therascalking: I actually have next to no knowledge regarding things like this and picking out the enclosure seemed like an easier place to start than picking out the actual harddrive. Guess I was wrong though... =)
thats fine, no worries... better to ask before buying than once it breaks or something! haha
Going with the enclosure you recommended...
coolcool... thats the one that i have on my WD 500GB storage drive if its not in my case... no fan, so its really quiet (only the actual drive noise pretty much, which is minimal) and the aluminum design still dissipates heat pretty darn well... they make it in different color/finishes if you like too... the main reason i like it tho was the eSATA connectivity... tho its not suuuuper important on a storage drive, i sometimes put my Raptor in it, so... its alot faster, and i like it... make sure your case has eSATA tho, or room and one of its expansion bays open to route a SATA slot back there (it comes with a cable to do this :]) otherwise, its kinda just irrelevant... anyways, your harddrive choices!:
they both are good drives, youd be fine with either one... upon closer inspection, id take the seagate one probably, as it has slightly lower write, seek, and latency times... will you really notice this? no. does it give it a slight edge over the WD? sure. haha... thats just my pick tho...
P.S. The reason I am overlooking my lack of experience and trying to build my own external drive is because the reviews I read on multiple pre-made external harddrives were all very poor. Is it indeed true that pre-made harddrives are prone to failure and it is more reliable to build my own?
only way to get experience is to try :]
and yes, i personally dont like moooost prebuild external harddrives... theyre really just not worth it... the prices are typically a little bit lower, but... you get alot more out of building your own... you have more options, more mobility, more uses... plus, its just nice to be able to take it out and swap harddrives or choose whether you want both in your case or not... just all around, i like it better... but i mean, like almost all things it does come down to an element of opinion... that, with research, and you can always make your own choices...
but that doesnt mean we cant help
haha... enjoy, hope i helped - RK
