Finding Cheap External Hard Drive Deals

More is always better. This philosophy may not apply to everything in life but when it comes to digital storage space, it's perfectly applicable. No matter how many gigabytes of space you start out with, on your desktop computer or laptop computer hard drive, eventually all of it is going to be used at some point. As you keep adding new programs, storing movies, music, photos and downloading stuff, chunks of several megabytes are used up, until you see a message popping up on your computer reporting the running out of storage space. That's when opting for an external drive is seen as a necessity.

How to Choose One?

What are the prime features that one must check out when shopping for drives? One of the first factors is obviously the storage capacity offered. Besides that, look for the RPM speed of the drive which decides the copying and reading speed. Anything in excess of 4500 RPM is good enough. Greater memory cache size also ensures speedy transfer.

So a cache memory in excess of 20 MB is prerequisite. An eSATA interface for data transfer is the fastest you can get right now, but if you are looking for a low-budget option, USB 2.0 interface is good enough. Look for products with at least a year's warranty.

Finding Deals

To spot the best inexpensive deals, you have to be a shrewd customer. Electronics stores like Amazon and other retail stores are the best places to lookout for low cost deals. Check out and take advantage of the seasonal discounts offered by retail stores in your area. Go for low to medium storage capacity drives. Choosing powered drives will cost you lesser compared to USB powered drives. Going for refurbished products is another low cost option.

Inexpensive Deals

There are a range of brands available out there, for you to choose from. All brands have a range of drives with varying storage capacities and features. Through my research on online electronics stores, I have chosen some of the most inexpensive hard drive deals for your perusal. (The prices quoted here are the discounted prices for the products offered by Amazon.)

• Western Digital WD Elements 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop Drive ($69.99)
• Seagate FreeAgent Go 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive ($56.03)
• Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 320 GB USB 2.0 Ultra-Portable ($59.90)
• Hitachi X320 Mobile 320GB USB 2.0 Drive ($49.96)
• Western Digital My Passport Essential 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive ($49.99)
• LaCie Rikiki 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive ($59.24)
• Hitachi X250 Mobile 250GB USB 2.0 Portable ($52.49)
• Seagate Expansion 2.0 TB USB 2.0 Desktop Drive
• Toshiba Canvio 750 GB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive ($89.99)
• Transcend StoreJet 25 Mobile Anti-Shock 500 GB USB 2.5 Portable Hard Drive ($69.92)

The inexpensive deals listed above are purely representative of the lowest retail price ranges you can expect for some of the major brands. Seagate, GoFlex, Western Digital, Maxtor and Lacie are some of the best and most dependable drive brands that you could choose from. As discussed before, take advantage of seasonal discounts offered by electronics stores and the general discount on big brands offered by online retail stores like Amazon to land up with inexpensive deals. Settle for nothing less than 500 GB and take the best deal which matches your requirements.