"Mike" wrote...
Hi, I'm looking for an external HDD that's quiet, ,fast & dependable.
I just ordered a combo usb2 & firewire card, now I 'm looking for an
external hdd.
Previously I had read FireWire is marginally superior to USB2.

True. In practice it is a bit faster.


Any recommendations for an appx 160g (or greater) external HDD that meets
the described critera?

Buy a Firewire/USB2 enclosure and put in your choice of HD. SATA enclosures
are available, so you could even get a WD Raptor 150. With IDE, your choice
of HDs per your favorite reviews. I just got a Seagate 300 7200.9 for mine.


PC Mag reviews like the Maxtor OneTouch II External USB Drive, but several
users
report problems with this drive. otoh, maybe it's just a few of thousands
rep[orting problems
as I'm sure most happily using the drive won't report this.

Bundled drives may not be the best performers, though they may have useful
backup software if that is your intent.