Return of the $99.99 1TB hard drive
Your chance to score 1TB of storage for a cool $100.
(Credit: Buy.com)It's been awhile, but once again you can pick up a 1-terabyte external hard drive for under $100.
Specifically, Buy.com has the Fantom 1TB G-Force USB/eSATA hard drive for $99.99 shipped. That's an awful lotta storage for the money. And no rebates!
Though fairly industrial in design and not likely to win any beauty contests, the Fantom's got it where it counts: a 7,200-rpm drive, an 8.5-millisecond seek time, and your choice of USB or eSATA interfaces. It's compatible with most versions of Windows and the Mac OS.
A drive like this is perfect for keeping your system backed up, but Fantom supplies no software for the job. Fortunately, there are plenty of third-party freebies; here's a list of three free back-up utilities for Windows. (Anybody know of any good programs for Mac users? List 'em in the Comments.)
I'd rather see a three-year warranty on this drive, but Fantom's coverage expires after just one year. That's the only negative I can see on this deal, and it's a minor one. The drive earned a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 from more than 200 Buy.com customers, so you can bet it's a winner.
Rick Broida, a technology writer for nearly 20 years, is the author of more than a dozen books. In addition to writing CNET's The Cheapskate blog, he oversees BNET's Business Hacks. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers. Follow Rick on Twitter at cheapskateblog. 
To be honest, the benefits of eSATA are hardly present with external [retail] HDDs unless there's already a heavy load on your USB2/Firewire buses. I doubt they're putting in higher performance/higher grade HDDs in those enclosures, and even so, most HDDs can't exceed the USB 2.0 specs on the reading or writing processes, even after taking into consideration the efficiency of USB 2.0.
There's a performance boost, but I don't think its a major hit or miss for a lot of people--or even for those who think they need it.
My idea is to buy the best, most reliable drive (like the Western Digital WD1001FALS) which has a huge cache and a 5-year warranty and put your chosen drive into a superior enclosure. I like the Antec MX-1 Actively Cooled Hard Drive Enclosure. This enclosure is very well built, has a super quiet fan and works great. In my opinion, these drives need to be cooled by a fan as they get really hot.
Sure both of these components cost a little bit more, but hey, how much is your data and piece of mind really worth? Certainly an extra $40!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822216041
- Most reviewers say the drive in this one is a Samsung
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822204079
- This one's similar to the original post
It is a predecessor of this drive when it cost a mere $250
http://reviews.cnet.com/hard-drives/fantom-g-force-megadisk/4505-3186_7-32107742.html
At least, I paid for it last week, and eCost said it was in stock and would ship immediately.
This week, eCost says the drive is backordered.
Stupid eCost.
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- by jpbartlett February 3, 2009 9:59 AM PST
- Bought a version of this drive recently for $89 (including rebate) that has esata and USB 2.0. Spent another $30 for eSATA interface and cable for Macbook Pro. Very happy so far. eSata is super fast, drive is small and quite. Drive in enclosure in Western Digital WDC WD10EAVS-00D7B1. Guessing not their most expensive drive. BTW, I've had excellent luck with Buy.com. I always go for free shipping and it always comes within a couple of days. With this drive ordered on Friday with free shipping, arrive on Monday. YMMV.
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