what external harddrive is best to buy for a compaq presario c502?

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haze23

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Topic # 14881 25-Jul-2007 08:11

i need to get a external hdd for my laptop which brand should i get?
i dont need anything to big as it just for photos and some other files

chiefie

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Reply # 79539 25-Jul-2007 09:06

Any would do. Easy solution is get either Seagate's FreeAgent Go which is USB2 and USB-powered, so you don't need external power adapter. Or Western-Digital's Passport.

If you need something that is external and not so much worry about portability (and usually larger capacity), then the slightly bigger one with external power adapter is good too, though I personally won't go for them as they're chunkier and occupy a much precious power outlet on my desk.

Cheaper solution is assemble one yourself, get a laptop (2.5" or 1.8") HDD and a 2.5"/1.8" external HDD case, and look for one that is USB-powered if possible.

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tonyhughes

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Reply # 79543 25-Jul-2007 09:12

Buy something on trademe - they are all good value for money.

Steer clear of Harvey Norman etc for external harddrives, as they are about twice the price as the trademe sellers (unless warranty and local service are worth the huge premium).

For what you say you need, I would look for an 80 - 120GB 2.5" USB External Drive. Good portability, and nice and small. The bigger 3.5" drives need an AC power adapter (that comes with them), whereas the 2.5" usually just uses the USB cable for power.

haze23

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Reply # 79547 25-Jul-2007 09:19

cool, thanks guys:)
ill take a look at those on trademe now

rscole86

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Reply # 79566 25-Jul-2007 11:13

If you are going to buy from a retailer, I suggest you look at the Seagate Freeagent 250GB.

There is a small price war at the moment on the prodcut, and it has dropped to $160.

haze23

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Reply # 79571 25-Jul-2007 11:22

yeah my friend just got that for his, he said he got it for $170 but i thought he meant on trademe or something- okay cool ta:)
ill check that out as well as the 2.5" usb external

tonyhughes

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Reply # 79588 25-Jul-2007 12:40

rscole86: If you are going to buy from a retailer, I suggest you look at the Seagate Freeagent 250GB.

There is a small price war at the moment on the prodcut, and it has dropped to $160.

Is that at DSE Ross? Thats a good price. Its the HarveyNorman/NoelLeemings type stores that are too high priced for external drives IMO - forgot bout DSE - they are usually pretty good (with a good online store at DSE.co.nz)

rscole86

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Reply # 79594 25-Jul-2007 12:53

tonyhughes:

Is that at DSE Ross? Thats a good price. Its the HarveyNorman/NoelLeemings type stores that are too high priced for external drives IMO - forgot bout DSE - they are usually pretty good (with a good online store at DSE.co.nz)

Yes it is Tony, Harvery Norman actually drove the price down, they dropped their first. However they are now selling then at $189 I beleive.

tonyhughes

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Reply # 79595 25-Jul-2007 12:54

I saw WD 320GB for about $500 3 weeks ago at Harvey Norman - hence my perception of them being expensive

SexyLady

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Reply # 80646 31-Jul-2007 22:17

My preference would be 2.5" drive dumped into external caddy, 1. does not require external power as only sucks around 100mA. 2. the size and lack of need for power adaptor means its ultra portable. 3. If you get the same type that is native to your laptope (IDE or SATA) then if anything happens to yor HDD in notebook you have a backup immediatly.... Seagate would be my preference in Drive esp one with a 5yr warranty, i don't have a preference in external caddys though but the NexStar ones do look nice lol

Panq

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Reply # 81064 4-Aug-2007 04:02

1. does not require external power as only sucks around 100mA

Not sure what the average current would be, but I've never seen a 2.5" drive rated for less than 500mA peak current. I have an older 10GB drive which requires 500mA, which means I can't run it off a bus-powered USB hub with other devices (500mA is the max a USB port can supply). The previous drive I had in the enclosure (a slightly more modern 60GB 5400RPM drive from my laptop) drew 1A and required two USB ports and a funky Y-shaped cable to work at all. Keep that in mind if you're going to get the drive and enclosure seperately!