help purchasing a firewire card and external harddrive

Question

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

Answer 1

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.