Hello All,
I want to buy an eSata external H/D for my iMac and am wondering if there is anybody on the list who could advise me of which way to go.
My main worry is that as the iMac is a sealed unit and the eSata connnector plug seems to be a bit larger than anything on my iMac I thought I should seek advice from the list.
I want to get something around 320 GB capacity and the range of Seagate & Western Digital models is a bit bewildering, thank you all for reading this,

Johnmac

Hi Johnmac,

I think you will find that you will need a usb or firewire drive, the imac doesnt have a esata connctor so you would need an esata to usb or firewire adapter and then you may as well just get a usb or firewire drive

I just got a Sarotech HardBox case, the model with FireWire 800 + USB 2 + eSATA takes a SATA hard drive. It also has an internal power supply, so I don't have to carry one with the drive if I port it between home and work. They also give you every cable you could need - FW800, eSATA, USB and also a cable that adapts from FW400-> FW800.

It also looks half decent with an aluminium case. All up not bad for $125. I got mine from mwave.com.au

I've also found that if you need the drive itself, Samsung drives are the cheapest. go to staticice.com.au and do a search for 'samsung 500GB sata'.

[EDIT] - they also give you a padded carry bag in the box - noice
[EDIT 2] - also, although you need screws to open the case, installation of a hard drive doesn't involve screws at all.

Cheers

An external Firewire 800 drive is the way to go for your machine. There wont be a practical difference between FW800 and eSATA speeds for a single drive.

Thank you so much to the 3 people who posted replies to my query, I am very grateful,

John mac

Hello All,
I am hoping someone can advise me on what eSata Hard Drive to buy for my 2 Ghz 17" iMac computer. I want to get at least 320 GB of space on it and I`m not sure whether to go for Firewire or USB and. If there is anyone who has gone through the pain of trying to decide which way to go I would be pleased to hear what you have to say,

john mac

Firstly, please reduce that font

Secondly, Western Digital are always a trusted brand. Take a look;

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/produ...57&language=en

Ricky.

Considering the iMac doesn't do eSATA, you're limited to FireWire and USB.

If you want to keep things in your home office tidy and maintain the Apple 'look' of things, I suggest the Newer Technology 'Ministack' hard drive. It looks a lot like a Mac Mini, comes in a variety of capacities (from "0 GB" (bare case) up to 750 GB), is virtually silent, and has built-in USB and FireWire hubs. It uses quality Initio chips for USB and Oxford chips for FireWire, and has a two year warranty. Personally, I think these rate as one of the best external drives available for Mac users!

(see my other recent posting for links, a pic and some more info.)


Brains

Thank you for your reply and what you had to say about the Mini Stack has really sparked my interest and I will now examine what the site has to say about it, thanks again,

John

Two very comprehensive articles have been written here detailing external drive options (by Clockwork from memory). Have a look at them to guide your thinking. Short answer, if you're willing to do a bit of running around and play with a couple of screws, your best option is to buy an external drive case and place whatever drive you'd like inside.

I have just bought a sarotech hardbox enclosure. its fanless and the power unit is built in, and comes with a carry bag! (fw400, esata, usb) and 250GB SATA WD drive for $199 from epowermac.
I will back up to it tonight and let you know how it goes.

I bought it for portability, hence the need for a built in power supply, and I hate noise. I think for time machine purposes I will buy an icecube G2 super.

Hello Mate,
Thanks for your message and the epower looks very interesting, I`ll spend some time browsing this afternoon and let you know what I decide.
I would be pleased to hear how you get on with your purchase,

John Gold Coast

Hello,
Thanks for that much obliged. I will see if I can track them down and have a read through,

John