There are many options, brands, and features available in the external hard drive arena. I have narrowed the list based on price, quality, and personal experience with these brands. I highly recommend a NAS with at least 2 drives for the simple convenience of always on access and the redundancy of saving your data to 2 drives.
For simple external HD:
- Western Digital My Book Essential 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive WDH1U10000N = ~$108
- Fantom G-force Esata 1TB USB 2.0 7200RPM 16MB = ~$100
- Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB 3.5" SATA
For network solutions with RAID (backs up your data on 2 drives):
- D-Link 2-Bay (Diskless) Network Attached Storage DNS-323 + 2 1TB Western Digital Green HDs (combo deal) = ~$318
- Buffalo Technology LinkStation Pro Duo 2-Bay 2 TB (2 x 1 TB) Network Attached Storage LS-W2.0TGL/R1 (2 1TB hard drives) = ~$279
For network solutions with one drive:
- Iomega Home Media 1 TB Network Attached Storage = ~$140
- Buffalo Technology DriveStation FlexNet 1TB Network Attached Storage = ~$135
Here are some things you'll need to know:
- NAS = Network attached storage (router -> connects to HD -> accessible from all computers on network)
- RAID 1 = Backup data across 2 drives so if one fails, the other has an exact copy
- Gigabit Ethernet = faster transfer rates over compatible networks (get it so your future proof)
- 16MB Cache = faster access to data: there are lots of drives with 32MB for a good price too
- OEM HD = no cables included (which is not needed for a NAS)
- 7200 RPM = standard speed for desktop HDs but is more power hungry for external drives
- USB vs Firewire = all my drives are USB since firewire ports are not as common
Go with the NAS so you can set it up, access your files on your network from any computer, and have the peace of mind that it's backed up on 2 drives.
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