terrabyte external hard drive

[bednobs]

hi, my dad has asked for one for xmas. However, they are a bit expensive for me on my own, so my sister is going to go in with me. She lives in the USA and is coming over for xmas - if she bought one there, would it be compatible here - would there be any problems?

[gingejbee]

As long as it's USB powered (plug and play) it will be fine.

[Buenchico]

As Gingejbee states, there will no technical problems. However, if your sister is going to be bringing other gifts into the country she needs to remember that she's likely to have to pay tax and duties if the total value exceeds £390.

Chris

[bednobs]

nah, she's poor, she's unlikely to have £390 to spend

[Mattk]

What do you class as expensive? I found this one for £50...

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176806

[bednobs]

yep, £50 is too much this year as i haven't been working since august, and only have maternity pay. Can you get usb powered ones?

[bednobs]

i meant to say, thanls for looking though!

[Mattk]

That drive is USB. I think most (if not all) would be.

[bednobs]

but what i mean is, do you ahve to plug it into the wall socket too?

[RATTER15]

We bought one yesterday for £64.00 plugged in the USB and and power supply and away it went, no probs :-)

[gingejbee]

No. One small cable to one USB port. That's all.

[bednobs]

well then there is a slight problem i suppose :)

[bednobs]

that was at ratter btw

[VHG]

>That drive is USB. I think most (if not all) would be.

That drive on ebuyer is NOT USB *POWERED*

All drives connect to the USB for transferring data, but some (smaller laptop sized drives) also get their POWER from the USB.

That one on ebuyer gets its power from the mains.

Probably NOT a good idea to get a mains powered one from the USA.

Generally mains powered ones are better value than laptop sized ones (you get more hard disk space for less money).

[VHG]

This is getting confusing so lets clear things up.

There are two sizes of hard disk that go inside an external drive - 2.5 inch and 3.5inch.

The 2.5 inch can get their power from the USB port and DONT need a power cable.

The 3.5 inch CANNOT get their power from the USB port and have to plug into the mains.

The 2.5 inch are often (but not always) called Portable (as they dont need the mains).

The 2.5 inch are better for people on the move (with laptops) as they can be used anywhere.

The 3.5 inch are better for people who use theirs at home or at work where a mains socket is available.

Note you can use a 2.5 inch with a desktop as well as a laptop, and a 3.5 inch with a laptop as well as a desktop.

Generally the 3.5 inch are cheaper than the 2.5 inch (cost per gigabyte)

[Buenchico]

Just for clarification (and to point out that there's no conflict between my post and VHG's):

I was assuming that the drive would be USB-powered. Any drive, purchased in the USA, which is MAINS powered will require 120V (at 60Hz), whereas our mains system provides 230V (at 50Hz).

If in doubt, buy from the UK, so that (irrespective of the power system) you'll have no worries about compatibility.

Chris

[gingejbee]

VHG: here endeth the lesson. Seriously, well done! If bednobs had specified laptop or desktop, all that might not have been needed.

[bednobs]

well confusingky, he will probably want to use it with both his laptop and desktop