adapter. e.g Don';t get one that relies on the USB port

Plus Buffalo is very reasonably priced vs. the competitor's

/* edit */
And before you simply say "RAID" go online to compare the prices. RAID is great.. but of course, you pay premium for all its advantages

 

[raybay]

Have neither seen it nor used it.

 

[LookinAround]

Have neither seen it nor used it.

Uhhh OK. This was a post, not a poll.

 

[centurymeltdown]

Do you need a network connected drive or is USB sufficient to meet your needs?
Are you looking for a RAID drive (a drive with multiple hard disks with built in redundancy/fault tolerance)?

In any case, i've had nothing but excellent experience to date with (fully assembled) drives from Buffalo Technologies.
> And p.s. IMHO only buy a drive if it comes with its own A.C adapter. e.g Don';t get one that relies on the USB port

Plus Buffalo is very reasonably priced vs. the competitor's

/* edit */
And before you simply say "RAID" go online to compare the prices. RAID is great.. but of course, you pay premium for all its advantages

I just need something thats will give me peice of mind i suppose My Maxtor relies on a AC adapter so ill make sure my new ones runs off one as well. Tbh, all im using it for is media on my 22" for my PC so USB is fine.

 

[raybay]

Check specs carefully. Many units only work properly up to 400 GB... and I have not yet seen one at 1 TB or above that works well...
Otherwise, I like Vantec Nextar3, and Kingwin.