External HD - which one to get?

[ninjamini]

I did not see the point of getting the mini with the 80GB skow drive. I also cant see the point of replacing the current one with a7200 rpm. There just too small.

I want a really big hunking 400GB external firewire/usb drive. But I want it bootable. I want to bypass the internal drive and run everything off of the external.

Which one to get? It must be fast (7200 + big buffer) and quiet (I would expect a $400 drive to be a good build aka quiet).

+++Here is what I want:
+++Bootable
+++Big 300-400GB
+++Fast 7200 & > or = 8mb buffer
++Quiet
+cool looking
+no power cable

One more thing I would prefer to get it at best buy.

Here is one more question. If I run the os off this drive does that mean I can take it to another mac, plug in, boot and have my computer. This is not a nessicaty for me but it would be cool.


How about the:
Western Digital 250.0GB External FireWire and USB 2.0 Hard Drive
Model: WDXB2500JBRNN

-or-

Western Digital 250.0GB External FireWire and USB 2.0 Hard Drive
Model: WDXB2500JBRNN

[Brendan]

I have the minimate enclosure. Its charm lies in its looks. If you are concerned about noise, I can add this - the drive my minimate came with, WD1600, was a loud whiner. I replaced the drive with a newer WD1600 and it was only a little quieter. I currently have a Maxtor 200G in there and it is quiet. You only hear it during large volume disk activity (copying mp3s etc). 500G units should be out by 3Q.

http://www.shareholder.com/maxtor/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=165162&reltype=Product&maxtor_section=press[/url]

[leo221]

outpost.com has seagate 300GB 1394/usb2 for 166.99 rebate

[curt]

I've had the best luck with Maxtor drives over the years. I had a Seagate drive fail on me about two years ago. You said "Quiet", expect more noise out of a 7200RPM external drive than your Mac Mini makes. This can ruin the environment if you want absolute silence. I typically shut my drive off after backing up or moving around files unless I'm watching a movie or playing music off it.
_________________
1.42GHz Mac mini
1.66GHz Intel Mac mini
2.0GHz 2009 Mac mini
46" Sony LCD
50" Sony KDS-50A2000
EyeTV 250 Plus
My Setup

[jase]

I'll just second what curt said about noise.

I've got a firewire enclosure with a 7200rpm Maxtor drive in it (and a USB drive as well). It's bootable, and it's noticeably faster than the internal drive. It's also louder than the Mini, which is the reason I still use the internal Mini drive as my boot drive, even though it's slower.

Luckily, the external drives suspend after a while, so I can leave them on, and they only spin up if I access them. So most of the time they're silent. But they're just too loud to use as a primary drive that would be powered up all the time.

[ninjamini]

I got the 300 GB maxtor onetouch and have started to move my files from my old pc to to. It is noisy. I will probebly put it under the desk with some vercro or something. Mebey i'll make a shelf for it. I dont really want to see it anyway.

I started to use it connected to the usb 1.0 port that is on my PII 450. Sssssllllloooowww aint the word. Think chinese water tourchure. I got smart - network - firewire..Damm that was fast. Love the firewire.

Thanx for all the help.

By the way $270 at Best buy.