Which external HD for backups

mindrot

mindrot

mindrot

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Joined
30 Aug 2005
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350
Location
London
Hi,

I'm looking to buy an external 1TB HD for backing up work. I purchased a Samsung S2 - 1TB a couple of years back which I love. Unfortunately these don't seem to be too readily available and if they are, are quite expensive.

I've been thinking about either a Samsung M3 1TB (though I've heard some complaints about its build quality (seems a bit plasticy), or a Western Digital My Passport 1TB Portable Hard Drive.

Any recommendations?

Thanks
 
any for me that you would put inside a case, fit into a caddy yourself, i like Western Digital Caviar Red and black versions 2 to 4tb models, prices to suit budget and needs of course
 
I was actually wondering about that. Is there any real benefit to using a HD like that over the portable drives?
 
yes cost, these will be better, as most portable ones have slower 5400 drives in them, so portable ones will be cheaper in some cases, but build your own will be faster, but yes may cost the same or a bit more
 
I don't see the problem with 5400/"green" drives for backup HDDs, unless you're regularly copying 100gb+ (or are extremely impatient).

I've seen the 1tb M3 no competitor price hinting. Thank you., a few quid cheaper then the 500gb My Passport (but with 5yr warranty). I'd get the 1tb M3, and buy a clamshell/camera case from the pound shop, job done.
 
Thanks. I'm not too fussed about speed really. It's mostly just to backup 30-100gb of work done for clients every now and then. Just as long as it's reliable. Samsung do seem to make pretty decent drives as well - aside from a couple of S2 drives we also have a few internal Samsung drives in our PCs at home as well.
 
I'd have to say.........any of them really.

I've got loads of the things of various makes, 1TB usb powered ones, big hefty multi-TB mains powered ones, old laptop drives I've stuck in a £5 caddy, rugged ones I take out and about.

The thing they all have is common is they all do the same job, have never had any of them fail and they are pretty indistinguishable between each other when it comes to using them.

Looking around my desk here, most of the ones in sight seem to be Western Digital ones so just get online and find the biggest usb 3.0 drive at the best price you can afford from a well known brand.

I personally find the bus powered ones to be handier and there is no messing around with power leads, they are generally a bit slower but for most uses of an external drive (backup/archiving), that doesn't matter.
 
(Sorry for the "price hinting").

Now that you've mentioned "clients", I'd prefer to see a more robust backup plan than a single external HDD, unless you did a full backup every hour. Aim for a minimum of TWO backups (maybe one of which is local, ie on the clients PC, but ideally not) or an auto/continuous backup system. If there's a network, you may need a NAS box which could push the price up considerably - but what would it cost to repeat a day's work if something failed?

As for make, I've had WD, Seagate, Samsung, Maxtor, Hitachi... and they've ALL failed (not all my drives, but at least one from every manufacturer!). The answer is not relying on ANY single device - which could mean a NAS or RAID system is more suitable.

NB. Depending on security issues, cloud storage couls be viable too.
 
Thanks for the replies. I also prefer the bus powered drives as they are less hassle.

I hear what you're saying about a more robust backup DennisMenace. I think it's mostly for whilst I'm doing the actual client's work though. Once done, I hand it over to them. I just keep what I've done for them as a backup for myself and for my portfolio.

The Samsung drives that I've had have been great. I doubt I'll ever buy a Seagate again as I have had several fail me in a row. Hitachi have been okay as well as WD. I'll have a look around at some options in the near future :)
 
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