That HardDrive Enclosure looks very nice.  I'm currently using two Dual HD Docking Stations, one USB 2.0 and one 3.0.  This would allow me to have my current three external drives hooked to 3.0.  May have to look into this. 

Thanks for posting the info starkers. 

You're welcome, Philly. 

I don't know about pricing in your neck of the woods, but with just one power supply, as opposed to a couple of docks or several external power adapters, I think it would end up paying for itself from the power savings.  The thing I like about it is that the drives are hot-swappable and have tool-less installation, making them quick and easy to change when needed.  And yes, it is a very nice looking unit.  I did look at others but this one appealed more to me due to its convenience and dark, sleek appearance. There were a couple of others similarly priced, but they did not have the tool-less or hot-swap features, nor were they as aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  Yes, it would make a fine addition to any desktop, me thinks.

I currently have two 23" monitors, but I always think about scrapping those and getting a nice 27", maybe even 30".

I have 2 23s, and 2 20s. I would much rather have multiple monitors than one big one.

I was thinking about a 30" until I say the current prices... $1284 was the cheapest with my regular supplier, and from there they went up to S2799 for the top of the range model. They also have a 42" for $3199, but that's well out of my league.

Ah, but I could have the 27" in the centre and a 22" on either side if I wanted.  Or if i really wanted to go all out, I could go with the 27" in the centre; two 22"s either side; a 19" on a separate stand one side of my desk and the 32" TV on another the other side of my desk. 

In fact, I have one of those DVI splitters that allows up to 6 monitors off one output, so I could have up to 8 monitors/TV's all running from the graphics card if I wanted... would have to pinch Shaunna's 22" and a 19" from upstairs, but I could do it. 

Hmmm, what about I take the 55" TV from upstairs; the 42" TV from downstairs; two 32"s and my new 27" monitor and the two 22" monitors and hook 'em all up? 

Would Deskscapes run a different dream on each one? 

And who's helping with the power bill?

Nah, seriously, the 27" monitor for my main screen will be enough for my needs, though now that I won't have a TV connected, perhaps I could reinstall my TV tuner card and have a 22" on the side for TV shows I might want to keep an eye on.

The Vantec enclosure looks interesting, however I already have two Ez4 hot-swap caddies with their quaint lcd displays etc. in the box...  

I run with a 27"+22" right now... just isn't the same with dual 22"s at work.

Yup, the Vantec enclosure sure is something, ain't it, and very reasonably priced compared to other I looked at. There was a Synology one for 500+ bucks, and it looks no better, does no more than the Vantec, so it was not a serious consideration. There were a few crappy looking ones, but most of those looked cheap, were priced higher and not as fully featured at the Vantec... no LED indicators or RAID, etc.

When you say "in the box", do you mean those front loading type caddies that sit in the 5.25 bays of your tower?  If so, I did look into those but decided against them as I do not have enough free 5.25 bays to accommodate 4 drives. I do have 4 bays but 3 of them are occupied with a Bluray ROM, a DVD ROM and the front panel of my sound card.  A 6 or 8 drive enclosure would have been nice, but none were in my price range... so 4 is the magic number, I guess.

While on my search I came across a number of other items that looked rather interesting.  For example, there were towers which hold a varying number of DVD or Bluray Rom drives [anything up to 15 or more] that can burn multiple discs of the same data.  It's not something that I'd never need, but there were others that act as NAS servers holding multiple drives. One thing that did get my attention, though, was an Ethernet splitter that allows up to 8 or more network devices. Now one of those would be quite handy as I have a few devices that would be better cabled... such as media players that can lose content continuity when streaming via wi.fi.  That'll be for another time, however.

If you're interested in some of the lesser seen, rarer PC items, take a look at http://www.techbuy.com.au/.  I'm sure you'll find something there to spruke your interest. 

That'll be 'spruik' [perhaps - though not actually right....you probably are better off with 'spark']...

Yes, in the tower.  I have 4 bays...2 with the caddies and 2 with DVD burners.  [haven't got a blueray burner as I haven't got a blueray player either]..

Spruke - Spruik... it's as near as what damn is to swearing, as my dear ol' granny used to say.

I do have a bluray player and a few discs, but that's not the only reason I'm getting the Bluray ROM drive.  A Bluray disc holds swags more data than a DVD, so the idea is more to create hard copies of things such as skin libraries and the like, without using so many discs to clutter up the joint.  Mind you, once that's done I'll have a few redundant DVDs that'll either become coasters or frisbees.

As she may have...however 'spruik' wasn't the word you were looking for, either...

Haven't done the math....but isn't the odd HD platter or two still cheaper-by-the-gig than Blueray disks?

....and more durable?...

That   Vantec NexStar is a beauty starkers!

I have been thinking about getting NAS, I'll have to check this Vantec out!

I have 2 WD 3TB hooked up to A WD Live Media Streamer and it takes forever to compile the library contents from both.

My Corsair 800D tower is full no more bays so can't install any more HDs.

Thanks for the info starkers!

There may be a minimal price difference, but the idea is to be able to manage libraries on one single disc, rather than having to swap out 3, 4 or 5 DVDs to access data. And I have several backups on HDD, but sometimes those die and I want something a little more permanent. For me, the convenience outweighs the cost.

My burner supports M-Disc...   "uses a patent rock-like recording surface instead of organic dye to etch your data onto a disc. The M-DISC has been tested and proven to outlast standard DVDs currently on the market."

Thanks for the link starkers!

You might have missed my point.  Harddrives would be a more permanent medium than some photo-etched plastic/netal foil.

And any medium is only as good as the future accessibility of the format anyway.

Hands up all those people who threw out their VHS machines just moments before they found that long-lost vid of young Johnny's first barf/whatever?....

I also have a 32" LCD TV that I use when watching movies from the PC.

Trouble with using a TV as a monitor, or any large screen, is that the best resolution you're gonna get is 1920 x 1080, and on a 32" screen, that amounts to a one inch tall taskbar, huge window frames, start panel, etc....

In other words, everything is bigger, but you don't gain any real estate. With multiple monitors, everything stays the same size, but you have more room (real estate) for more stuff.

I find it very useful to have 4 monitors.

Photoshop is usually open on one. Yahoo Messenger and Skype on one, (so I can talk to Wiz, Xiandi, 2of3, Murex, Philly, Shaunna, etc....) 

Then a 3rd monitor holds my meters and a clock, weather.

4TH is an extra. It's where everything goes when I'm gaming in surround mode on the other 3. 

Oh, my next upgrade will likely be a 6 core CPU.

No, I didn't miss your point.  Hard drives fail more easily than well-looked-after DVD, Bluray or M-Discs.  I've had more than one suddenly die, and what i want is something more permanent to leave my descendents a couple of generations or more away.

Oh, and I did consider SSDs, but the arithmetic worked out that those would cost more than the discs at this juncture in time.

So I'll leave them the means to play the discs as well... just in case such a thing becomes a museum piece only.  Who knows, in 60 - 80 years time HDDs may also be historic... ancient things of the past. 

Then, I might live long enough to use some futuristic device that records everything in books.  Now there's a novel idea!

As with all things electronic....if it works properly at purchase it'll most likely keep working.

As with all things plastic.....it will scratch.

Hands up all those people who have had a disc delaminate?...