1tb external drive usb powered?

ic0n · 30 Apr 2009 at 00:02

hi guys

i need more storage and a lot of it as i am logging lots of video footage for my degree i think 1tb at the smallest but i would like to know is there a drive out there with a smallish case to fit in my laptop bag and that runs of usb power so i can edit on my laptop on the train and things?

CaseyChaos · 30 Apr 2009 at 01:54

As far as I know any drive that will be external and 1TB+ will not be able to run off USB power and will come with it's own power lead. I know all the Western Digital My Books do.

The most you'll get from a small portable USB drive able to fit in your laptop bag is 500GB.

miniyazz · 30 Apr 2009 at 08:25

Indeed, you'll need a 2.5" 'portable' external drive if you want it to run off USB power. It'll be small and convenient, but last I checked 500GB was the highest capacity. I found mine for £85ish I think; if you really need the storage you could get two?

IT Insider · 30 Apr 2009 at 09:53

There are talks of a 1TB 2.5" drive from WD coming but not till the back end of this year.

500GB is currently the max for host powered drives though as above.

WDME5000TE is probably the best one available at the moment and should be in stock with OCUK....

ic0n · 1 May 2009 at 22:20

would get a caddie and a normal hard drive let me do this?

miniyazz · 2 May 2009 at 09:09

Doubtful, if you could get enough power to run a 3.5" drive from a USB port it would've been done. However, I spose you could try it with one of the 5400rpm drives, if you got a Y-shaped USB cable - one that plugs into two USB ports on the laptop (though probably helps for them to be different buses), and uses power from both and data from one, they're not expensive. But the cicuit board in a normal 3.5" caddy won't let you do that; a USB port supplies 5V at a max of 2.5A I believe, and a normal 3.5" caddy takes 12V. So unless you wanted to try rewiring the circuit board and hoping 5V is sufficient, the only thing you could try would be swapping the circuit board with one from a portable 2.5" caddy, but I wouldn't hold out hope for that working any better.

Still, if you try it, let us know how you get on!