A while back I snagged a quartet of external hard disks to represent the broadest target markets, took them for a 600GB spin around the block and came up with this.
Check it out in full here.There's something for everyone in the four disks on test, I'm just more tempted to add other disk to an ATX chassis, rather than hang it externally. Like everything, you'll know instantly if external disk storage is for you. I guess the whole point is that it's doable without breaking the bank these days.
As for a winner? For me, it's the Freecom for the reasons I outlined above. It was geniunely useful, I loved it, despite the snail's pace. I think I might even pick one up, USB bus power is godlike.
Rys