External HD's--what's the difference?

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BG5150

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I'm thinking about getting an external HD for my iBook. I googled ext HD's and I saw a perplexing array of products. I saw 120G for 85 bucks and 80 for $200! And 160G for $139. And 250G for $160.

All are FireWire. What could be the difference?
 
Quality of components, overall quality, brand name, etc. Some may be FW400 only; while others may be FW400 and USB 1.1 capable; or FW400, FW800, and USB1.1; or FW400, FW800, USB 2. Generally the more methods of connecting it there are, the higher they charge for it. Also some are based on cheaper regular 3.5" drives, while others utilize the more expensive 2.5" laptop drives.

Personally I prefer to use Lacie's D2 external drives...I'd suggest staying away from their cheaper Porsche ones though. It's basically a matter of getting what you pay for. There are cheaper ok options out there...but I rely on mine for very important stuff, so it's worth it to me to spend the extra $$$ to get something that's going to last.
 
You can either buy an external case and put your own hard disk in, or buy a proper external hard disk.

I have a regular 7200rpm hard disk inside a case connected via Firewire to my Mac. If you're after a more cost-effective solution I'd definitely recommend going down this path.
 
I got one of the LaCie Porsche drives (160GB for $120USD) and its been great. It saved my bananas for me already when my Mac Mini's drive died, as I could backup to it.

Buying a good case is a great way to cut costs, just make sure to get a decent case. This way you control the HDD that goes into it costwise.
 
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