external storage for powerbook and powermac?

[macharrington]

We have a 15" PB (first mac purchase) and plan on getting a powermac for our large family. We bought FCP and need more disk space on PB and want to share the external disk with PM. Several questions:

1. Can we get external storage that will work with FW 400 on PB and FW 800 on PM?
2. What size HD is the best performance/value?
3. Best manufactures and place to buy?
4. Suggestions on HD size we buy in PM. Are we better off getting as small HD as possible in PM and sharing it with PB?
5. Just thought of this. Can we use internal storage of PM with the PB? How would you hook it up through FW 400 on PB and it just looks at it as another drive? Is the PM drive compatable with PB FW 400 connect.

Just learning so I'm sorry if these are basic questions. Thanks for the help!

 

[gotohamish]

Re: external storage for powerbook and powermac?

Originally posted by macharrington
We have a 15" PB (first mac purchase) and plan on getting a powermac for our large family. We bought FCP and need more disk space on PB and want to share the external disk with PM. Several questions:

1. Can we get external storage that will work with FW 400 on PB and FW 800 on PM?
2. What size HD is the best performance/value?
3. Best manufactures and place to buy?
4. Suggestions on HD size we buy in PM. Are we better off getting as small HD as possible in PM and sharing it with PB?
5. Just thought of this. Can we use internal storage of PM with the PB? How would you hook it up through FW 400 on PB and it just looks at it as another drive? Is the PM drive compatable with PB FW 400 connect.

Just learning so I'm sorry if these are basic questions. Thanks for the help!

Responses to numbered Q'sL

1) Yes, from the nice people at OWC

2) Don't know, work out how much storage you think you need, double it, and then buy that drive! Trust me, whatever you get, you'll find a way of filling!

3) Lots differ on their favourite. I'm very happy with my Western Digital Caviar w/8MB cache and 7,200 speed. I do a lot of video and it's great. I use UK resellers, so that won't help you much, but I was happy when I ordered from OWC

4) see 5

5) Yes, the PowerBook will see all the hard disks on the PM if you network them. Try looking into IP over FireWire networking, as that's fast and cheap. I don't have the link, but it's on Apple's Apple Developer Connection site - but I hear it's enabled and ready in the Panther OS. Can anyone confirm this?

Hope I helped!
H