# Best external hard drive for imac



## georgemarks (Nov 8, 2006)

looking for suggestions on which external hard drive to purchase for imac


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## 850 (Apr 24, 2008)

I quite like my Western Digital MyBook!

My Book Essential Edition 500 GB Hard Drives ( WDH1U5000 )


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## Corbeau (Apr 25, 2008)

Sexy, but it's a USB 2.0 connection.
I was under the impression that Firewire 800 was better. (And that Firewire 400 was about the same...)

Thoughts, impressions? Is firewire connectivity worth the price of admission? (Apart from the fact that it frees up a USB port)


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Some sleep issues have been reported with WD units.

I would go with a separate enclosure and HD. They are very easy to assemble and you get the full 5 year warranty on the HD. 

Be sure if you get a 3.5 inch ATA/IDE HD you get a matching enclosure with FW and USB2. Ditto if you decide to go SATA or eSATA HDs. If you buy HD and enclosure from same location the sales staff should help you make sure they match.

Vantec Nexstar and MacAlly both make excellent enclosures. I like Seagate HDs and tend to avoid Maxtor HDs. Whatever drive you buy make sure it is set to Master. Some drives such as Seagate come set up as a slave drive. It is easy to change and directions are usually right on the drive itself.

EDIT:

Generally speaking FW 400 will be noticeably faster than USB2, this is due differences in way the two systems handle data transfer. It is very unusual to get a sustained transfer at the maximum rate for either. FW 800 is only worth the extra money if you have a very fast front end, a very fast internal and a very fast external.


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## G-Mo (Sep 26, 2007)

LaCie


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## rampancy_fatalin. (Dec 17, 2004)

Here's another vote for a separate enclosure and an HD (I like WD myself - go figure). For the most bang for the buck, I'd go with a USB 2/FW 400 enclosure (I've had good experience with Vantec enclosures) - IMO, it's not worth the extra money to get one with eSATA or FW 800.


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## Pat McCrotch (Jun 19, 2006)

Corbeau said:


> Sexy, but it's a USB 2.0 connection.
> I was under the impression that Firewire 800 was better. (And that Firewire 400 was about the same...)
> 
> Thoughts, impressions? Is firewire connectivity worth the price of admission? (Apart from the fact that it frees up a USB port)


What everyone says is true. Although USB and firewire 400 have, on paper, a similar max transfer rate, firewire transfers at a faster average rate. For an iMac, I'd take full advantage of the firewire 800 port and get a firewire 800 compatible HD.

In my opinion, the single most important reason to have a firewire drive is for superduper! and Carbon Copy Cloner. They will allow you to clone your internal hard drive to a partition on your external drive thus allowing you too boot from it. This can come in handy if something goes wrong and you need a functioning copy of OS X to repair something. In the user manuals for this software, they strongly recommend firewire when booting from an external HD. Here, the speed of your connection because important.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Pat McCrotch said:


> In my opinion, the single most important reason to have a firewire drive is for superduper! and Carbon Copy Cloner.


While I completely agree that FW400 is faster than USB2, as of the introduction of Intel Macs, all Macs can boot from USB2 drives, so you do not *have* to have a FW drive to boot a clone anymore.

I still of course recommend that your external HD has a FW connection, if for no other reason than the speedier transfers (and the USB2 port can be a "spare" way to connect if the FW port ever goes south).


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## Meleemark (Mar 3, 2007)

georgemarks said:


> looking for suggestions on which external hard drive to purchase for imac


G-TECHNOLOGY - External Storage Built on Performance, Reliability and Style


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## sjd (Jan 5, 2003)

G-Mo said:


> LaCie


I agree. I've had my D2 for many years now without any issues.


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## EvanPitts (Mar 9, 2007)

FireWire is a much better performer than USB.

The reason is simple - USB is a half duplex system, so one can obtain a peak burst of speed when moving single packets of data in one direction, but then the host has to do a "reversal" of the data stream for such things as handshaking and error detection. USB is also prone to being knocked down if the connection is not up to grade, like if you have a poor connector, or a poorly made cable, or have a device connected that insists on going to a slower speed. As well, other devices on the USB host can interfere with data transfers. I found that out when I found that the USB external on one of my systems ran much faster if I disconnected the keyboard from the computer.

FireWire, on the other hand, is ful duplex, so handshaking does not take away from the transfer of packets. Thus, it can sustain higher speeds because it is more synchronous, and is better prepared to handle multiple packet transfers, due to the superior design of the host controller. However, FireWire can only handle so many connections per host, usually three; though in reality, people do not run into this limitiation. (By the same token, people do not take advantage of the 127 devices that they can attach to a single USB host.)

For general purpose use, you are better off spending a little extra and getting a FireWire external. You can go with an all in one package solution like the Seagate Free Agent Pro or a LaCie device; or you can "make your own" with a drive of your choice and an external chassis, like a VanTec or something. The Oxford FireWire chipset is perhaps a better performer, but I have never had a problem with any of the Prolific chipsets of recent vintage. You can always go with something that has multiple interfaces, which is flexible, but you can not use both interfaces at once (it's either USB, FW or eSata).

If it comes down to using "surplus" drives, say an old laptop drive that is available because of an upgrade, one can always use an inexpensive USB external (they can be had for $10-15), which would be good enough for swapping files.

So really, if you want to be able to use the external for movies, iTunes libraries, or active file systems - FireWire is better; but if you want to have a cheap storage device - USB is cheaper and easier to find.


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## Pat McCrotch (Jun 19, 2006)

chas_m said:


> While I completely agree that FW400 is faster than USB2, as of the introduction of Intel Macs, all Macs can boot from USB2 drives, so you do not *have* to have a FW drive to boot a clone anymore.


That's good to know. I'd still point out that in the superduper! use manual, they strongly recommend a firewire drive if users wish to create bootable clones.


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## Arne (Jan 27, 2003)

Meleemark said:


> G-TECHNOLOGY - External Storage Built on Performance, Reliability and Style


OP asked for best, not cheapest. For off the shelf external drives, and if price was no object, I'd buy G-Technology.

I am a satisfied owner and recommend the "Mercury Elite-AL Pro" line from OWC. Great specs and reasonable prices.

Transfer speed is important to me, so I wouldn't buy an external unless it had FW800 &/or eSATA.


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## redison (Mar 1, 2008)

*Check these out*

Hard Drives : Computer Systems Centre


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## geoffnhb (Dec 25, 2007)

Ive got a WD MyBook a while back and ive had no problems. Its a good size and has been quite reliable. They have different models that have firewire connections. 
With that said, i have no idea what any other external HDs are like, my MyBook is my first and only.


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## rampancy_fatalin. (Dec 17, 2004)

Pat McCrotch said:


> That's good to know. I'd still point out that in the superduper! use manual, they strongly recommend a firewire drive if users wish to create bootable clones.


Yes, because FW 400 is much faster than USB 2. Also, with a FireWire drive, you could make a bootable disk which could work with both Intel and PPC Macs (granted, you'd have to partition the disk, and clone each respective system). 

For people who want LaCie, and are living in the GTA, BeamEcho is having a sale on their LaCie drives: 



> *LaCie 320GB Porsche* 7200rpm, USB 2.0 300968U _*On Sale* $99.99_
> *LaCie 320GB Porsche* 7200rpm, USB 2.0, FireWire 400 301209U _*On Sale* $114.99_
> More Lacie HD Sales. 500GB MiniHUB (USB & FW) $179
> 80 GB USB Rugged Hard Drive or 80 GB USB Mobile Drive $79


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Though I don't own one, the Seagate Free Agent Pro series (ie "the ones with Firewire") seem to have garnered good "real world" reviews. This will probably be my next drive purchase (I like the WD MyBooks, but they're just a little to flaky in their driver software to be perfect).


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

rampancy_fatalin. said:


> Yes, because FW 400 is much faster than USB 2. Also, with a FireWire drive, you could make a bootable disk which could work with both Intel and PPC Macs (granted, you'd have to partition the disk, and clone each respective system).
> 
> For people who want LaCie, and are living in the GTA, BeamEcho is having a sale on their LaCie drives:


I was ready to buy the 500GB LaCie drive/hub in the Mini form factor - at $169.- it;s a good deal.
But then I read these reviews and decided to pass.
LaCie mini 500GB External Hard Drive - (301042U) : Product Reviews - Review, Compare Prices

I already have a 500GB LaCie Porsche drive and it's the worst external I ever bought. The thing gets so hot that I have to run it vertically for cooling and even then it's touch and go.
The LaCie D2's are supposed to be much better.


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## mc3251 (Sep 28, 2007)

I have a Seagate Free Agent pro with FW on my iMac, and a WD Mybook 500gb attached to my mini.
I guess FW must be faster-I wouldn't really know because the backups run in the middle of the night and don't take long.
I think it depends on how you're going to use it. 
As far as bootable clones go-I am using Superduper and before I did my upgrade on my mini (to Leopard), I booted from and tested the clone. No problem. None.

Depends on cost I guess. The half terabyte WD's (usb only) are on sale at FS for $139 right now.


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## mc3251 (Sep 28, 2007)

BTW my WD runs, as my Mom used to say, cool as a cucumber.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

We just bought a couple of Seagate Free Agent drives. Good pricing, FW400 / USB 2 and utterly silent.

$169.00 for 500GB

Canada Computers - Hard Drives > External Drives : Seagate FreeAgent Pro 500GB USB2.0, eSATA, FireWire External Hard Drive (ST305004FPA1E3-RK).


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## mc3251 (Sep 28, 2007)

This is prob'ly worth the extra dinero.
The SFA has a 5 yr warrantee, according to MacDoc


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## Adrian. (Nov 28, 2007)

I've had my lacie usb 2.0 with great experience.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

mc3251 said:


> I guess FW must be faster-I wouldn't really know because the backups run in the middle of the night and don't take long.


I did a bit of "real life" but not scientific testing a while back.
Basically copying the same file from and to an external using the USB 2.0 connection and the FW 400 connection - same files, same Mac and external hard drive.
Tried it on six different files picked at random - Mac was a 1.42GB G4 with maxed out RAM.
FW 400 was always almost twice as fast as USB 2.0.
I think I even posted the detailed numbers on ehMac then.


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## EvanPitts (Mar 9, 2007)

krs said:


> FW 400 was always almost twice as fast as USB 2.0.
> I think I even posted the detailed numbers on ehMac then.


And that is with single sets of files - USB suffers even more slowdown if doing multiple bi-directional transfers. USB also suffers if the host can not negotiate a high-speed connection, which will drop to 12Mb/s, or to an even lower speed. Sometimes other connections will hamper USB, like serial dongles, keyboards, mice, scanners.

FW gives a better throughput because it is not so hampered, and is a full duplex interface. However, FW will be much slower than USB on a Windoze box because M$ does not enable either FW400 or FW800 - but sticks the user at FW150 - Half Duplex. Hence why benchmark numbers that are published get away with showing USB being "faster". Just found that out on a friend's machine, when we were trying to get the FW to work properly on a dumb windoze box. There are special hacks to get it to work, but it not "on" by default.

Something like the Seagate gives the user the option of USB/eSata/FW; as well as the NewerTech box that matches the form factor of a MacMini...


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## richb (Feb 6, 2004)

Like Ranpancy said, we have several Vantec enclosure which have proven reliable. We have different flavours in our office, but the best one we have is an 3.5 model with eSata, Firewire and USB 2.0.
Its easy to pickup a shell in put a hard drive into one of these. If you do go this route, make sure the shell has the correct internal interface for your hard drive.
Vantec
(i don't work for this reseller, just a link for pricing)


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## macmac (Oct 22, 2006)

I just bought one for my MBP. It's a solid drive and you can't go wrong with it, AND at a good price.


Grey-Tech Computer Inc. Online Shopping - Product Listing


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## s5group (Jun 22, 2008)

just got 2x lacie 1tb.. new black ones. they work great. also used to own 80gig and 250gig lacie porsche drives which also used to work perfect for 3-4 years.


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## Grendel (Sep 19, 2007)

Just a general note from someone who has had many external drives fail recently.

Don't just go ahead a purchase the cheapest external drive you find!
What do you actually put on the external drive? Usually backups.

Most external drives are cheap because their MTBF is less than 2 years. With the spin down/spin up cycles and the running hot from fan-less enclosures you usually get less than that.

Beyond the fact that cheap drives fail early and you loose you data. You also loose your money.

I recently figured out that purchasing a more expensive drive with a 5 year warranty is cheaper than purchasing another drive 2 years down the road.

Gren.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Yeah, I know this thread is old. But it's relevant, so instead of starting a new thread, I'll just dredge this one back up to the surface. 

I have a 1.5 Tb SATA II, WD drive, and for days I've been looking unsuccessfully, for an external enclosure.

I need a single-bay enclosure that can handle a 1.5 Tb drive, and it must have Firewire connectivity.

Would you possibly know where one is hiding?

Thanks!


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## Vexel (Jan 30, 2005)

Hey Dan,

I love the NewerTech MiniStack that I purchased from MacDoc a few months back. 

USB2, FW400, FW800 and eSATA all in one enclosure. 

NewerTech miniStack FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, eSATA Enclosure Kit Options for IDE/ATA and Serial ATA (SATA I/II) Hard Drives


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## imnothng (Sep 12, 2009)

Another vote for LaCie. For no real reason I was always a WD guy with my PC. When I switched to Mac's I have always had issues with my WD 1TB drive. I have formatted and set it up for mac, but it still gives me problems from time to time (by that I mean, my Mac won't see it). I have a WD and a 1TB LaCie hooked up to the back of my Airport Extreme and have NEVER had an issue with the LaCie (but for the record it may be because it was hooked to my Mac from the start).


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Thanks, Vexel - that enclosure looks good!

imnothng, I have had a lot of WD drives, and luckily never had an issue with any. But lately I _have_ been hearing about the superiority of Lacie enclosures.

Thanks for the tips! :clap:


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I like the Macally cases. Canadaram has them for a decent price too. 
Desktop SATA Hard Drive Enclosure, External SATA Hard Drives, Serial ATA Hard Drive, HDD From CanadaRAM


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

SoyMac said:


> I have a 1.5 Tb SATA II, WD drive, and for days I've been looking unsuccessfully, for an external enclosure.
> 
> I need a single-bay enclosure that can handle a 1.5 Tb drive, and it must have Firewire connectivity.
> 
> ...


If you use one of these Canadian price search sites, you get a long list of suitable enclosures:
firewire sata enclosure 3.5" - Price Comparison - Canada's Cheapest Prices


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Hey, thanks Andrew Pratt and krs!

Yeah, I was wading through those kinds of results over the last few days, and I kept finding _almost_ what I need, but then the enclosure wouldn't have FW, or it wouldn't take a drive over 1Tb, etc..

I'll look through these links you've posted. 
Plus, I've dealt with Canadaram before and I really like them.

Okay, searching ...


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

I have used 3.5 inch firewire enclosures from Macally, Acomdata, Bytecch and Vantec - they all work fine.
With 2.5: firewire enclosures I had problems in that some don't work when powered directly via firewire.

Checking reviews (and comments from ehMac members) I think is the best way to pick one.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

I prefer the aesthetics of the Macally enclosure but I must admit I have had (and still use) several Vantec's as well and they're been solid. The only quirk I've had with the Macally was that if the power went out it didn't automatically turn back on which caused some issues with the drive we have our iTunes library on as the iMac rebooted and expected to see the drive there and it wasn't.


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## Sugith (Jan 6, 2010)

I've had 4 LaCie external drives, though the 2nd oldest recently failed. So whatever you do, make sure you can back up your back up, (2 drives).


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## Paddy (Jul 13, 2004)

The trouble with LaCie drives is you never know what's inside. LaCie is not a hard drive manufacturer - they only make the enclosures. Could be Seagate, could be Western Digital, could be Hitachi or Fujitsu. Some of those drives have higher failure rates than others. And the warranty may not be as long as it would be if you bought the drive separately. Some drives have warranties of 5 years - the 1TB LaCie d2 Quadra (for instance) has a 3 year warranty.

I too have one of those Macally enclosures and like it very much. I also have a Rosewill, and an Armor enclosure which is USB 2.0 only and which I got at Jumbo Computers down on College St. in Toronto. They don't seem to have them any more - they're brushed aluminum like the Macally drives.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Man, this is hard!

Is this just the nostalgia talking?; I feel like I used to walk into a store, and for about 30 to 50 dollars (or less!), easily pick up the nearest firewire enclosure, go home, plug it in and start using it.

Now, I'm finding it almost impossible to find a Firewire external enclosure.

Here's an example:


krs said:


> If you use one of these Canadian price search sites, you get a long list of suitable enclosures:
> firewire sata enclosure 3.5" - Price Comparison - Canada's Cheapest Prices


Unfortunately, instead of getting a "long list of suitable enclosures", I just get long list of products that may or may not be suitable.
See this search result from the very link above;
Buy the Galaxy Metal Gear 3509-UAS Hard Drive Enclosure Ca at TigerDirect.ca
Search result entitled, *Galaxy Metal Gear 3509-UAS Hard Drive Enclosure Case - 3509, 3.5" SATA to USB 2.0, 1394 FireWire, Black*
Throughout the description for this enclosure, Firewire connection is mentioned repeatedly.
But having been burned lately, I kept checking for this Firewire connection. 
I had to look very closely at the physical description way deep in the ad, to find that there is no Firewire connection on this enclosure!
This is USB-only, and yet it's described as a Firewire enclosure. :-(

Add to that, the product descriptions don't tell whether or not the enclosure can handle a drive 1 Tb or greater, so that ordering a suitable enclosure is as certain as winning the next 6/49.

Which leads me to my next question;
Do you know of a store in Ottawa, where I can walk in and off the shelf, buy a Firewire enclosure for 1Tb or greater drives ?

What are you Aperture and LightRoom users and video editors using, and where did you get it?

Thank you, Wonderful People!


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

PC Cyber. They have 5 locations in Ottawa and have 5 or 6 Firewire capable enclosures to choose from. I have purchased products from them many times.

Carbon Computing also carry Firewire external drives, no enclosures though just pre-built drives and a few docking stations, which are a great alternative to enclosures. Hope this helps.


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## Andrew Pratt (Feb 16, 2007)

It would sure make things easier if Apple just added an eSata port to their products.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

Andrew Pratt said:


> It would sure make things easier if Apple just added an eSata port to their products.


+1 Agreed.


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## CanadaRAM (Jul 24, 2005)

SoyMac said:


> Man, this is hard!
> 
> Is this just the nostalgia talking?; I feel like I used to walk into a store, and for about 30 to 50 dollars (or less!), easily pick up the nearest firewire enclosure, go home, plug it in and start using it.
> 
> Now, I'm finding it almost impossible to find a Firewire external enclosure.


I think it is the nostalgia, SoyMac. I had a look in our records going back to 2004 and the cheapest 3.5" IDE Firewire 400 cases were lowest at $56 and Firewire/USB IDE cases were lowest at $72

We like the MacAlly G-S350SUA case - it look like a miniature G5 case, aluminum, has USB and eSATA on it as well as FW400, and comes with cables. It is widely available in stores and at your favorite online merchants.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

screature said:


> PC Cyber. They have 5 locations in Ottawa and have 5 or 6 Firewire capable enclosures to choose from. I have purchased products from them many times.
> 
> Carbon Computing also carry Firewire external drives, no enclosures though just pre-built drives and a few docking stations, which are a great alternative to enclosures. Hope this helps.


See? that's how hard it is now!
I live down the street from the Wellington Street PCCyber. No Firewire enclosures at PCCyber that can handle 1Tb or greater drives.
NOTHING!

I live even closer to the Wellington Street Carbon;
Carbon have no empty Firewire enclosures. None!

Carbon lists an interface called the Naked Elephant, which would be perfect, but Carbon doesn't have them in stock, and doesn't know when they will be in stock.
Nuthin'!!

It's like the world's supply of large capacity FW enclosures has completely dried up.

WEIRD!


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

CanadaRAM said:


> ... MacAlly G-S350SUA case - it look like a miniature G5 case, aluminum, has USB and eSATA on it as well as FW400, and comes with cables. It is widely available in stores ...


Unfortunately, it's not available in stores in _this_ town.
Strange days indeed.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

I just came across this thread again and I'm a bit at a loss of what the problem is.
Last time I was looking for a FW case for a 3.5-inch drive I had at least a dozen to chose from.

To start with, why is there an issue, or potential issue, using a 1 TB drive?
I can't imagine there being a limitation like we had with the 127 GB drives which was adressing I believe.

Now, getting one at a retail store in Ottawa may be a bit harder, but for the heck of it, I just took a look, picked the first FW case I came across and Canada Computer on Merivale Road shows two in stock.
These are the Acomdata ones and on the Newegg website these are reported to handle 1 and 1,5TB drives with no problem
Newegg.com - acomdata SMBXXXU2FE-BLK 3.5" Obsidian Black USB & Firewire External Enclosure - External Enclosures

May not be the design you want, but this took me all of two minutes.

A bit further down the list is a FW 400 and FW 800 enclosure:
Canada Computers - AcomData (SMBXXXUFABS-BLK) Samba Quad 3.5" USB, eSATA & Firewire 400/800 Hard Drive Enclosure
Also shows stock in Ottawa

Then a Bytecch one which is specified to support up to a 2 TB drive, alsoshows in stock at CC
Newegg.com - Open Box: BYTECC HD-35SU2FW-BK Aluminum 3.5" Black Easy Open SATA to USB 2.0/Firewire Enclosure - External Enclosures
(I show the Newegg link for the spec and reviews)

Another Bytecch one with stock and 2TB support
Canada Computers - Bytecc ME-300SU2FW Aluminum 3.5" USB2.0 & Firewire HDD Easy-Open Enclosure

Then a Mediasonic one, also stock and 2TB support
Canada Computers - Mediasonic HD6-SU2FW-BK Smart Drive 3.5" SATA HDD External Enclosure - USB 2.0 & Firewire 400 (Black)

etc.

and boy did the prices ever drop - FW enclosures used to be around $50 and up.

Maybe I'm off in left field, but I really don't see the problem.


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

SoyMac said:


> See? that's how hard it is now!
> I live down the street from the Wellington Street PCCyber. No Firewire enclosures at PCCyber that can handle 1Tb or greater drives.
> NOTHING!
> 
> ...


Hmm... This is at PC Cyber and will take 1TB drives,










Vantec Aluminum Alloy and Plastic 3.5" USB 2.0,1394a,b Enclosure

(none currently in stock at the Wellington location but they should be able to get it in for you.)

Also docks will as well, also at PC Cyber










Vantec NexStar Plastic 2.5" or 3.5" USB 2.0, eSATA, 1394a Hard Drive Dock

And at Carbon Computing the NewerTech Voyager Q Quad Interface FireWire 800/400/USB2.0/eSATA - Hard Drive Docking Solution will take 2TB drives.










So there are 3 options for you within easy walking distance. I really recommend the docks as they are extremely versatile, I own two.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

And while CanadaRAM is perhaps too modest to mention it himself, I'll add that you can always call and order from him/them. I admit to being biased, they are based in my town, but I've always had great experiences with them, they have a stellar rep on this forum, and its always a pleasure to deal with such **Mac-knowledgable** people.

I haven't compared CR with every other online Canadian dealer out there, but I have dealt with a few others and I like CR's selection, honest opinions and speedy delivery. If you can't find what you are looking for locally, it's certainly worth your time to shoot CR a call or PM.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

screature said:


> Hmm... also at PC Cyber
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Why I don't buy lottery tickets :


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

krs said:


> I just came across this thread again and I'm a bit at a loss of what the problem is.
> Last time I was looking for a FW case for a 3.5-inch drive I had at least a dozen to chose from.


As shown a few posts back, what is revealed in an online search is not always as advertised ("firewire" external enclosure that is _not_ a Firewire external enclosure:-() 

But krs, I completely forgot about Canada Computers!
(they don't show up in a Google search when I type in _"Firewire external hard drive enclosure Ottawa Canada"_ - maybe that's not specific enough? )

I will head out to Merivale road tomorrow! (fingers crossed)


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## screature (May 14, 2007)

SoyMac said:


> Why I don't buy lottery tickets :


You can always order one... plus there are the other two I mentioned. At any rate good luck.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

SoyMac said:


> As shown a few posts back, what is revealed in an online search is not always as advertised ("firewire" external enclosure that is _not_ a Firewire external enclosure:-()


Agreed.
I found that as well the last few times I was shopping for a FW enclosure.
Not just the search engine have it wrong, stores also advertised FW drives that weren't when you checked out the product code.
And then also, FW is not equal FW in all cases. A lot depends on the chip set that is being used and the interface design itself. That's where reviews come in handy.
For instance, the Bytecch enclosures I listed are apparently "flakey" when it comes to the FW ports. That according to more than one reviewer.
I remember a laptop FW case from Bytecch which could not be powered via the FW cable.
One needed to use an additional 5 volt supply. Powering via the USB cable only was fine, but not just via FW.
So you have to do your homework before you buy. I wouldn't recommend Bytecch based on my own experience and what I read.
Mediasonic, at least the laptop FW case seems to be better although at one point I thought they came out of the same factory.



> But krs, I completely forgot about Canada Computers!
> (they don't show up in a Google search when I type in _"Firewire external hard drive enclosure Ottawa Canada"_ - maybe that's not specific enough? )
> 
> I will head out to Merivale road tomorrow! (fingers crossed)


Canada Computers came up on the Canadian price search engine I used.
I would still call them first re actual stock since they only show 1 or 2 on their web site and that may be wrong.
That way you don't make the trip for nothing.


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## Mac_100x (Mar 12, 2010)

I don't know if someone mentioned this but in my nearby Apple store I saw some Macbook's hooked up to G-Technology external hard drives. They look pretty cool to me here is the site:G-TECHNOLOGY, Product Line - External, Portable and Desktop Hard Drives Designed for the Mac!


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

*Winner!*

Thanks, krs - I went out to Canada Computers, and it was exactly what I was looking for in a Brick and Mortar.

It's been years since I've been in this store, and it's like an all-computer Radio Shack; perfect for putting together various bits for a specific set-up.

I found several FW enclosures, and I chose an elegant Acomdata enclosure, for $35!
These enclosures have USB2, and 2 X FW 400, and they're rated to carry individual drives over 2Tb.

I'll be back each pay period to buy a few more of these enclosures, and use one enclosure/drive per application.
ie: one for Aperture, one for iMovie and FCE, etc..

Victory! 

Thanks all for your suggestions! :clap:


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Glad to help -

Which specific Acomdata enclosure did you get? Model number?
And can you post your satisfaction level with it once you have used it for a while?
Things often look good on paper and then don't perform so great in real life.


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