Storage Solutions Suggestion required for 500GB External Hard Disk for my father

J

Jay

Novice
Hi.

I need a 500GB External Hard Disk for my father for backing up his data.

He is having a Home office. So he needs an External Hard Disk for backing up mainly his office files from his laptop & pc. Following are the considerations

  1. His data requirements are not much. So I have decided to go with 500 GB External Hard Disk. 1 TB would be overkill.


  2. Most importantly he is not much of tech savvy person. So he will prefer something simple to use.


  3. It has to be portable & preferably USB powered i.e. without the hassle of carrying separate power cord.


  4. External Desktop drives are not needed cause as I said above he needs something small & portable.


  5. E-sata is not needed as neither his laptop or PC has E-sata.


  6. Also laptop or PC does not have USB 3.0. So it does not have much of the importance. I mean may be 2-3 years down the line if he buys a new laptop then it may be useful. But right now it is useless.



Considering the above I have decided to go with 2.5" drives as they are portable & usb powered & I have arrived with following options

WD Elements - Without software. No USB 3.0

WD Elements SE - Without software. USB 3.0

My Passport Essential - Software included. USB 3.0

Seagate Expansion - Without software. No USB 3.0.

Seagate GoFlex Ultra–portable - Software included. Generally comes with USB 2.0. USB 3.0 optional.

Seagate GoFlex Pro Ultra–portable - Software included. Generally comes with USB 2.0. USB 3.0 optional. 7200RPm. Includes a dock.

I have also found following quotes at deltapage. (I am in Mumbai. So these are for reference only).



  • Seagate Expansion Portable 500 GB - Rs. 2775 -Seagate Expansion Portable 500 GB - Self Powered - www.deltapage.com
  • Seagate Freeagent GoFlex 500 GB- Rs. 2850 - http://www.deltapage.com/products.php?product=Seagate-Freeagent-GoFlex-500-GB---Self-Powered
  • Seagate FreeAgent® GoFlex USB 3.0 + USB 2.0 500GB - Self Powered- Rs. 3250 - http://www.deltapage.com/products.php?product=Seagate-FreeAgent®-GoFlexâ„¢-USB-3.0-%2b-USB-2.0-500GB---Self-Powered
  • WD My Passport Essential SE 500GB ( USB 2.0 + USB 3.0) - Rs. 2900 - http://www.deltapage.com/products.php?product=Western-Digital-My-Passport-Essential-SE-500GB-(-USB-2.0-%2b-USB-3.0)

Apparently I expect to pay somewhere around Rs. 3000/-

Looking at the specks I am not really inclined towards WD Element or Seagate Expansion as for few hundred (300-400) bucks more I can go for Go-flex or My Passport Essential which comes bundled with a backup software. So right now I am torn between Go-flex or My Passport Essential.

So I need to know the following

  1. Which one should I go for considering my fathers requirements (i.e. 500GB, 2.5" disk, portable, usb powered, USB 3.0 not that important right now). I can not decide between seagate & WD. (All my internal hard disk are seagate. I have no experience with WD). My friend advised me to go for Seagate. But I would like to know your opinion, cause you people know the nuances of actually using it.


  2. Also, I have read a thread about WD not having good after sales service. Is it really so?


  3. The Go-flex Pro offers 7200 RPM hard disk. Will it matter much if I am to use it over USB 2.0?


  4. One more & most important thing. As I mentioned earlier my father is not much tech savvy. So can someone also tell me if the bundled backup a software with Go-flex or My Passport Essential is easy to use? Cause else I will have to help him over the phone every time.



Question 1, 2 & 4 are the important ones for which I need answer. 3rd one is just passing thought.

Thanks in advance.

Regards

 
Just to throw in an alternative, take a look at the iomega ego usb 3.0 drives as well, I got a chance to use one recently and got some really good transfer speeds between 100-120MBps

Check prices on letsbuy as well, and see how much the price comes to after their 10% off coupons
 
I will check it out.
One thing is that I have never purchased from an online site. I use them to check prices, but I am more comfortable with purchasing from a shop.
 
1. Go with WD, they work out cheaper and have USB3 support.

2. WD does have good ASS, but its a PITA too.

3. on USB2, 7200 rpm will be faster, but better to go with 5400rpm normal as they will be cheaper and the speed difference is not much noticeable for smaller files.

4. Do not use these software, instead tell him to do copy paste.
 
you should pay about 2400 bucks from letsbuy and flipkart.500 gb drives with usb 2.0 are generic now.all have 3 year warranties.They will only be used for backup,so will not be used much,buy any that your dad likes lookswise! wd,seagate,buffalo,transcend,verbatim slim,iomega! .if you want to spend extra for features,spend it on a drive that has extra protection against accidental falls.here is one i bought for 3300/- a few months back,now you can buy it for about 2200/- after discount coupon!

Buy WD Elements SE Portable 500GB (2.5 Inch / USB 2.0) WDBABV5000ABK at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews
 
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