Seeking opinions on external hard drives

[Tek7 (Legacy)]

I'm wanting to add a bit of file storage space this holiday season and thought I'd look into external hard drives.

I want the drive to have 250GB of storage space or more and be reasonably portable (I plan to take it on trips to visit family). I'd like for it to be able to connect via both USB 2.0 and ethernet, but the ethernet connection isn't necessary. I looked at a few drives that can plug directly into the network, but I was told that some drives require installing proprietary software on client machines (which defeats the purpose of a plug and play drive).

Here's what I'm looking at. Opinions?

 

[Atown]

honestly, have a fun project:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817708004

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140

and make ur own. u save like $15. black friday you should have hit staples for 200gb hd for $20 after MIR and then gotten an inclosure kit.

 

[Taliesin]

If you're not using a slower drive, you might want to find an enclosure with a fan in it. SATA and faster IDE drives have a tendency to get a little warm. Some people luck out and never have a problem, some people lose the drive... better safe than sorry.

 

[Tek7 (Legacy)]

Well, here's what I'd like to do with it:

• Store video (fansubbed anime, television episodes)
• Store game-related files (patches, mods, maps, etc.)
• Store install files for security programs (anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, etc.)
• Back up critical files
• Transfer large files using a USB 2.0 cable
• Share files over a network and stream video to a laptop (which would in turn be hooked up to a television)

I'd like something that's easily transportable for when I travel to see family, but still has enough storage to justify the price tag.

I'm also considering smaller, more portable drives for when I travel. Something like the Western Digital Passport might serve me well.

Any other suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[Tek7 (Legacy)]

I have to admit, the Passport is looking more and more appealing. 160GB of storage, very portable, and no need for a power adapter. I use an APC Notebook Surge Protector for my notebook and a APC Back-UPS Pro for my desktop PC, cable modem, and router. I don't like using any expensive electronic equipment without surge protection of some kind, and the APC Notebook Surge Protector, while very portable, only protects one plug.