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My brother wants a firewire card and 1TB external harddrive which I want to get him for Christmas. The thing is, I'm not sure I have all the information I need.

He built his own computer which I know has some sort of ASUS motherboard, Windows XP, and uses a PCI express connection. Does the fact that he uses an ASUS motherboard complicate things? Or should any firewire card that is PCI express and XP-compatible be fine? Also, do I need to be careful if he is planning on eventually uprgrading to Windows 7? What is a good price for something like this? It seems like it shouldn't be more than $20.

Also, will the firewire card have any influence on which harddrive I get him? The prices for 1TB external harddrives seem to vary a lot. I've seen prices ranging from $86 - $230 (on newegg). What are some things I should look for to know I am getting a good deal without getting a piece of crap? What are some brands that are good and brands that I should keep away from. I imagine he wants it for doing backups and storing lots of music/video content.

I probably want to buy both items from the same site, especially if I can get a shipping deal. I was thinking either amazon (which I normally never buy this kind of stuff from) or newegg which I have found to be quite reliable.

Any help is much appreciated, as I find buying this kind of stuff to really be hit or miss :-).

Thanks,

Tom

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Considering it is a modern system, does it already have firewire? my desktop from 2 years ago has 2 firewire ports, as does my laptop – Journeyman Geek Dec 6 '09 at 23:43

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The ASUS motherboard does not make any difference. Newegg is a good place to get this, particularly if you are unsure what to get. You can sort the filter/search results by customer recommendations. I strongly suggest you use the recommendations as the typical Newegg shopper is pretty savvy. As far as the difference in hard drive prices, size (2.5 v. 3.5) will make a difference, especially in the capacity you're looking at. Also the enclosure is a factor in the price. Again, reading the recommendations is probably your best guide. I expect any card you find that is XP compliant will also work with Windows 7, but read the descriptions.

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what do you mean by size 2.5 v. 3.5? – Tom Dec 6 '09 at 22:57
Oh I see you mean the form factor... I assume 2.5 will be much more expensive at 1TB capacity? – Tom Dec 6 '09 at 23:05
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there're no 1 tb 2.5 inch drives iirc, with capacity topping out at 500 gb i think – Journeyman Geek Dec 6 '09 at 23:42
Seconding. NewEgg is always a good place to start searching for parts online. – Kaji Dec 6 '09 at 23:42
Au contraire mon frere, see this one: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136477 – Beaner Dec 7 '09 at 4:01

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