I guess you have to be a true geek to get excited about yet another external hard drive, but this updated unit from NewerTech is just about perfect for our multi-Mac and PC household. Right now, I’ve got the miniStack hooked up via FireWire to my old 60GB PowerPC Mini, where we were rapidly running out of room for our burgeoning collection of iTunes music and movies.

The 500GB miniStack ($149.99 from OWC) as its name implies, sits on top of the Mac mini and works seamlessly with Apple’s Time Machine software. I really appreciate the three FireWire and four USB ports on the case, which allows me to get rid of the ungainly USB hub I was using to connect our laser printer, iPod dock and HDTV tuner.

Since the Mac mini and miniStack are right next to the living room couch, the quiet operation via the Smart Fan underneath the unit is a plus, and the 7200 rpm speed and large data cache should prove useful for my son’s upcoming video projects.

The miniStack is available in configurations up to 1.0TB, and seems like a much better value than Apple’s wireless Time Capsule. My plan is to start using the drive to back up all our laptops, which should let me sleep better at night knowing all my wife’s emails are safe!

I should also mention the miniStack comes with some useful software, including data backup software for Windows and Mac and other utilities.

Are you excited yet? When your old iBook fails to boot up, you will thank me and the miniStack.