[Tfug] USB drives

[Bexley Hall]

Hi,

I have a temporary need for a sizeable archive (to store
snapshots of a large database during development).
Seems like 3.5" drives max out around 500G - 750G.
Anything bigger than that goes to 2.5" laptop drives (?).

What sort of experience have folks had with these
external "portable" USB drives?  Assuming I physically
protect the drive (i.e., so it doesn't get bumped off
the table!), have they been proven reliable?  Are
there shortcomings on throughput imposed by the USB
interface *or* increased rotational delays?

Recommendations on particular models?  I'm probably looking
for 1-2TB total.  Note that my need is actually only
temporary so I'll need to repurpose the drive(s) later
(media server?).  As such, this plays a possible role
in selecting the device(s) to use.

Thanks!
--don