hey,i'm sorta new to the IT world.
need some advice.
i need to get an external hard drive but i have no clue about what to look for or how to buy one.
can anyone advise me on this from buying the wrong ones?

thanks very much!

wrong place to post

in basic we have 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch external hard drive.
usually they are put into a casing, and connected to pc via USB.

3.5 inch external hard drive need power socket to power the drive.
2.5 inch external hd drive is powered by usb itself.

basically, 2.5 inch is smaler in size, more portable, no need extra power but capacity also is low. <160GB or maybe more now.

3.5 inch hd disk is slightly bigger, need external power, elss portable but capacity can reach up to 1TB or more.

so its capacity vs convenience+portability.

Very nice explanation.

To add, generally there are 2 ways you can get an external hard disk:

1. Buy a hard disk (whether 2.5" or 3.5") and buy an external casing separately. This is generally a cheaper option but you need to format the hard disk yourself. Also ensure you buy reasonable quality casing if you intend to store important data. Otherwise, the cheapest casing should be around RM10-RM15 (for IDE, more for SATA). Generally, the hard disk will come with manufacturer warranty (3 to 5 years depending on brands) but the casing will only have limited warranty (less than a year).

2. Buy a ready made product. Meaning the hard disk has been formatted and assembled into the casing. Ready to use immediately for both PC or Mac, just plug and play. Feel free to check out iSmart range of external hard disks here: http://www.netraid.com.my/iSmart-external-...ge-products.pdf

iSmart offer 3 years warranty for both the hard disk (Samsung) and casing at reasonable prices. It's a good buy. You may get them from MTEC or Viewnet in Low Yat Plaza. Please PM us for dealers in other places.

plz state ur budget first...

as for me, i will buy an internal hdd _ external hdd casing = 'external hdd'.. its way cheaper than the already built external hdd...

size and budget

whatever it is, the casing matters most.

best casign ever? BUFFALO TECH. it's made-in-japan.

i'm using one

thread moved to Q&A

2.5inch hdd is laptop hdd?my sugestion .go for ac ryan external hdd casing

This post has been edited by fcuk90: Mar 2 2008, 03:51 AM

depending on what is your budget and what capacity you wanna get.
if you are on low budget but you want good capacity, you will need to go for 3.5" HDD.
if you have some cash to spare, you can go for 2.5" HDD(laptop's HDD).
for 3.5" external casing, you will have a power adapter, that means you will need a power source other than your PC.
as for 2.5", normally you will get a USB cable with multiple ports, that means around 3 USB ports on one cable. is will provide electricity through those ports.
so, 3.5" more bulky, more hassle, but cheaper than 2.5"
2.5" is slimer and lighter, less hassle(no need external power source) but considerably pricier than 3.5".

depending on your budget and required HDD capacity and also usage, you should choose accordingly...

invest in casing.
u nv know when the casing will fail u.

What do you mean by the bold words there? sorry I'm a noob bout this thing. And is there a way to use 3.5" IDE/SATA HD as an external HD without the casing. connect the wires cannot ah?

good casings make a lot of difference for an ext hdd - be it a 3.5" or a 2.5"

1. provides good airflow and heat dissipation for extended use (heat kills hdd)
2. provides shock protection for those unlucky times when you drop or knock your hdd

u need more money too
my 60gb + casing cost almost 200

This post has been edited by ! Love Money: Mar 13 2008, 05:24 AM

I m also looking for an external hard disc.

Is casing really matters when buying the external hard disc ?

Whats the biggest capacity for 2.5" ?

Appreciate your help on this. Thanks.

This post has been edited by GCY: Mar 16 2008, 04:49 PM

Hi, I got 1 1.8 inch 80 GB USB external Hard Disk For Sale

For those interested kindly visit my garage sales link as stated below

This post has been edited by Kelvinwkw: Mar 16 2008, 04:56 PM

sorry, to hijack thread,

but just to ask, what is the pro and con between:
1. the diy hdd, where you guy a 2.5" and install in the casing yourself (using branded casing)
2. the built in type from WD/seagate

is the extra cost of 2 justified? i.e better reliability and such?

Well ready built type looks nicer though but reliability wise, I guess they are all the same. Some casing claims to be shock resistant though so you might want to check that out

If you are looking for 2.5" type then make sure you get one that comes with a 5V AC to DC adapter, just in case... or get one 5V AC to DC adapter.