Snag a 500GB external hard drive for $79.99 (after rebate)
Half a terabyte for 80 bucks? That's a hard deal to beat.
(Credit: Buy.com)Got storage? You can get a Cavalry 500GB external USB drive for a mere $79.99 shipped. Granted, you'll have to wait on a $15 mail-in rebate, but you can spend the time filling this half-terabyte drive with all your videos, MP3s, backup files, and so on.
The NTFS-formatted Cavalry drive spins at a peppy 7,200 rpm and supports both Mac and Windows systems. Plus, it's stackable, so you can build a tower of terabytes if that's your thing.
Having recently experienced a near-catastrophic hard drive failure, I can't recommend an external drive highly enough. It's the fastest and easiest way to make a full-system backup, though obviously you can use it for media storage, data transport, and other purposes as well.
The rebate expires today, so don't wait if you're looking for the best hard-drive deal since Black Friday.
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. 
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