Which is Cheaper: Buy HD Enclosure or Premade?

[IronMac]

Hi all,

I'm shopping around for something to back up my system and to give myself some additional storage space. I'm looking for something that has USB, FW800 and eSATA with the latter not that crucial.

Is it cheaper to purchase an enclosure and HD separately or would it be better to get something that has both packaged together?

Thanks! :)

[willy]

If you factor in the longer warranty and the wide selection of choices, DIY route is usually 'cheaper' ...

[tridium]

500GB HDDs are about $110 usually now from most brands. It really depends on how much you want to spend on an enclosure. You can get the real bargains at about $20 or you can spend $50+ on quality, quiet ones with or without active cooling.

What you're not going to get with DIY options typically is software for backup, though that's easy enough to find. Also, I find that the all-in-one packages typically look better than the DIY options.

NCIX has the Antec MX-1 which is a low-profile, actively cooled enclosure discounted to $50. I've seen lots of people with Vantek enclosures too, though my personal taste warrants me staying away from glossy ones.

[CodecX81]

even some brands of 500 gigs go on sale @ 99 if your timings right.

I usually don't worry too much as far as enclosures go.. I got an AcomData on sale from staples for $30.. i see Vantec enclosures sometimes go on sale at Canadacomputers for 19.99

So, a potential $135.64 for a 500gb ext hdd..vs the price of the pre-built.

[willy]

For the prebuilt, Seagate models have the longest warranty - 5 years.

[curtis]

Looks like you're actually going to have to do your own research.

[IronMac]

I was sort of hoping to avoid the Newertech, LaCie or Mercury route. It's beginning to look like it might be best to get one of those empty cases, buy the drive and software separately.

[rabbit]

For what you want, probably the enclosure route is cheaper. The deals I've seen are usually USB only.

eSATA all the way! 1394 for HDDs is retro! :D

(eSATA is faster and cheaper)

[terrybear]

(eSATA is faster and cheaper)

Agreed & in some of the kits out there you can sometimes find ones that come with the E-sata connector slot thing to hook up to a existing not used sata port. Makes the enclosure kit more exspencive but also gives you that option.

[hightech]

I went with the Seagate Freeagent 500GB route as it has a pretty fast drive, QUIET, and 5 year warranty. For the price I paid ($130 from Walmart) it seemed like a good deal at the time.

One advantage of getting a pre-made kit, is that you don't have to worry too much about cooling and other issues. I have heard stories about people getting screwed since their external HD case became a heat trap and caused a premature HD failure. Getting a brand name complete kit *should* eliminate this type of problem since many manufacturers incorporate temperature/reliability tests in their Quality Assurance testing.