[Erwin]

Hmmm... that's a good point, could be the case that's died, that's true.

I'll do that first I suppose. Get an NAS case.

[half goon half god]

This should be a pretty simple one. I'm hoping someone can direct me to a decent online seller.

I need to move my iTunes library to an external drive as my Macbook's HDD is almost full. I'd prefer a FW400 drive as it will remain plugged into the Mac, and I don't want to sacrifice my USB2 ports. I'm looking at either 160 or 250GB.

I've checked out staticice for prices, and I've found some for around $150-$170, but I'm hesitant to buy because I don't know which sellers to trust. They all seem a bit backyard-businessy to me. So far it seems that CX Computing is a real store, but I can't be certain. Help, please!

Oh, also - Verbatim FW400 drives - any good?

[Bethro]

Has anyone got experience with the Western Digital Elements series drives? I am thinking of getting the 1TB which Harvey Norman have for $175 at the moment to use as a general back up Time Machine drive. What's the main differences between the elements and the MyBook series? I'm guessing firewire and maybe a fan?

[incanspyder]

hey guys ive searched this long thread for answers but can't find any.

if you look at my other thread "hard drive help!" (yes, i know) - you'll know the story behind it. as it turns out enclosure seems dead so i want a case for my wd caviar gp 1tb drive, preferably fw 800/400 - does anyone ahve any recommendations that are good quality and cheap (~$80)?

[Aladdin]

I gues you'd have to choose between good quality and cheap. Which is more important to you?

I'd recommend the M9-DX2 (I have one), but it only has FW400. AFAIK it hasn't been updated yet.

The Sarotech HardBox looks good, esp its built-in power supply, but is more pricey.

The Pleiades Enclosures have rave reviews.

[Phunky]

How about the Vantec Nexstar 3 with usb,esata and fw? About $80

[iva]

I have a Pleiades Ice Cube II USB and Firewire external case with a 320GB Seagate drive. I am v happy with this enclosure - well built and quiet, and hasn't skipped a beat in 2 years.

I can see the writing on the wall for IDE drives and am thinking I really am going to need to get a case that supports SATA drives sooner or later as IDE drives seem to be ever thinner on the ground.

Unfortunately, Pleiades only seem to have one case which supports SATA, and it's their most pricey one. I can't justify $170+ for the enclosure + the price of a new SATA HD at this stage as my set up is still working fine, but I'm trying to plan for what happens if/when I need a bigger drive or my drive keels over.

I have a friend who wants to set up an external HD for her time machine back ups, and I have a spare IDE Seagate drive, but I'm not sure I should be recommending her to get an IDE enclosure at this point. What do you guys think?

[ClockWork]

One up from the Icecube Super S Combo...



Which supports SATA II... yet is a tad more expensive again, is the Stardom iTANK i302:



Best to understand it as a Hot Swap version of the IceCube Super S Combo, where one can slide in / slide out any number of 3.5" SATA Hard Drives, from 160GB to 2 TB, and keep them safe 'n sound in something like this Storage bag:



thus giving any User limitless storage, depending upon how many 3.5" SATA Hard Drives they purchase.

As easy as sliding a DVD Disc into a DVD Player.

Quad interface of (x1) USB 2.0 / (x1) FireWire 400 / (x2) FireWire 800 / (x1) eSATA.

[iva]

Would I be able to use some sort of a converter in order to use a SATA drive in my Ice Cube II (IDE) enclosure in the future? Or will going to a SATA drive mean having to ditch the enclosure altogether?

[Vapours]

Originally Posted by iva

I can see the writing on the wall for IDE drives and am thinking I really am going to need to get a case that supports SATA drives sooner or later as IDE drives seem to be ever thinner on the ground.

[snip]

I have a friend who wants to set up an external HD for her time machine back ups, and I have a spare IDE Seagate drive, but I'm not sure I should be recommending her to get an IDE enclosure at this point. What do you guys think?

Definitely go SATA.

I got a Pleaides IDE enclosure a while back, and while it works fine, IDE drives are becoming increasingly thin on the ground and are more expensive than SATA drives. It is the only IDE drive I have left now*, and when it dies, that is the end of IDE drives for me, it will be SATA from then on.

*Except for the old eMac collecting dust in the corner, which I haven't even switched it on since I got the iMac in Jan.

[MightyAtom]

Originally Posted by iva

Would I be able to use some sort of a converter in order to use a SATA drive in my Ice Cube II (IDE) enclosure in the future? Or will going to a SATA drive mean having to ditch the enclosure altogether?

No, you'll need to replace the enclosure. Though SATA/IDE converters do exist they're unreliable and you probably wouldn't be able to fit one in an external enclosure.

[ClockWork]

Originally Posted by iva

Would I be able to use some sort of a converter in order to use a SATA drive in my Ice Cube II (IDE) enclosure in the future? Or will going to a SATA drive mean having to ditch the enclosure altogether?

And here, with visual confirmation:

The inside of an Icecube Super S Combo - SATA / SATA II Enclosure:





and the inside of an Icecube Generation II PATA / IDE Enclosure:



The black connector in the first image, poking out of the green chipset, is strictly SATA / SATA II and acts as both a communication and a power dock, whilst as the wide ribbons coming out of the brown chipset in the bottom image are two quite separate sets of connectors - the one on the left for communication, and the one on the right for power.

Either way, it's a very tight fit including either a SATA or a PATA Hard Drive, so any kind of internal adapter would certainly compromise space to the point where the Enclosure would need to be left open.

As far as I know though, the Icecube Generation II Enclosures which use PATA / IDE HDDs aren't coming to any end in any foreseeable future, and Western Digital don't appear to be making any moves to end their PATA HDDs.

2.5" PATAs are a different story though.

[iva]

Thanks Clockwork, the images and the explanation were really helpful. I haven't had the opportunity to compare IDE and SATA connectors side by side before, so this has been great

[iJohn]

I'm looking for a external harddrive 500gb preferably usb powered 2.5". Can i just go out and buy any cheap 500gb 2.5? Does it have to be mac compatible(stupid question maybe)?

At times i may also need to back files from a windows computer

Cheers

[ClockWork]

Originally Posted by iJohn

I'm looking for a external harddrive 500gb preferably usb powered 2.5". Can i just go out and buy any cheap 500gb 2.5? Does it have to be mac compatible(stupid question maybe)?

Cheers

Of course you can.

You can purchase anything you like.

Yet, from my point of view, if people buy Apple computers at great expense, because they want the very best, this concept should ideally be applied to important peripherals also, and losing your backup is a pretty destroying experience.

Take a squiz through this full colour article on External Drives, on MacTalk.

In answer to your question, any External Hard Drive can be formatted for either OS X or Windows - the Drive is a blank sheet awaiting a Format.

cheers,

cw

[iJohn]

so in a nutshell your saying a buy a mac compatible hd for higher quality and you will pay a little more

[ClockWork]

Originally Posted by iJohn

so in a nutshell your saying a buy a mac compatible hd for higher quality and you will pay a little more

No no no no... There's no such animal as a Mac compatible Hard Drive.

All Hard Drives are Mac compatible, just as all Hard Drives are Windows compatible. The moment one plugs an External Drive into an Apple Mac, it pops up a window asking you if you want to Initialize it. You click the Initialize button, and bingo, it's done.

In regard to External Enclosures, just like any computer, there are two main components:

1. The Hard Drive.

2. The Enclosure around the Hard Drive.

Here is a picture of an External Enclosure with a Hard Drive inside it, minus the case - exposed:



The Hard Drive is the silver metal object on the right, in this case, a 1 Terabyte Western Digital Hard Drive, and it is sitting inside an External Enclosure, like a metal block in a metal lunch box.

The green circuitry on the left side is what the Hard Drive is connected to.
And the far left side, which can't really be seen in this picture, are all the USB and FireWire Ports that the Enclosure holding the Hard Drive can use, to connect with your computer - but the left side would look something like this:



Make sense?

The first picture shows a good External Enclosure with a pretty good Hard Drive inside it, opened up, though when using it as an External Drive, it would all be closed and all you would see is a metal box, like this:



What I'm essentially saying is, it's worth buying a good quality External Enclosure with a good quality Hard Drive inside it - and, they really aren't all that difficult to put together oneself.

Way easier than assembling a table from Ikea...

Yet a good Hard Drive should really be complimented by a great Enclosure that holds it... and many cheap Enclosures out there, aren't really all that good, even if the Hard Drive is.

It is the Enclosure that makes it possible for the External Hard Drive to communicate with your computer, be it an Apple Mac or Windows PC computer.

[iJohn]

yeah i got ya mate!! Cheers thanks

[davidw89]

HEy guys looking for a Hard Drive case that supports firewire 800/usb. Wil l be slotting my own 3.5" drive inside.

Which ones would you recommend?
Here are some that i liked:
Hard Drive Cases - MacAlly G-S350SUAB Hi-Speed eSATA/FireWire 800/400/USB 2.0 Storage Enclosure for 3.5" SATA HDD - MacFixit Australia Store
Hard Drive Cases - NewerTechnology miniStack v3 FW800/FW400/USB2/eSATA External Hard Disk Drive Enclosure / Case Only - MacFixit Australia Store
Hard Drive Cases - OWC Mercury Elite-AL Quad Interface eSATA, FireWire 400/800 & USB 2.0/1.1 Enclosure Kit - Supports all 3.5" SATA HardDrives up to 2.0TB. New, 1yr Warranty - MacFixit Australia Store

Since it's going to be sitting next to an iMac, i would prefer if it's aesthetically appealing.

[aafuss]

Am using a 250GB WD My Passport Essential-seems very quiet.

Got it for $88-Domayne had these on sale at that price about a month or so ago.