trying to find compatible 1TB to 2TB capatible external hard drive for backup of Lenovo T510

[teresep]

I'm trying to figure out what high speed 1 to 2TB capatible external hard drive I might purchase -- and whether I can 'use' a USB 3 or whether I'm stuck with USB 2.  Have looked at LaCie, and Verbatim drives...suggestions appreciated...I don't know what a PCIE card, etc. is...

[ColonelONeill]

You'd probably get better speeds using the eSATA port than using USB 3.0. Not sure where you'd get a 2TB drive with eSATA though.

[lead_org Microsoft MVP Contributor]

You can buy an external hdd enclosure with eSATA and buy a Hdd of your choice.

[nibs Guru]

Since the external drive will be a HDD and not an SSD you probably will not not notice the difference between eSATA and USB 3.0 since you will be limited to the speed of the HDD. However, eSATA has the advantage of not having everything go through a chip to convert everything and might give you better access times.

Your best bet is eSATA. It will likely give you better speeds compared to USB 3.0. The T510 only has USB 2. I believe the W510 had USB 3.0 using a NEC chip. That NEC USB 3.0 chip tops out at about 185 MB/sec. You could easily achieve speeds of 250MB/sec over eSATA. I would avoid USB 2. You would be slightly better off with 1394a (Firewire) over USB 2. For a drive that size you will be likely looking at a 3.5" drive, so make sure you buy a powered enclosure.

[teresep]

thanks...have to learn more about eSATA's...not very computer savvy

[teresep]

Thanks. My T510 stats: 4313CTO: 15"; Intel CORE 17 VPRO; 4GB RAM; 64-bit OS; Win 7 PROx64; 454GB hard drive; NVIDIA NVS 3100M, Sonexant 20585 Smart Audio HD;

I am not very computer savvy...Will my T510 use an eSATA 'setup?' Is it something I have to add on? Guess can't use USB 3. Thanks in advance for your help.

[zoltanthegypsy]

This enclosure is my personal favorite.  It has a switchable fan that can be left off if the drive chosen runs cool.  Also claims to handle 3TB drives.  I have several with 2TB "green" drives installed.  They are fast, quiet, and cool.

Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK (Black) 3.5" SATA to USB & eSATA Ext. Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan

There's also a Rosewill enclosure that has USB 3 and sSATA, but some users think it's not sturdy enough.  The one I'm linking to is metal.

Z.

[teresep]

I'm quite confused...I'm working with a Lenovo T510 stats: 4313CTO: 15"; Intel CORE 17 VPRO; 4GB RAM; 64-bit OS; Win 7 PROx64; 454GB hard drive; NVIDIA NVS 3100M, Sonexant 20585 Smart Audio HD;

Do I buy something like a Rosewill to attach to the laptop and then get a 1-2TB external hard drive to attach to the Rosewill? I don't understand the eSATA vs. USB and "external enclosure' lingo.
Thanks in advance

[zoltanthegypsy · Accepted solution]

The Rosewill, and others like it, are empty enclosures.  You install a 3.5" SATA HD inside the enclosure.  There are other - smaller - units that can use a 2.5" laptop-sized drive.  These enclosures support different ways of connecting to a laptop (or desktop): USB 2, USB 3, eSATA, depending on the enclosure chosen.  The enclosures for 3.5" drives typically also have an external power brick or "wall-wart" power supply.  The 2.5" enclosures sometimes do, and sometimes are powered via USB.

There are also many complete devices that provide an enclosure with a drive already installed.  They tend to be "prettier" and nicely integrated.  Also usually more expensive than an enclosure + HD purchased separately (this varies) and in my experience tend to run hotter.

You may prefer the convenience of a one-piece integrated solution, but I like the flexibility of an enclosure + HD of my choosing.

[edit] The integrated units often (always?) come with the included HD already formatted.  An enclosure + user-provided HD will require drive initializing and formatting.  Sometimes a blank drive will have to be initialized in Win disk management using the USB connection before it can be seen via the eSATA connection.  I don't know if this is a quirk of my enclosures, drives, or Windows.  Just a heads-up.

Z.