External HD Enclosure

[BrettCB]

I just purchased a new laptop and the space provided with the internal HD isn't going to cut it. I've done a little research and decided to simply buy an external HD case for my Seagate 250GB SATA HD. My laptop will support both Firewire and USB 2.0, however, I'd like the enclosure to support both USB/IEEE 1394.

Basically, I need some advice on what brands to look for, what specs I should make sure the enclosure includes, and anything else I should look out for. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Ika]

http://xbitlabs.com/articles/storage/display/35hdd-enclosure-roundup.html

 

[Blain]

Vantec NexStar2...
* USB 2.0
* 1394 Firewire
* No AC adapter to mess with

 

[Operandi]

The chipset used and the build quality are the important factors.

I've used quite a few different brands and Mapower is the best I've come across thus far. They use good chipsets and feature all aluminum construction; good durability, cooling, and looks , no cheap plastic junk.

This one seems to have what you need but it looks like it may be picky about compatablity with SATA 3.0.

 

[corkyg]

Whatever case you decide on, there is one very important thing - when you connect to a laptop you absolutely, positively MUST have a case with its own A/C power source. Especially with Firewire. Laptop 1394 connectors are 4-wire - no power at all. And laptop USB ports cannot power a 3.5-in drive.

So, forget the Vantec NexStar 2.

Operandi's suggestion is a good one.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Whatever case you decide on, there is one very important thing - when you connect to a laptop you absolutely, positively MUST have a case with its own A/C power source. Especially with Firewire. Laptop 1394 connectors are 4-wire - no power at all. And laptop USB ports cannot power a 3.5-in drive.

So, forget the Vantec NexStar 2.

Operandi's suggestion is a good one.

All 3.5 drives need external power, only laptop drives can be powered via USB or Firewire.

The Vantec is out though due to it being IDE internally and not SATA.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Whatever case you decide on, there is one very important thing - when you connect to a laptop you absolutely, positively MUST have a case with its own A/C power source. Especially with Firewire. Laptop 1394 connectors are 4-wire - no power at all. And laptop USB ports cannot power a 3.5-in drive.

So, forget the Vantec NexStar 2.

Operandi's suggestion is a good one.

What's wrong with the NexStar2... it has it's own power supply? :shocked:

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: Blain

What's wrong with the NexStar2...it has it's own power supply[/q

Not according to your bullets and the first review on your link.

And, as for powering 2.5" externals, yes with a desktop, but not with a laptop. Laptop firewire ports are basically designed for camera downloading, and are 4 wire - no power at all. Laptop USB ports just don't have enough juice in their USB ports unless you use two of them, or USB + PS/2.

 

[piasabird]

Just buy a cheapo DELL for extra storage and put a big hard drive in it. Use it like a server.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

slightly OT, but is there a way to have an external enclosure that takes 2 drives and combines them, so it appears as one drive on a pc?

 

[corkyg]

Good question. The answer is 'Yes!'

Go here and scroll down to SATA Connect RAID Enclosures:

RAID

 

[speedlever]

Today I put a laptop drive in a Mapower USB case (2.5") and it runs beautifully on my Mom's Acer laptop. Picked it up locally for ~$23 US.

Mapower KC21U2G USB 2.0 2.5" External Enclosure. Powered only by one USB port on the laptop.

The one I bought for her looks like this one:Mapower MAP-KC21C1P-H 2.5" USB but does not have Firewire. Nothing on NewEgg's site matches what I found. Hmm.

IAC, it works just fine.

Edit: Oops. SATA. I missed that.

 

[HyunYu]

What about getting a SATA enclosure for your drive, and getting a PCMCIA SATA controller?

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Blain
Vantec NexStar2...
* USB 2.0
* 1394 Firewire
* No AC adapter to mess with

The NexStar2 doesn't have an AC adapter to mess with, BUT does use a regular computer cable for its power source... just to be clear

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Blain

Originally posted by: Blain
Vantec NexStar2...
* USB 2.0
* 1394 Firewire
* No AC adapter to mess with

The NexStar2 doesn't have an AC adapter to mess with, BUT does use a regular computer cable for its power source... just to be clear

Its also IDE; the OP needs SATA.

 

[Blain]

true

 

[RebateMonger]

It's tough to find an IDEAL housing. Some really good ones, unfortunately, have an external power supply. My dog just chewed through one of those proprietary power supply cables...making my brand new external SATA housing worthless.

 

[speedlever]

So are you saying that a laptop USB port won't power an external SATA drive but will power and external IDE drive?

And, as for powering 2.5" externals, yes with a desktop, but not with a laptop. Laptop firewire ports are basically designed for camera downloading, and are 4 wire - no power at all. Laptop USB ports just don't have enough juice in their USB ports unless you use two of them, or USB + PS/2.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: speedlever
So are you saying that a laptop USB port won't power an external SATA drive but will power and external IDE drive?

And, as for powering 2.5" externals, yes with a desktop, but not with a laptop. Laptop firewire ports are basically designed for camera downloading, and are 4 wire - no power at all. Laptop USB ports just don't have enough juice in their USB ports unless you use two of them, or USB + PS/2.

Lap top or not, USB / Firewire can not power any 3.5 desktop hard drive. USB and Firwire can both however power 2.5 laptop hard drives IDE or SATA.

 

[speedlever]

Ah... guess I didn't parse the question correctly, although the poster did mention 2.5" externals.

 

[Boyo]

I have the Vantec Nexstar3 and that is a SATA HD enclosure. It works with USB 2.0 and I highly recommend it. Although with my rig I use it as an eSATA drive which is faster than the USB.

 

[BrettCB]

Thanks for all the replies. Looking at two drives currently, the Mapower and Vantec Nexstar3. Only thing that worries me is all the reviews say that Firewire is much faster than USB 2.0. I'm using this 3.5" drive for music/video/data storage so will I notice a difference in speed between the USB 2.0/Firewire enclosures?

Two Choices:
http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-Nexstar-3-...-8387663-2370208?ie=UTF8&s=electronics
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817145166

Also, any tips on where to get a good price on the SATA version of the Nexstar3 is appreciated. Good feedback and it has made my choice much easier, thanks again.

 

[kwo]

I am following your thread closely as I am also in the market for a very good external enclosure (5.25" in my case).

I can not stress enough, after going through several cheapie bad ones (that killed drives) how important it is to *not* skimp on price if the product is good.

external, aluminum, quiet fan-cooled, good chipset are all important.

I would recommend the dual USB/firewire for versatility. mine will not be stationary, hence the need to plug into both older usb-only computers and firewire for my laptop, newer computers....

Also, I don't know about you, but mine will be used for several things and I will be constantly swapping drives in it. If you're going to do the same, then also take into account whether it's easy to get into (simple screws) or difficult (lots of plastic snappy-pieces)...

Just some thoughts....

 

[Paperdoc]

It may appear simpler and neater to use an enclosure with no separate power supply so there's only one cable and no wall wart, etc. But considering you want the external drive to be big, I'd really worry the laptop may not have enough power available for it, and go with an enclosure that uses its own power supply. Besides, and many have said, you probably will find the laptop simply does not provide for a choice. If its USB and Firewire (IEEE 1394a) ports are 4-pin, those are DATA ONLY - no power available.

By the way - check the ports on your laptop carefully. Almost all external enclosures come with a cable that assumes you will have a 6-pin connector on the PC end, whether you are using the power from there or not. You probably will need to order just the right cable for your set-up.

 

[Paperdoc]

Watch out for reviews that base conclusions on specifications for maximum data transfer rate. The truth is in actual measured rates in real world applications. On that basis I have read reports that show that Firewire 400 or IEEE 1394a is just barely faster than USB2 - by maybe 10% to 15%. There may be a slight advantage for Firewire on applications that require constant streaming data flow like video capture. But for normal data access, no difference.

The two systems that ARE faster are eSATA and the newer Firewire 800 (IEEE 1394b) that are not widely used yet.

I've gotta go, but I have posted elsewhere a more detailed note on this. When I'm back I can get you the link.