External storage suggestions

Hey everyone,

My external drive is acting up, well it's actually just the enclosure; the fan is making all types of noise. I'm considering a few options but just cant make up my mind.

Current setup:
750GB iomega UltraMax Single (problem drive)
2TB Time Capsule
1TB (iMac)
500GB (MBP)

- I like keeping my desk clean, so something that flows with my setup is nice.
The only thing on my desk is the iMac, Mouse/keyboard, TC and iomega drive.
- It would be nice if the drive is quite.
- I have been considering additional redundancy since I mostly use the external drive for my photography business. (so the contents are very important to me.
But then again the Time Capsule backs up the external drive.


What I've come up with so far...

A) I ordered the NewerTech miniStack V3. It seemed perfect, I could sit my Time Capsule on top of it, plus it had USB/Firewire hub built in but after I ordered it I read a bunch of reviews that said the fan is very loud so I canceled my order.

B) I then found the StarDom Safe Capsule. It's a enclosure that can sit under my Time Capsule, it holds 2 drives for either Raid1 or Independent array. But only has a USB connection, so I assume it's slow. They make it sound like it expands your current Time Capsule storage size, but this will just mount as another drive which you can then setup a 2nd drive for Time Machine to use. NewEgg has this for around 60 bucks so it's affordable, i just dont know if i can trust that hardware raid, plus it being usb only sucks. But I guess it was purposely designed to connect to the USB port on a TC or AirPort Extreme.

C) While checking out Stardom's website, I also came across this. It's called a DeckTank. It sits under the iMac, has 2 drive slots and also has a card reader and USB/Firewire hub. I like this unit but at 199.00 it's a pricey solution. I keep a card reader in my desk that i use all the time to upload photos from my cameras. So having a card reader right on the desk is great. Plus this unit will keep the desk clean.

D) I also found the Iomega MiniMax at first I thought they only had a FW400 unit but then found they did have a FW800 unit. This seems to be the most promising, i just need to do more search on the unit.

E) I really love the idea of a Drobo but the cost plus all the horror stories I have read is keeping me away from that option.

F) And of course, I can simply replace the enclosure the drive is in now and keep the setup I've had for over a year now. I was just really hoping to clean up the desk space.

If you know of any other devices I should check out or have personal experience with any of the ones I've listed, please feel free to chime in!

No replies? Lame

I'm probably going with the Iomega MiniMax, because I want to upgrade to a higher capacity then the 750gb I have now.

Your best source of anything Mac-related is OWC Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC.

That said, I have an Ice (Welland - I think) USB/Firewire brand external drive with a Seagate 250 in it. That drive is so quiet I forget to turn it off because I can't hear it!

Iomega seems quite well-known in the UK (as opposed to the US), but there have been negative comments about its reliability. Put it this way, if OWC doesn't sell Iomega ('tho there's one garage sale item), there's a reason. Check this FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB 2.0, eSATA External Hard Drive Storage for Apple Mac and PCs - Desktop, Rack, and Portable Models and this NewerTech miniStack FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB2, and eSATA Storage Solutions with integrated hubs for examples of what's available, and to compare prices.

hughvane said:

Your best source of anything Mac-related is OWC Performance Upgrades; FireWire USB SATA Storage; Memory, more at OWC.

That said, I have an Ice (Welland - I think) USB/Firewire brand external drive with a Seagate 250 in it. That drive is so quiet I forget to turn it off because I can't hear it!

Iomega seems quite well-known in the UK (as opposed to the US), but there have been negative comments about its reliability. Put it this way, if OWC doesn't sell Iomega ('tho there's one garage sale item), there's a reason. Check this FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB 2.0, eSATA External Hard Drive Storage for Apple Mac and PCs - Desktop, Rack, and Portable Models and this NewerTech miniStack FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB2, and eSATA Storage Solutions with integrated hubs for examples of what's available, and to compare prices.

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Yea, I agree. I've had a few Iomega products and I'm not to sure how I feel about them now, I've had a few problems with the products and perhaps it's time for me to try a different brand.

I know all about OtherWorldComputing. Half of the items I listed are from OWC (see links i provided).