Cases for internal HD

LRK322 · TweakNOOB Joined: 17 Dec 2004 Posts: 16

Hi,
I have a laptop and need toadd storage to it and I was thinking of a external hard drive. I see that internal hard drives are much less expensive and that there are cases available for them.

My question is can I buy an internal hard drive, put it in a case and use it with my laptop through sometype of connection?

If this is possible would I be saving money compared to just buying an external hd.

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gmoney · Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2005 5:10 pm Post subject:

yes of coarse you can

there are many options... you can get a 2.5inch internal drive which will cost more than than a 3.5 inch drive but they are much more compact and transportable for a laptop.

or you can get a 3.5 inch drive which will be a better gigabyte/dollar ratio... but in a case they are heavy and cumbersome...

i have a 20 gig drive and a VANTEC NEXSTAR which uses usb 2.0 to transfer data...

you can get an enclosure either usb 2.0 or firewire... but of coarse firewire is more expensive and about the same speed as usb...

it seems usb is highly compatible with most systems so that is the route to take.
i would suggest a 2.5in drive for portability or a 3.5in drive for maximum storage..
have fun

LRK322 · TweakNOOB Joined: 17 Dec 2004 Posts: 16

Thanks gmoney. Is an external hard drive at 7200 rpm as fast as an internal of the same speed? How much cache is neccessary?

Thanks
-Lane

fussnfeathers · Lord of the Tweak Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 2763

Typically, no, an external drive is not as fast as an internal. USB or FireWire transfer speeds are still much lower. Fast enough for backup use, but I wouldn't try running Half Life 2 off one.

Any drive worth it's salt these days is 7200rpm/8mb cache. That's more than sufficient for a general use external drive.

One thing to note about prebuilt external drives, though. If you have a spare drive already, buying a case is a great idea. TONS of money savings. However, if you're looking to buy the whole package, remember that pretty much all "prebuilt" external drives not only have the drive and case, but also come with a decent software bundle, and many have one-touch backup systems that you can't buy in an external case. The cost is about equal to building your own.

If you don't already have a spare drive, I'd look that route. Besides the hardware and software, you also get tech support and a decent warranty. Worth it in my book, especially if you plan on travelling with it alot.
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