Quick computer hardware question for Boston-area folks.

[randomness]

If you were looking to buy a 500GB external drive this afternoon, where would you do it? I've heard a recommendation for Best Buy, but it was sort of by default.

In particular, if you know of some cool folks who deserve my business, please comment.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[dartpoly.livejournal.com]

If you were in Texas, I'd say Fry's ... they just recently had a sale on Maxtor 300gb drives - $80 (no rebate).

[cubes.livejournal.com]

Around here Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City all seem to be equally cheap and equally variable in their service (we've gotten outstanding and leave-products-at-the-register-and-walk-out bad service from all 3 at different times). In that much of a rush, I'd check websites to see if one had it on sale, or just pick whichever was the least out of the way.

[dianec42.livejournal.com]

Is PCs For Everyone in East Cambridge still around? Give them a call, sometimes they have very good deals on random stuff.

[starheptagon.livejournal.com]

I believe they closed earlier this year.

[mangosteen]

They're still around, but their storefront closed. They've gone to an exclusively online operation.

[jojotbird.livejournal.com]

uberjay and I are going to get an external harddrive this evening...would you care to join us?

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

That would be great. What time would you like to meet?

[mangosteen]

I'd likely go to Micro Center (Mem Drive, Cambridge). It's no Fry's, but they tend a bit more towards the DIY side of the PC market than Best Buy do, and their prices are likely a bit better.

[rather-amoosing.livejournal.com]

Honestly, if I had to have it today and I didn't know of any specific sales, I'd go to Walmart - they have consistently good prices and carry decent brands on the externals.

[orewashinanai.livejournal.com]

Any reason not to do Staples?

[cerridwynn.livejournal.com]

I know it's not original (and i haven't really shopped around) but i'm happy with my best buy external hard drive and i got a much better price than at the apple store (duh) or my initial on-line search.

It makes me soooo happy.

:-)

[cerridwynn.livejournal.com]

oh, or you might want to try costco if you know someone with a card. come to think of it, why didn't i got there???

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

If I had to buy a disk locally and immediately, I'd comparison shop online first and probably end up getting it at one of these:
Staples (http://www.staples.com/)
Best Buy (http://www.bestbuy.com/)
Micro Center (http://www.microcenter.com/)
Circuit City (http://www.circuitcity.com/)

Don't forget to consider the possibility of buying bare hard drives and external drive cases and putting them together yourself. It can sometimes (not always, but sometimes) result in substantial savings, and it's very easy to do.

I'm hearing that we should expect that within a year or so disks will probably deliver about ten times the space per the same amount of money, so I'm trying to avoid buying any more disk space than I have to right now. (Why spend $200 to get 500 gigs now when I can spend $200 a year from now and get 5 terabytes, if I have a choice?)

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Don't forget to consider the possibility of buying bare hard drives and external drive cases and putting them together yourself. It can sometimes (not always, but sometimes) result in substantial savings, and it's very easy to do.

Definitely. That's what I did for my first two drives.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

i'd definitely go with microcenter as a first pick in that circumstance.

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

Thank you for asking this question, because I my response was "damn, Fry's if you live in a place that has Fry's, so what should the rest of us do?" This was very helpful.

Now why the bloody hell don't we have Fry's?!? It's, like, one of the redeeming aspects of visiting in-laws in Orange County....

[gale-storm.livejournal.com]

I posted a link to a 500 GB external Lego brick-looking hard drive last night, but I think it's a little too far to do you much good :)