Network v external HDD

A

Anjistar

Geek Trainee
Hi everybody,
I hope this is the right place for this!
I am after a little bit of advice here, and I will try to keep it short and sweet!

Home PC (MINE!), 4 users.
Of 114 Gb on C drive, I have used up about 20 Gb (digital photgraphy), 2 others have about 10Gb between them, and my son has used 40Gb! Mostly music (he composes).
I need more space for digital Video.

So what is the solution?
1.Should I get him his own system and network it to mine for internet access?
If so, would a laptop be a realistic option, as he will want one for Uni in 2006?
Or
2. Should I get an external HDD for him to use as storage?
If so will he be able to use it with a laptop later?

Thanks for reading all this!
Anji
 
Yeah, and external drive would be one to look at, for storage purposes. Video editing is better served with a faster hard drive (like 7200RPM and faster---depending on how much you wanna pay), and most laptops don't have that kinda speed available to them due to the extra heat, and why I wouldn't recommend a laptop if you can at all help it.

I'd recommend a desktop system as the parts are cheaper. If you're still going to be low on space, you might look at something like the Shuttle XPC or some other small PC like that. So long as you're willing to do a little assembly, these wouldn't be a bad way to go: provide the power of a tower in a dinky little space. Soltek's Qbic line seems to be pretty nice as well.
 
Yes i agree with BigB - i use Digital Video Editing and Digital Photography on my computer, and i have a laptop and its no where near as good - and hard drives are relatively small on laptops due to heat and size of technology.

I would highly recommend a Shuttle XPC (they are about the size of a lunch box).
 
Thanks very much for your replies.
I plan on using the current PC for all the Digital stuff, and really just want to turf my son out of the system.

He will have a laptop in about 18 months time, so I really wanted to know if it would be more efficient to get him :

a new desktop PC now and network it (and a laptop later)

or to get an external HDD use on the current PC and later with the laptop ,

or to get a laptop now and network that.

All this bearing in mind what he is doing with it: running Cubase, Reason and a couple of other small programs, and needing lots of storage.
Thanks again
Anji
 
First off there is No point in buying him a new Desktop PC and then buying him a laptop as the money is not justifiable..

If you buy your son a Laptop now and he's going to use it for Uni in 2006 then there's no point in doing that either as the Laptop will be out of date and if your thinking of buying a laptop you should really buy it nearer the time as it would last him ALOT longer..

Personally i would buy an external hard drive or even better - an internal hard drive, you can buy a 200GB hard drive IDE or SATA now for about £80 including vat and delivery Internal.

However an external drive is always another choice, i'd suggest a 120GB as you get the most space for your money.

I would definately NOT buy him a laptop now, i'd get him a laptop nearer the time - literally just before he goes.
 
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