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View Full Version : Ext. HD, fanless, power over firewire?



SilentPanda
Jul 26, 2004, 09:07 AM
Maybe I'm wanting too much but... does anybody know of an external HD that is fanless (I don't need more noise) and can be powered over firewire (I don't need more cables). The drive will remain stationary. I'd prefer to get a 200 gig plus drive. I've looked at the Lacie drives but they seem to be powered by an AC adapter. That and I can't tell if there are fans on them or not.

My other issue is that I have a G4 iBook which has one firewire port. The reason I'm getting the external FW drive is for editing in FCE2. So the video data will have to go out the camera, through the HD interface, into the computer, and back into the HD interface. I suppose I could bring it straight into the computer and then copy it to the external but that seems ineffective.

So here's what I'd like (and I can't seem to find):


200 - 250 GB HD
No fan (or if you say it's really quiet I might believe you :p)
Powered over firewire (FW 400)
Has to be able to pull video through it and back onto it


I've looked mostly at the Lacie drives. I've also heard that the ByteCC enclosures are good but they also seem to have fans... I'm not opposed to "rolling my own" though.

I have every intent of getting a G5 here within a year so I might even just hold off on getting an external at all and apply that $200ish to a G5.

Thanks... I know the ext HD thread has been done to death but I never found anything in the other threads I looked through...


Laslo Panaflex
Jul 26, 2004, 09:28 AM
Here Ya go:

http://www.technowarehousellc.com/firdrivdoc.html

No sexy cassing or anything, but it does what you want.
Chip NoVaMac
Jul 26, 2004, 09:40 AM
Here Ya go:

http://www.technowarehousellc.com/firdrivdoc.html

No sexy cassing or anything, but it does what you want.

Neat, but pricey.
SilentPanda
Jul 26, 2004, 09:52 AM
It is pretty neat... but I don't think I can daisy chain with that... hmmmm... maybe I'll just go for the ByteCC enclosure and get a 250 gig drive from somewhere on the cheap. Or if I keep putting it off maybe I'll just get a G5 instead... :) Decisions decisions...

Thanks for the link though!
Laslo Panaflex
Jul 26, 2004, 10:22 AM
Neat, but pricey.

We have several of these at work, they are awsome for formatting and imaging drives, but I guess they are pretty expensive compared to other inclosures.
Chaywa
Jul 28, 2004, 04:32 PM
Here's your problem:

The drives that don't require external power are this way because they run slow...too slow to edit video. All of the Lacies are fanless. If the drive isn't moving you won't notice the extra cable.
Chip NoVaMac
Jul 28, 2004, 05:41 PM
It is pretty neat... but I don't think I can daisy chain with that... hmmmm... maybe I'll just go for the ByteCC enclosure and get a 250 gig drive from somewhere on the cheap. Or if I keep putting it off maybe I'll just get a G5 instead... :) Decisions decisions...

Thanks for the link though!

I'll be honest that I probably would not Daisy Chain unless I was syncing the iPod. The perfect solution would be for me to have the iTMS Library on my main HDD.
crazzyeddie
Jul 28, 2004, 07:02 PM
My other issue is that I have a G4 iBook which has one firewire port. The reason I'm getting the external FW drive is for editing in FCE2. So the video data will have to go out the camera, through the HD interface, into the computer, and back into the HD interface. I suppose I could bring it straight into the computer and then copy it to the external but that seems ineffective.

This is almost an impossibility. The connection will be too slow for this, even with a self-powered 7200rpm drive. For my Powerbook, I had to buy a PCMCIA Firewire card to do what you want.
parrothead
Jul 28, 2004, 08:14 PM
Try http://www.synchrotech.com/ There external disks do not have fans, the enclosures look nice, and mine has been rock solid.