External HD: Fan vs. Heat Dissipation

[freefall]

Hello,

I am looking at a number of different external hard drives and I want performance to be the factor of my decision. I will be purchasing either a Maxtor or Seagate 250GB 7200RPM hard drive, and I am looking for a good case for it.

One line of cases has two solid sides, and all four remaining sides are metal mesh, with a lift on the bottom for added airflow. No fans, just natural heat dissipation.

Another line has one fan in the back of the case.

A third has two fans in the front of the case.

All claim to be quiet and effective. My computer is already noisy so that is not a huge factor if I can improve the longevity of my hard drive with a fan. However, I prefer the look of the first two cases to the last one.

Here is my price gradient:
Type 1:
Cintre MetalFX Aluminum case with Maxtor 250GB 16MB cache 7200RPM HD, no fan
1 USB 2.0
3 yr warranty
$178.16

Type 2:
Ultra Mini Portable case with Seagate 250GB 8MB cache 7200RPM HD, one fan
1 USB 2.0, 2 Firewire
1 year enclosure warranty, 5 year HD warranty
$183

Type 3:
Cintre StayCOOL (Dual Fan) with Maxtor 250GB 16MB cache 7200RPM HD, two fans
1 USB 2.0
3 yr warranty
$175.16


An aside:
Any big difference between 8MB cache and 16MB cache? What does it affect, say, if the hard drive is mainly used for editing videos and large photoshop files?

Thank you, if you have a better suggestion, I am open.
Ian Paterson

[PeOfEo]

The more the better cache wise.

[Nevermore]

The cache is the amount of data the hard disk can remember between readings from the disk itself. A larger amount of cache improves performance by allowing larger amounts of data to be read at a time; this makes a larger difference on slower motherboards than newer, faster ones.
And I would go for the 1 fan option, because the cooling will be more than adequate. In fact, I would be tempted to go for the no-fan option, but if the ambient room temperature is high you may need a fan.

[kin]

Agreed, especially if you're going to edit videos and work w/ other types of multi-media. High cache= yay.

[kin]

But also, firewire is good to have w/ mutlimedia files too- like video. Not sure I'd want an ultra-mini case though- but that's just preference. Of course you can always purchase another firewire port to plug into it.

I personally wouldn't get a case without a fan- but that's because I live in Florida and don't like to crank the A/C all the time- too expensive, and I have other things to pay for, like internet... and games... and more stuff for my computer... and above all stuff for my girlfriend.

[Nevermore]

I personally wouldn't get a case without a fan- but that's because I live in Florida and don't like to crank the A/C all the time
I live in Britain, so cooling's not such a problem.

and above all stuff for my girlfriend.
Seconded.

[freefall]

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the comments. I'll be in the very seasonal Rochester, NY area for the next couple years in a dorm so you never know.

Right now I am totally persuaded by Seagate's high quality and 5 year warranty. I cannot get a 250GB Seagate drive in the other cases.

Thanks again,
Ian