External Hard Drive

[Rookie1986]

Hi again Guys,

Yesterday i started my Christmas shopping (yeah i know what your thinking its not even October yet!), anyway my girlfriend moved away to University this year so I'm trying to think of gifts that she will enjoy but are also practical for her.

After thinking about what would be a good gift for a while i came up with the idea to buy an external hard drive (around the £50 mark that is compatible with a Mac), and then using Hand Brake rip the DVD's we own at home to the hard drive meaning she would be able to take all of her favorite movies with her without having to worry about finding some where to put all the boxes,

I know its a bit of a geeky gift to get someone for christmas but what would you guys recommend as a good external hard drive?

/Rookie

[GoNz0]

i would have thought a rampant rabbit if she is going to be away from you for so long

[PeterStoba]

http://scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=575227

£50 mark
500GB = 50-70 films or more
mac and pc compatible

[Zero 101]

This may be worth consideration too 500gb 3yr warranty £50 eSata & Usb.
http://www.aldi-stores.co.uk/uk/html/offers/58_7350.htm

[Rookie1986]

Liking the look of both, possibly favoring the Seagate just a little bit more then the other, personally i own two MyBooks but i think there slightly over priced for the capacity they offer but the firewire 800 is pretty damn fast!

Oh and Hand Brake lets me rip at watchable quality (About VHS quality) on a 20" screen for around 1.5 GB a movie so if i get her a 500 GB HDD then thats a lot of movies!

/Rookie

[Zero 101]

i would have thought a rampant rabbit if she is going to be away from you for so long

Any savings on the HD you might want to get something else for her as there's ,allegedly,a Big sale on @ at the mo many items £1



2 birds one stone

[peterb]

And don't forget to add a bunch of flowers to that gift - she might make use of the hard drive for longer, but the flowers bring instant gratification!

[arthurleung]

Perhaps a 320GB small (2.5" sized) portable drive?
Less easy to break, and no need to carry the power adapter around.

[sjbuck]

Perhaps a 320GB small (2.5" sized) portable drive?
Less easy to break, and no need to carry the power adapter around.

This is a good suggestion. The ability to just plug it in without messing around with a power lead is more beneficial than it sounds

[TheReaFireblade]

Or a standard/internal 2.5" drive of your choosing, and stick it in an external enclosure

You could use that same option with a 3.5" drive of course, but if you'd prefer the smaller 2.5" drive... the separate components (drive/enclosure) are well worth considering, since you can swap out the drive quickly and easily when it fills up

[dodgybob]

I always used to use 3.5" drives in external enclosures but with the capacity of notebook drives these days all the ones I use now are 2.5". They're just so much more convenient to move around and use, it's the difference between sticking it in your pocket and taking a bag somewhere. They're also quieter.