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External hard drive vs hdd+enclosure and questions
hongy
11-07-2009, 01:06 AM
Searched and didn't find anything recent that matched what i'm looking for.
What would be better a external hdd or an enclosure. It'll be connected through USB . Now my second question is that is there a way to use the hdd with both a mac and windows computer at the sametime without formating anything?
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roastpuff
11-07-2009, 09:54 AM
I would say get whichever is cheaper. Normally that would be HDD enclosure + HDD.
Yes, format the drive for FAT32. Though, you can't connect to Mac and PC (or PC and PC) at the same time.
Manic!
11-07-2009, 10:13 AM
I picked up a 1TB external for $89.99 plus taxes. I don't think you could beat that if you bought the case and HD separately.
InvisibleSoul
11-08-2009, 02:33 AM
What would be better a external hdd or an enclosure
They are the same thing, except one of them you're buying pre-assembled, and the other one you put together yourself.
First, take the warranty into consideration. Sometimes if you buy an external hard drive, it only comes with a one year warranty, whereas if you buy an OEM hard drive, it'll come with at least a three year, and sometimes five year warranties.
Second, just look at the price. Often times you'll find that it's cheaper to buy a hard drive and enclosure separately than buying an retail external hard drive.
If you want the external hard drive to work with both a Mac and Windows, you have a few options.
The easiest way is to format the drive using FAT32. Obviously there are some drawbacks though, like 2GB maximum file size. You would need to do this on the Mac, as Windows will force you to format as NTFS.
Another option is to format is in Mac's HFS+ format. Windows can read the drive, but only after you have installed special software.
You're welcome.
roastpuff
11-08-2009, 03:37 PM
I picked up a 1TB external for $89.99 plus taxes. I don't think you could beat that if you bought the case and HD separately.
Depends on which brand it is. WD, Seagate branded ones... no way.
If you want the external hard drive to work with both a Mac and Windows, you have a few options.
The easiest way is to format the drive using FAT32. Obviously there are some drawbacks though, like 2GB maximum file size. You would need to do this on the Mac, as Windows will force you to format as NTFS.
Another option is to format is in Mac's HFS+ format. Windows can read the drive, but only after you have installed special software.
You're welcome.
FAT32 is 4GB max file size. Annoying if you have big Blu-Ray rips. :haha:
Senna4ever
11-08-2009, 05:14 PM
Can Macs read NTFS?
InvisibleSoul
11-08-2009, 11:09 PM
FAT32 is 4GB max file size. Annoying if you have big Blu-Ray rips. :haha:
Whoops, you're right. It's Linux that has 2GB file size limit.
Can Macs read NTFS?
Hmm, apparently they can read it, but can't write to it.
skholla
11-08-2009, 11:56 PM
Ext hdd vs diy ext hdd... Same thing, just think about cost (about the same), warranty and support on the enclosure, and the application... If it's for video/audio work then go with something guaranteed to work (Glyph, G-Tech, Caldigit drives).
Out of the box Macs can read NTFS. There is a free NTFS driver called NTFS-3G that adds read and write funtionality, check it out!
Windows can not read HFS without a driver or app. MacDrive gives read and write HFS access, also the latest BootCamp drivers from Snow Leopard give HFS read access.
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skholla
11-08-2009, 11:58 PM
Also I saw some saturday in store sales on retail ext hdds and the prices were awesome, look around for sales.
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Senna4ever
11-10-2009, 12:45 AM
I picked up a 1TB external for $89.99 plus taxes. I don't think you could beat that if you bought the case and HD separately.
I wonder how reliable that's gonna be in the long run...
I just got a WeibeTech ToughTech XE mini portable HD enclosure with a 500GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue. Goddamn it's fast.
http://www.wiebetech.com/products/toughtech_mini.php
Manic!
11-10-2009, 01:24 AM
I wonder how reliable that's gonna be in the long run...
But it's designed by Pininfarina and the hard drive is a Hitachi.
Senna4ever
11-10-2009, 01:25 AM
But it's designed by Pininfarina.
What brand is it? What drive is used, and what is the controller chipset?
Manic!
11-10-2009, 11:05 AM
What brand is it? What drive is used, and what is the controller chipset?
It's made by Simpletech and the drives a Hitachi.
Senna4ever
11-10-2009, 09:55 PM
I don't know if I can trust a company that calls itself "Simpletech."
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