Looking to buy a new 500GB external drive since my current one is making scary noises. Western Digital and Seagate seem to be the market leaders from what I can gather, is one more reliable than the other? Also, is there any downside to getting a portable version? The ones that source power from USB rather than an AC adapter... they don't suffer from lack of power or drain too much from the PC do they?
The 350gig WD Passport drive I bought a couple year ago started making clicking noises recently. I've since replaced it with a 500gig Seagate. I'm not sure if WD drives are more prone to crashing, but I've been avoiding them since this problem. From what I've been told, the most reliable external drives are made from internal drives that are fitted with enclosures. Internal drives are "made with more care." But I don't know if this is necessarily true anymore. And external drives that get their power from USB generally work well. Unless you have a bunch of USB devices connected to your computer through extension cords or something crazy like that, you shouldn't have any problems.
I've got an 500GB Verbatim one, works just fine. No downsides of getting one that gets power from PC, and @tsharpfilm: 3.5" ones need external power, 2.5" don't.
I've had great experience with seagate. My 6 year old 320 GB seagate drive still works as good as new and I've thrown it around so many times I almost thought I broke it for sure. Damn thing still showed the green light everytime I plugged it in after such accidents.
I've never had a problem with Western Digital drives, and I've had three over the past five years. I'd definitely go with a portable one if you can, to minimize the potential for problems with moving parts/damage. It's also nice not having to bother with a separate AC plug.
