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firewire vs USB external HDD
- Thread starter mark28
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Which is more important to you... speed or size?
Firewire is noticeably faster and I prefer to have the option for it personally
Firewire is noticeably faster and I prefer to have the option for it personally
I have an Iomega eGo 1TB which I like a lot. Very quite and was not that much more expensive--currently goes for $127 at Amazon.
USB 2.0 sustained speed: ~35MB/s
FireWire 800 sustained speed: ~80MB/s
What is it going to be used for? For backups, USB is just fine and I don't think FireWire is worth it in this case. The first backup will anyway take some time but incremental backups are much quicker. If it's going to be used for something else, then FireWire may be worth it.
FireWire 800 sustained speed: ~80MB/s
What is it going to be used for? For backups, USB is just fine and I don't think FireWire is worth it in this case. The first backup will anyway take some time but incremental backups are much quicker. If it's going to be used for something else, then FireWire may be worth it.
It boils down to this IMHO.
As for me, FW800 is much preferred. FW800 is so much faster than USB 2.0 in actual use.
FW is definitely way faster in real world use. If you're just now and then storing stuff on a drive, then USB is tolerable but quite honestly I would never buy one (and I'm skeptical about USB3 for that matter, USB always seems to slow system responsiveness and never fulfills what the spec says it will provide in terms of max throughput).
only thing i have is usb external drives hooked up to a emachine that has a 2 gig celeron and 2 gigs of ram with a 512 ddr2 8400gs vid that runs 10.04 ubuntu linux as a media server and i have no lag now when it was xp the moves skipped and audio was off i think it has to do with what u use them for in my case usb is fine as i have an os that helps and does not saturate my network with junk
I don't know where you get your speeds, but I have never seen USB go above 22MB/s
My FW800 drive sustains 75-77, even while transferring to my encrypted image.
It varies somewhat, but the numbers are real:
You'll find various speeds quoted, depending on the systems used for testing. The bottom line is FW800 is significantly faster than USB 2.0.
If it is just for storage and backup...
USB2 is fine, it is cheaper and more importantly less problematic.
If you need to actually work on files... you'll need the fastest anyhow.
FW800 is what you will need, you might have problems with OS updates occasionally, but the speed is worth it.
Just research the FW chips used and see which company supports their product with firmware updates. Some out there kick something out the door and never update their product again, making a possible FW brick (happens), though the USB2 interface would likely keep working.
USB2 is fine, it is cheaper and more importantly less problematic.
If you need to actually work on files... you'll need the fastest anyhow.
FW800 is what you will need, you might have problems with OS updates occasionally, but the speed is worth it.
Just research the FW chips used and see which company supports their product with firmware updates. Some out there kick something out the door and never update their product again, making a possible FW brick (happens), though the USB2 interface would likely keep working.
How is FW800 "problematic"? I've never had any problems with it, and use it extensively.
Guess you had one of the FW drives that didn't end up with problems, but FW drives have been known to break with OS updates.
Usually solved with firmware updates, but then again some case manufacturers don't update after a period of time -- or in some cases never.
A big note was Panther and FW800, which basically corrupted the FW800 drive until firmware updates were made.
I had a FW drive that stopped working with the update to Leopard, it needed a firmware patch -- but the controller manufacturer, EOL'd it.
---
I think the most recent and less serious FW drive problem was with the WD MyBook drives and Time Machine. So it is still happening, and not something from 2003 only.
And can be solved by getting a reliable brand that updates the firmware frequently. Never had a single issue with my LaCies and in case the FireWire stops working, I can always use USB
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-MyBook-Firewire-External/dp/B0016M2824
I just ordered this one. I believe this version doesn't have the WD smartware that people have problems with.
It also has 5 year on-site warranty which is good. Also has eSata in case I want to use it on my Pc.
At first I was thinking of using it only for backup, but I think the extra speed of firewire 800 can be useful when doing music production on it.
I just ordered this one. I believe this version doesn't have the WD smartware that people have problems with.
It also has 5 year on-site warranty which is good. Also has eSata in case I want to use it on my Pc.
At first I was thinking of using it only for backup, but I think the extra speed of firewire 800 can be useful when doing music production on it.
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eSATA can't carry power, you need an external PSU which is always a minus. It's only useful for attaching external HDs but seeing that USB and FireWire, especially USB can be used for millions of other things, such as connecting your speaker, printer, iPhone, camera....
eSATA provides speed but that's it. USB and FireWire are more all-around
I as recently tossing up between the WD Passport Studio 650GB as shown here: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=783 or the WD MyBook Studio 1TB which requires a separate PSU but has more capacity as listed here: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=755. I went for the larger capacity for the cheaper price. These both support Firewire 800 and damn its quick - I copied about 4GB of data in about 15 seconds - I was amazed. Now remember most Windows laptops don't include Firewire, instead they choose USB 2 / USB 3, due to royalties having to be paid to Apple to use FireWire. Makes sense why Firewire is standard on the MacBook series.
Based on my first ever FireWire 800 experience, I would never ever revert to USB ever again.
Based on my first ever FireWire 800 experience, I would never ever revert to USB ever again.