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newpwrbook15 · Jun 11, 2006, 10:55 PM

Lacie is offering reconditioned 160gb d2 7200rpm triple interface desktop external hd for $99. This seems like a good deal to me. Anyone have any reasons why I shouldn't jump on it? I have a 15" Aluminum G4 powerbook with a firewire 800 port that's not being used for anything. This seems like a good opportunity to take advantage of firewire 800. Or is firewire 800 no longer the way to go (mac book pro's don't come with it) and should I not waste money on soon to be obsolete technology? Also, I've read some bad things about lacie on this site, and I'm curious about their reconditioned products. I have a mobile external lacie that's been running fine for 8 months, so I'm not against buying their hard drives based on poor quality. But other members seem adamantly opposed to them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

http://www.lacie.com/products/cleara...ucts/?id=10007

thanks

mduell · Jun 11, 2006, 11:40 PM

While the new MBP doesn't have FW800, it also doesn't have anything to one-up it (like eSATA).
160GB FW800 for $100 is a moderate deal for a refurb (about 25% off new), but not low enough to persuade me to buy LaCie's poop.

wataru · Jun 11, 2006, 11:44 PM

I paid about $80 for a used 160GB HD about two years ago. It's always cheaper to put a drive together yourself.

Trygve · Jun 12, 2006, 01:49 AM

Can someone suggest a good alternative to LaCie? (In the 500GB - 1TB range).

wataru · Jun 12, 2006, 12:34 PM

Yeah, look at NewEgg's hard drives in that size range, then pick out a case.

newpwrbook15 · Jun 12, 2006, 02:45 PM

Can anyone recommend a good link to an article on how to build an external hd? My prelim google search turned up some stuff, but it didn't discuss formatting, +/- partition, etc. I'm a newbie, so anything would be helpfu, particularly something comprehensivel.

thanks for all your advice. i'm definitely interested in building something. from what i've read, it sounds easy, but i'd like to do as much reading as I can so that i get it right the first time.

newpwrbook15 · Jun 12, 2006, 02:53 PM

oooh, i think i got it. thanks

mduell · Jun 12, 2006, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by Trygve

Can someone suggest a good alternative to LaCie? (In the 500GB - 1TB range).

If you want Firewire 800 (which you do if you have a FW800 port), take this enclosure for $75

If you want Firewire 400, take any of the 4 or 5 "egg" rated enclosures on this page; prices range from $30 to $50.

All of the enclosures I've linked to are Mac compatible and also have USB ports, so they'll work with just about any computer purchased in this millennium.

Add this 750GB ATA drive with a 5 year warranty and you're looking at less than $500 in total.

Just for comparison, 800GB from LaCie with FW800 is $650+ and only has a 1 year warranty.

wataru · Jun 12, 2006, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by newpwrbook15

Can anyone recommend a good link to an article on how to build an external hd? My prelim google search turned up some stuff, but it didn't discuss formatting, +/- partition, etc. I'm a newbie, so anything would be helpfu, particularly something comprehensivel.

thanks for all your advice. i'm definitely interested in building something. from what i've read, it sounds easy, but i'd like to do as much reading as I can so that i get it right the first time.

It's really easy. Basically, you hook up two obvious cables, put in some screws, and you're done assembling. When you connect it to your Mac it should automatically tell you "there's an unreadable volume; do you want to format it?" If not, just open /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility and reformat it with as many partitions as you want in there.