what kind of external drives should i get??

hey..i've never used any external hard drives before, and i think i really need to buy one for my laptop now.. any advice on what should i get?? or which brand to go/ to avoid?? also, from most popular external drives, the speed (RPM) is not listed in the product page, so how do I know which one is better??

below are several options i'm considering, but i really know nothing about these items..just from quick research

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149186

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136541

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148568

bump

Well its up to your personal preference. Things you want to look at are physical size of the drive - if you plan on carrying it around, dont want something too big. External power, is it USB powered or requires a plug and connection type. I see you listed a USB 3.0 drive, does your laptop support 3.0?

thanks all for the reply..i want a portable one that only needs to be plugged through usb..my laptop doesnt have usb 3.0, but my desktop has, so i think it would be handy when i also need to transfer data w/ my desktop..

what i'm concerned with is the speed, because none of them has any speed stated in their specs, but i think all new externals are 5400rpm, am i correct??

oh..also, i think my laptop doesnt have e-sata.. it only has the standard USB, HDMI, and DVI ports.. so i should go with the first one??

bump??