External hard drives are ideal for backing up your hard drive or storing additional media separately from your main hard drive. Photos, videos, and digital music have all become so popular in recent years that people need a place to put it all. CDs and DVDs do not have the capacity to hold PC backups and are not all that convenient. However, the prices of external hard drives have come down so much that they are perfect for backing up your important data.
The two most common interfaces for hooking up external drives to your computer are USB and FireWire with eSata now becoming popular also. USB has been around for years and are standard on just about all computers today while FireWire ports are newer and if you use a digital video camera with your computer you probably already have one. In terms of access speeds the latest eSata standard offers the fastest connection however that comes with a price. USB 2.0 and Firewire can cover most of your general needs without having to upgrade your system with a new eSata card. Any of the interfaces will do the job however be sure to purchase an external hard drive with the same type of port that your computer has.
WD Elements 640 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $149.99 Price on Amazon.com: $98.92)
Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $139.99 Price on Amazon.com: $89.00)
Iomega Prestige 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $172.99 Price on Amazon.com: $99.99)
Toshiba 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $93.99 Price on Amazon.com: $82.44)
WD Elements 1.5 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $169.99 Price on Amazon.com: $117.82)
Toshiba 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $99.99 Price on Amazon.com: $60.00)
WD Elements 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $129.99 Price on Amazon.com: $97.95)
WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $199.99 Price on Amazon.com: $149.00)
WD My DVR Expander 1 TB eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $159.99 Price on Amazon.com: $129.00)
LaCie d2 Quadra Hard Disk 1 TB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800/eSATA Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $164.99 Price on Amazon.com: $154.99)
Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $139.99 Price on Amazon.com: $89.00)
Seagate Expansion 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $115.99 Price on Amazon.com: $79.99)
Iomega eGo Mac Edition 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $140.99 Price on Amazon.com: $125.99)
Iomega Prestige 1.5 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $147.99 Price on Amazon.com: $119.99)
Seagate Expansion 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $115.99 Price on Amazon.com: $89.99)
Iomega Prestige 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $115.99 Price on Amazon.com: $79.30)
Iomega Prestige 500 GB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
- (Price: $82.99 Price on Amazon.com: $74.44)
Seagate FreeAgent Go 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $89.99 Price on Amazon.com: $59.82)
Seagate Expansion 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $75.99 Price on Amazon.com: $58.99)
WD Elements 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive
- (Price: $129.99 Price on Amazon.com: $89.99)
Note: Your backup drive should have a capacity at least as big as your computer’s largest hard drive. That will leave you with plenty of room to back up your important files or mirror/clone your current drive. You can also buy an external hard drive case and mount an internal hard drive inside it. This method will give you a choice of brands and models, and if anything goes wrong with your internal hard drive, you can simply install the external one inside your computer to replace it.