Seagate Barracuda 7,200 500GB and Need a Suitable External Enclosure.

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Seagate Barracuda 7,200 500GB and Need a Suitable External Enclosure.

Hi

I have a spare internal Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7,200 Serial ATA drive that was shipped with my Mac Pro and I would like to use it as an external/portable storage drive.

Is there a 3.5" External HD Enclosure to suit this drive?

I should add that I already have a 3.5" External HD Enclosure with Firewire/USB 2.0. Unfortunately, this is IDE to USB 2.0 & Firewire and does not match the Barracuda.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated, Thanks.

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Dec 16, 2007 9:48 AM

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Answer 1

The hatter

Level 9

61,031 points

Dec 16, 2007 11:03 AM in response to nick_f

My choice would be to connect and hook up to the two SATA ports and try using those:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/MPQXES2/
Lowest cost case for SATA:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/sata/external/Dual_Bay

Then a dual drive case such as:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Firmtek/SATA2EN2/
Enclosures

The best: SeriTek Mac Pro kit
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Firmtek/SATA2ESEN2/
Bootable, excellent and quiet case. And none of the issues with USB and FW.

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Answer 2

nick_f Author

Level 1

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Dec 16, 2007 3:33 PM in response to The hatter

Thanks for the quick reply and links.

I am after an enclosure similar to the "OWC Mercury Elite-AL Dual Bay SATA Enclosure Kit", but with Firewire so I can also connect it to an iMac and MacBook from time to time. The price is about right but it is missing Firewire and USB 2.0.

When looking for a compatible enclosure, I am still unclear on how to identify the correct connection type for my hard drive. What should I be looking for to identify it?

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Answer 3

Dec 16, 2007 11:32 PM in response to nick_f

Assuming you have a sata drive, I highly recommend the Antec Veris MX-1 enclosure. It has USB 2.0 and esata connectors and includes the cables. The case includes an internal fan and runs very quietly. Circuit City has it on sale this week. http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Search.do?c=1&searchType=user&keyword=antec+mx-1& searchSection=All
It also includes an esata bracket, although you would have to use the included cable to plug it into an sata connector on the motherboard which I have read elsewhere is very hard to get to. Probably better to get an esata pci card and then you would have full sata transfer speed. USB 2.0 is good to go. With esata, you have to boot the external drive before booting your Mac or it will not show up. USB is plug and play. Antec makes computer cases and computer components and is a reputable company. Try googling Antec veris mx-1 for more info or reviews. Good luck.

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Answer 4

nick_f Author

Level 1

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Dec 17, 2007 1:13 AM in response to eternaloptimist

ESATA PCI card and cable seems to be the best option for speed and I would be happy to use the USB 2.0 when connecting to my iMac and MacBook.

I am still unsure about identifying the correct connection on the HD. I bought a generic "3.5" HD SATA Enclosure with Firewire/USB 2.0" and this has what seems the standard/most common connector which I think is called IDE?

The Mac Pro requires a HD with a connector to fit and work with the tray system that simply slots into place. I want to be sure I have the correct connection so not to waste any more money.

Please forgive my poor explanation as I clearly don't know how to technically describe the components in question!

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