The poll choices should not be mixed with "Pfttt....I buy my own games"
Of course we buy our own games, but how do we load our backups is the true question.
cIOSCorp (v3.3 atm) all the way (Single Layer for SmashBros Brawl, IOS249 for MarioKart Wii to avoid error001 issue).
NeoGamma R6 Autoboot custom made Channel to boot problematic games like GhostBusters.
I don't have a USB HDD and I don't plan to buy one, but I use my 8GB USB Stick to rip games using either USB Loader 1.5 by Waninkoko or USB Loader GX, than rip the iso with WBFSv3 and apply IOS Patch if necesary (like my MarioKart Wii example)
Cheers.