External Enclosure for 2.5" Hard Drive

[bholtzman]

I'm having a really hard time deciding on which external enclosure to purchase for a 2.5" notebook hard drive.

The two external enclosure's i've been looking at are:

COMBO 2.5" ION™ Drive Enclosure - GHE125C :

http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GHE125C

Macally FireWire/USB 2.0 External Enclosure:

http://www.macally.com/spec/firewire/storage/25enclosure.html

Both of these units have FireWire and USB 2.0 ports, so they're pretty much comparable. Apparently the ION enclosure needs software .. not sure about the Macally enclosure. Basically I'm looking for an enclosure that looks really nice, performs well (speed) and has both FireWire and USB 2.0 support.

If anyone can provide some feedback, suggestions on different enclosures.. or point me to some reviews, that would be awesome! :)

[Wyatt]

If I was to hazard a guess (I bet you haven't heard that phrase in a while), I would say that the software CD for the ION one is actually just the drivers for Windows ME and older. Windows XP and Mac OS X support USB/Firewire drives as plug and play (somebody correct me if I'm wrong about the Mac).

Personally, I would go for the Macally bay, since it can run off bus power (whereas the ION bay cannot). Avoiding that extra AC adapter will help keep your desk clean (or the weight of your laptop bag lighter).

[FFL]

neither should need software, but I'd definitely go with the MacAlley. I've had good results with their stuff, and I don't like the looks of the port config on the back of the ION.

[bholtzman]

yeah, I'm kind of leaning towards to Macally enclosure. I like the fact that it doesn't require the AC adaptor as well. Definately a good thing!

[Luca]

FYI, you can get the MacAlly for a great price here (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-146-604&depa=0).

[bholtzman]

Amazon has it for even cheaper! But unfortunately neither Amazon nor Newegg ship to Canada :(

I already checked with TigerDirect .. they don't seem to carry the Macally external enclosure

[Wyatt]

Did you try Amazon Canada?. There is a completely separate Amazon site for Canada: Amazon.ca

(they don't appear to have macally products, but you might find something similar there)

[geneman]

Considering getting an external drive for backup, additional space and extra boot-volume.

When I look at OWC (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go/) they have a pro and a consumer line sort-of. My question is how much is there to gain?

Is the Oxford-911 the golden standard? Will it matter if the HD has 8 or 16Mb cache? 4200 vs. 5400 rpm?

Obviously bigger numbers are better, but does it matter in real life situations?

I'm not exactly made of money :) but I'd rather spend a bit more and get something useful or save a bit extra if all I'm buying is potential not performance, if you know what I mean.

Oh and suggestions for enclosures and/or drives are most welcome.

thanks,
geneman

EDIT: I'll be getting a larger disk than the one in my iBook, is it possible to have one partition where I clone my current drive and another partition for extras? And can I have more than one 'system folder' e.g. one on each partition?