Online bargains for Father's Day: external hard drives

External hard drives are now cheaper than ever, with prices catching up to the internal HDD market. If your dad is a hoarder of digital media, why not grab him an external hard drive this Father's Day? This will save him the trouble of jamming another hard drive into his computer tower -- instead he can take his movies, photos and music files wherever he goes. Here are some of the best external HDD bargains we've seen online, with links to our in-depth reviews.
Hitachi X500 Mobile Drive
RRP: $119

The newest hard drive on our list, the [[artnid:344831|Hitachi X500 Mobile Drive]] is an ultra-portable hard drive that sports 500GB of storage. It will suit anyone who needs that extra bit of space to carry around in their pocket. We gave it a 3.5 star rating, but given the cheap 25c/GB price tag on such a new device, it’s still a top buy if you're on a budget.

[[artnid:344831|Read our Hitachi X500 Mobile Drive review]]
LaCie Rikiki (500GB) portable hard drive

RRP: $159
Online Price: $85

While sporting the same space as the X500, the [[artnid:331312|Lacie Rikiki 500GB) portable hard drive]] has performance enhancing software that boosts transfer speeds hence the 4.25 star rating). It will suit those who use their external hard drives more intensively and on more systems, including both Macs and Windows PCs. Originally tilted toward the $160 mark, it can [[xref:http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=131&bid=2&sid=54429|now be picked up for $118]], which equals a low 23c/GB.

[[artnid:331312|Read our LaCie Rikiki (500GB) portable hard drive review]]
Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II (4TB) external hard drive

RRP: $999 EOFY Price: $635

Western Digital’s [[artnid:308312|My Book Studio Edition II (4TB)]] is a tome of two 2TB Western Digital Caviar Green hard drives that boast high speeds while giving a highly competitive value per gigabyte of 25c/GB on the standard RRP. The unit boasts a barrage of connectivity options with its two FireWire 800 ports, as well as an eSATA port and a mini-USB 2.0 port. Now that the price has dropped, the unit can be picked up [[xref:http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=107_108&page=2&products_id=41707|for just $635]] -- 16c/GB. When you consider the 4 star rating and all the extra functionality and security packed into the deal by the guys at Western Digital, this is an offer to be reckoned with.

[[artnid:308312|Read our Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II (4TB) external hard drive review]]
Seagate BlackArmor WS 110 (2TB) DAS device

RRP: $399
EOFY Price: $287

Based on what we’ve seen so far, Seagate’s [[artnid:331815|BlackArmor WS 110]] offers a high-end solution to backing up computers at an affordable price. Awarded a 4.25 star rating, the BlackArmor drive functions at high speeds (making a racket as a result). It also comes with high-level security. Thanks to a drop in price, you can now pick this goody up for your PC [[xref:http://www.xpmicro.com.au/cgi-bin/xpmicro/ST320005BWD1E2-RK.html|for only $287]], a saving of over $100.

[[artnid:331815|Read our Seagate BlackArmor WS 110 (2TB) DAS device review]]
LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive (1TB)

RRP: $199
EOFY Price: $144

Another gem from LaCie is the [[artnid:322443|1TB Starck]] – a stylish alternative dull looking external hard drives. Apart from the striking design by French designer [[xref:http://www.starck.com/|Philippe Starck]], this LaCie drive is highly durable and somewhat competitive in read and write speeds compared to similar models.

The sleek design includes a touch-sensitive front panel that is a cool little addition for those who are bored of typical drives. Most importantly, the drive is now one of the top hard drives to pick up for its cost per gigabyte. The 3.75 star unit can be picked up at a super-low 14c/GB [[xref:http://penta.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=433_450_890&products_id=22441&zenid=2b372d554232ebf239b563b3e117a033|at just $144]].

[[artnid:322443|Read our LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive (1TB) review]]
Promise SmartStor DS4600 DAS device

RRP: $550

The [[artnid:306738|Promise SmartStor NS4600 DAS device]] can hold up to 8TB in its four separate drive housings, making it a mass-storage rival for typical external drives. The SmartStor is a chunky unit that offers most connectivity options including eSATA and FireWire 800 connections. It also sports hot-swappable drive bays, one-touch configuration and Mac support.

The Promise SmartStor NS4600 was quite fast during our tests.

[[artnid:306738|Read our Promise SmartStor NS4600 NAS device review]]