External Desktop Disk Reliability ?

[Y-Body]

Recent reviews on Amazon for WD 3TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive indicate the most recent version of this drive is less than reliable.

What would you purchase for a desktop drive?

If you were to build your own using an internal WD drive, what is a good enclosure?

I do not need even 3TB, but newer platter densities seem to make 3TB the new small size. I intend to use the drive for occasional backups and have it disconnected most of the time.
Portable drive reviews seem to indicate they are even less reliable than desktop drives.

[Cybercowboy]

The only thing that would make them less reliable, assuming you didn't slam them around, is cooling or the lack thereof. Are there enclosures with a fan? I haven't checked into them in awhile (like years...)

[John Wiz]

Another vote for an external RAID. I have two, the oldest an old Hammer (now defunct) technologies unit and a Buffalo storage one. Both are network attached, both have had drive failures, but simply replaced the failed drive and never lost any data. Only type of external to get for storage.

[Fasglas]