External HD: Buy vs. Build

Question

I bought my iMac (the 24", 2.8 GHz machine with the 320 GB HD) in May, and have been trying to decide on what to get for an external backup drive (perhaps even two such drives). Searching these (and other) discussion boards hasn't been much help, as each vendor has its supporters and detractors (clearly, based on individual experience and anecdotal reports).
Many folks have pointed out that buying from a "name brand" vendor—even when buying a specific model—is often a "crap shoot," as most such vendors are "assemblers" and not manufacturers, so you never quite know what's in the box (i.e., they change their suppliers as often as some folks change their underwear). Though I've been fairly fortunate buying from such vendors in the past, I'm inclined to agree that luck has played a major role.
These same folks suggest “building your own” by choosing your own separate enclosure and drive, noting that you can then have much more control over the likely performance and reliability characteristics of the finished product. However, beyond suggesting places to go to find enclosures and drives, and providing some rather general guidelines, I’ve yet to see them offer any more specific recommendations.
Suggestions?

Answer 1

The Looby wrote:
IMO, it's best to buy the external enclosure and drive separately. That's about the
only way to be sure you're getting a high-performance drive -- and it's often less
expensive than a "pre-assembled" external with an "economy" drive mechanism.
With a separate external enclosure, it's easy to upgrade or swap drives (without
voiding the warranty) -- and you also get the drive manufacturer's full warranty
coverage (5 years for Seagate drives).
The 5-year warranty is very attractive, and the Seagate mechanisms seem to be well liked. But then I've read some recent reviews of the LaCie d2 Quadra (which carries a 5-year warranty and is selling for only $150 on Amazon.com), and it is very “tempting,” despite my extreme reluctance (i.e., I haven’t any idea what I’d be buying).
The Looby wrote:
There are lots of good SATA-based enclosures (look for an Oxford OXUF924/934
chipset). Here are my favorites -- good prices, handy slide-in trays, quiet (fanless),
and simple assembly (four screws, no messing with internal cables/connectors):
[Icy Dock USB/FW800 enclosure @ $85|http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817198006]
This likely would be the kind I’d be looking for, as I think it would make more sense to go for the extra money to get a Firewire 800 rather than 400. However, some of the user comments (“Sensitive to static discharge..., Feet are not great, unusual USB A-A connection, Firewire 800 cable looks cheap ...“) tends to dampen my enthusiasm.
The Looby wrote:
_Some FAST drive mechanisms:_ (> 100 MByte/sec sustained R/W)
*500 GB:* Seagate ST3500320AS, Samsung HD502IJ
*750 GB:* Seagate ST3750330AS, Samsung HD753LJ
1000GB: Seagate ST31000340AS, Samsung HD103UJ
The Seagates look nice; I haven’t a clue about the Samsungs.
Macgurus likes the Seagates, as well as the Icy Docks. As a matter of fact, they’ll assemble them in a package (at a slight premium—see <http://macgurus.com/productpages/firewire/MB559.php>).
The Looby wrote:
BTW, drive performance (sustaind R/W speed) is especially important with
FW800. All of the above drives are rated at > 100 MByte/s -- +when nearly+
empty -- but like any modern HDD, the speed drops by about half when
the drive is nearly full.
Any FW800 external will work on a FW400 port (with a cheap 6-pin to 9-pin
firewire cable). So, more expensive "quad interface" drives have no advantage
over simple USB/FW800 units. (The eSATA interface is useless with iMacs.)
I’m on weak ground here...I don’t have a good handle on the different interfaces and the considerations surrounding slapping a SATA drive in a Firewire/USB enclosure.