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Posted By: Waddi External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:18pm
I need a USB external HDD that can be plugged into a usb port on a router and therefore become network accessible.

Just come across this on Maplin's website deal of week:
320GB Seagate FreeAgent™ Desktop Drive

opinions please
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:21pm
Cheap as foook laugh

(Meaning Bargain)
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:21pm
The same drive is £56 in PC World atm, there is also a 320 there for £54.

Id recommend getting it from PC World as its less hassle if there any problems then going all the way to Aintree.

smile
Posted By: Waddi Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:23pm
New maplin opening in the coliseum, cheshire oaks
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:23pm
Originally Posted by MattLFC
there is also a 320 there:)


Eh?
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:23pm
PC World is still nearer and cheaper tease
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:24pm
Originally Posted by Totopop
Originally Posted by MattLFC
there is also a 320 there:)


Eh?

a 320GB hard drive fella.

smile
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:26pm
oh, you mean an internal one? smile
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:27pm
External tease
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:28pm
But the one he was talking about was a 320? smile
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:29pm
Yes, PC World have the exact same drive for £56.

They also have a Maxtor 320GB for £54 iirc.

smile
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:31pm
oh cool, which ones the better make?

i`ve never had any problems with Maxtor, (although i think Seagate would be the better qaulity) smile
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:34pm
Either are pretty much as good as each other to be honest, different people will argue the toss over which is better, but a hard drive is a hard drive nowadays, they all have the same MTBF ratings and similar seek times etc...

My personal preference was always IBM/HGST for speed and Seagate for reliability... having said that though, i have two IBM 180GXP's that are still going strong after 5 years of service.

smile
Posted By: Davey_Martin Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:38pm
i have a western digital hdd... v quiet and boots up autmatically with ur pc which my old drive never did.

WD my book i think is wot it's called.. i dont trust freecom stuf as i have bought cheap and they've proven to me if u buy cheap u get cheap with the respect of their stuff (dvd rw and an external hdd i had died v quick)

but either seagate or maxter are reputable brands for the right reasons... i based my decision a lot on the looks as well as the component qualities... the seagate looked like a toaster to me... i think it was the seagate anyway
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:40pm
I was thinking reliability due to me using the Bitorrent network to download games and music.
When using the Bitorrent network the hard drive is constantly spinning until you stop it thumbsdown
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:43pm
Lmao, dont worry about it spinning or reading/writing - web servers do a LOT of work, the I/O is constantly in use and I have quite a few with standard hard drives (ie. non-SCSI) and they handle it just fine and are reliable.

smile
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:45pm
oh, thats good to know, i thought they would have a certain spin life, lol
Posted By: Davey_Martin Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:48pm
at a guess, because there's very little friction, they should last a long time regardless tease...
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 10:49pm
Btw, the MTBF on drives nowadays is well beyond what a user wcould ever hope to achieve.

Its a pity they cant put SMART onto external HDD's, as you can get utilities like HDD Life that monitor you drive and report its reliability and alert you if a failiure is becoming likely (i run it on my laptop as laptop hard drives are more prone to problems and its a great tool).

smile
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 11:03pm
wow, always wondered what that was for smile
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 11:06pm
well if you ever have a hard drive fail ye will find out if the SMART has detected it because the motherboard will warn you that a failiure is immenent and to backup all your data asap before it boots into windows.

Of course it cant warn you if its a sudden death, but it will warn you for 9/10 failiures.

smile
Posted By: _Ste_ Re: External USB HDD - 19th Aug 2007 11:13pm
thats good to know smile
i`ll check my bios settings on next reboot happy
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 10:40pm
Just got this offer in an email Waddi, if you havent purchased a HDD yet, this could be worth a look for £52!!

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/133685

smile
Posted By: Waddi Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 10:54pm
Thanks for that Matty, Im now looking for a router with "built in" NAS storage and a usb port for printer sharing.

When I say now, I mean for when I move into my house. which should be very very soon, hopefully.
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 10:56pm
does it need to be wireless?
Posted By: Waddi Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 10:59pm
I aim to be hard wired myself, but the Mrs wants to be wireless for browsing, and would be nice to have the option of wireless for surfing in the garden on a sunny day etc.
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:01pm
Does it need a modem built in or just a core router?
Posted By: Waddi Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:02pm
DSL router, VM provide their own modem.
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:03pm
just a core router with an ethernet port then lol.

Ill av a look round for ye. Does it effo need inbuilt NAS, or can it just have a USB port for an external HDD, cos NAS routers are like semi-enterprise standard shit usually, Cisco comes to mind lol.

smile
Posted By: Waddi Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:08pm
Would Like a Wireless DSL router with built in harddrive and a usb port for printer sharing

this is 1 Im considering
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:11pm
That looks good tbh, probably your best option, cos most NAS router's I have seen are enterprise standard Cisco shite, and dont tend to have wireless (no need for it in a datacentre lol) and are expensive to say the least.

smile
Posted By: Waddi Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:16pm
I just used NAS as an example of the storage "solution"(HDD) being built into the network "solution" (router) to creat a space saving a wire-free "solution" pmsl
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:17pm
lol solutions solutions eh grin
Posted By: Waddi Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:18pm
good night mate, Im off to bed, work early in the morning
Posted By: MattLFC Re: External USB HDD - 23rd Aug 2007 11:19pm
cya fella, good luck in ya quest for hdd's and NAS and routers lol!
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