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Firewire 800 or wait for thunderbolt hard drive?

tmanto02

tmanto02

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 5, 2011
1,223
468
Australia
I just bought the new mac mini to run as a media centre in my living room, its great! But currently I am using a samsung 2TB USB 2.0 external to store all my movies and tv shows. It gets rather slow when transferring 1080p files.

Should I go out and spend $200 on a Seagate firewire 800 drive or wait to see what Thunderbolt brings us in the near future? (If any peripherals ever eventuate!)

What do you guys think?

As always :):):):):):):):):):):):)
 
If you're connecting a single hard drive, the the speed of the Thunderbolt port won't make a difference. FireWire 800 is enough for a single HD to stream 1080p video.

If you're using a multiple drive array, then TB could prove to be much faster.
 
Are you in a mission critical situation or jus bored and want to change?

If pro and your data is critical stay with proven tech - if you just want a change go right ahead and wait. Thunderbird looks to be breathtakingly cool ....and very very expensive at the get go!<g>


BTW if you have a Costco near you they are offering a WD 3 TB external FireWire/USB Drive for $120!!!!
 
$120 is AMAZING! I live in Australia though, Costco has recently started opening stores here but I doubt they will have the same deal!

Much appreciated input however!
 
I'm in the same dilemma except I also need a very fast portable drive. Will there be any thunderbolt portable drive soon?
 
vnle said:
I'm in the same dilemma except I also need a very fast portable drive. Will there be any thunderbolt portable drive soon?
Click to expand...

Realistically, probably not. For a portable hard drive to take advantage of the speeds, it's going to have to be a SSD and I don't think prices have dropped down enough to make it profitable.
 
Vudoo said:
Realistically, probably not. For a portable hard drive to take advantage of the speeds, it's going to have to be a SSD and I don't think prices have dropped down enough to make it profitable.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Looks like I'll have to go the firewire route for a portable drive. :eek:
 
I am doing the same search: want a firewire 800 hard drive!
Thinking about get a My Book Studio 2TB!

I hate USB 2.0 for backing up data because its too slow!
 
I say just go for the FW800; it's plenty fast.
I get the feeling TB drives won't be cheap when they come out
 
jmacnash said:
I have one of these for use with a MBP.

http://www.g-technology.com/products/g-drive-mini.cfm

I have found it to work very well. The additional USB port has actually come in handy as well but I occasionally wish for a FW400 when I discover I dont have the correct cable with me!
Click to expand...

Vudoo said:
LaCie makes a good FW800 one if you don't want to put one together yourself.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions! I'm actually leaning towards the WD passports because it seems to be less bulky then either of the 2 drives above. Although sadly, the only firewire one is only 500 gb. Not nearly enough for what I'm using it for. :mad: So maybe I will just put one together after all.
 
vnle said:
Thank you for the suggestions! I'm actually leaning towards the WD passports because it seems to be less bulky then either of the 2 drives above. Although sadly, the only firewire one is only 500 gb. Not nearly enough for what I'm using it for. :mad: So maybe I will just put one together after all.
Click to expand...

I've been thinking about this 2TB iOmega drive. for hosting my movie collection. It's FW800, has good reviews and the price is right.
 
Thunderbolt is going to be while still and if you need the drive now and want to save money then get the 800
 
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