24 replies to this topic

[caryrae73]

I think I will need to get an external HDD for my basic wii u set. Does anyone know of any that aren't to exspensive that work with the Wii U? I see Nintendo shows a few that work but are all 1TB or more I really don't need that big of one and that exspensive since I am just a casual gamer.

[Tricky Sonic]

Most externals will work - you can find good deals on the big names like Western Digital and Seagate all day. The safe bet would be one that has a separate power source (ac adapter) instead of a self usb powered external. I mean I bought a 1TB seagate last year from walmart for around $80 bucks, sure you can find cheaper now. Check places like Amazon, NewEgg, TigerDirect ect ect.

[caryrae73]

Thanks. Is there an easier way to find that are AC powered? I have tried different searches but so many are usb powered it makes it hard to look for ac powered ones.

[Expansion Pak]

So far this is the only that I have ever seen:
http://www.gamestop....or-wii-u/106904

[caryrae73]

I did some looking and found the one listed on the Nintendo site the Toshiba 1 TB: HDWC110XK3J1 on amazon at a decent price of $59 so I got that one and with no taxes or shipping costs probably can't find a better deal.

[angelo07stang]

I did some looking and found the one listed on the Nintendo site the Toshiba 1 TB: HDWC110XK3J1 on amazon at a decent price of $59 so I got that one and with no taxes or shipping costs probably can't find a better deal.

that sounds like an awsome deal im going to have to check that 1 out

[cannonshane]

I'm using some cheap ass Hitachi 500GB one. Works perfectly fine with a y cable.

[Kokirii]

If you're willing to wait around for a deal, check out the site slickdeals.net. It's a forum/community where people share deals they've found from all over the internet and each day the mods vet the best ones and put them on the front page. While all kinds of products show up there, electronics are by far the biggest group. If you don't like to check it manually, you can create an account and create a "deal alert" that sends you an e-mail when something you're looking for gets posted in one of the forums or added to the front page. In the past 3 years since I joined I don't think I've made a single electronics purchase that wasn't informed by that site.

[Nollog]

You don't really need an ac powered one, since there are 4 ports, but those ones are usually cheaper.
If you're casual, you should look around the 1-200 GB range, should't cost you much, but there's very little price difference between 200 and 500 and 500 and 1tb, so who knows.

Are you American? German? What?
Newegg are good and usually cheap for new ones.
I'd usually go to amazon here in Europe.

[alan123]

i use one of these a WD 320GB USB one http://goo.gl/FM6IT it is very small & fits nice on top of the wii u you will also need a Y cable to connect it to the wii u to get enough power http://goo.gl/OFHov it is the same with many external HD's for the wii u so don't worry about using a Y cable.

[tshrimp]

Walmart has 500GB USB3 (should be backward compatable with USB2) for under $60. Not sure if it has a Y cable or not though.

http://www.walmart.c...-Drive/21094667

I bought a $6 enclosure and put a Mac hard drive in it that had been replaced by an SSD and it works great so far. Buy one local, and if it doesn't work take it back. Best Buy, Walmart, Frys, Microcenter, etc should have something that will work fine.

[Alex Atkin UK]

Its probably best to avoid USB 3.0 drives as not only will they NOT come with a Y cable, as they come with a USB 3.0 cable and all USB 3.0 ports provide enough power on their own. But as they use different connectors on the caddy for the extra pins, you probably wont be able to find a third-party Y cable for them either.

Best to stick with USB 2.0 drives as they usually use a standard USB 2.0 socket or a mini-USB socket, both very easy to find Y cables for.

I would definitely recommend using a USB powered drive though, unless you use the wired network adapter (as having USB cables permanently plugged into the front is messy IMO), as it ensures it is powered on and off with the Wii U, is quieter (although most external drives are near enough silent these days), uses less power and takes up FAR less space.

Edited by Alex Atkin UK, 29 December 2012 - 03:44 AM.

[cannonshane]

I run a 3rd party usb 3.0 y cable. Works fine and cost like $3 on eBay.

[Alex Atkin UK]

Good to know, thanks.

[nannybuckles]

do you have to use a hard drive with the wii u or could you use a usb flash drive?

[Nollog]

do you have to use a hard drive with the wii u or could you use a usb flash drive?

You don't have to, but hard drives will last longer.

[nannybuckles]

thanks. a friend of mine was using a hard drive and had issues because it would go into "sleep mode" from inactivity which would cause the system to get angry. do most hard drives do this or is that a rare occurrence?

[johnodd4]

Actually the only hard drives i have seen that dont go into sleep mode are the western digital my books and they shut off when the console powers off a nice drive but at 128.00 for a 2 tb there expensive

[nannybuckles]

So how do all of you handle the hard drive going to sleep on you?

[johnodd4]

this is why i purchased a my book they only go to sleep when the console tells them to