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Looking for a good external Firewire HDD

I

Island Roots

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 26, 2003
178
0
I've been on the fence about getting an external hard drive to back up my system via Time Machine and am thinking about finally biting the bullet and getting one.

Here are the specs I'm looking for:

  • At least 500GB of space (my iMac's internal HDD is 250GB)
  • Firewire 400 or 800
  • A manufacturer's warranty of more than 1 year

I've been looking for some time but it seems most external hard drives have gone the way of USB 2.0 (of which I'm using all the USB 2.0 ports on my iMac and don't want to have to bother with a USB hub).

The only one that I have really found to fit my situation is the Seagate FreeAgent Desk for Mac 500GB USB 2.0/Firewire 800. However, that is priced pretty high - I'm looking to spend no more than $100.

I am open to purchasing an internal HDD then putting it in an enclosure but have no knowledge of what I would need to look for.
 
S

Slowstick

macrumors 6502
Dec 16, 2008
335
0
Island Roots said:
I've been on the fence about getting an external hard drive to back up my system via Time Machine and am thinking about finally biting the bullet and getting one.

Here are the specs I'm looking for:

  • At least 500GB of space (my iMac's internal HDD is 250GB)
  • Firewire 400 or 800
  • A manufacturer's warranty of more than 1 year

I've been looking for some time but it seems most external hard drives have gone the way of USB 2.0 (of which I'm using all the USB 2.0 ports on my iMac and don't want to have to bother with a USB hub).

The only one that I have really found to fit my situation is the Seagate FreeAgent Desk for Mac 500GB USB 2.0/Firewire 800. However, that is priced pretty high - I'm looking to spend no more than $100.

I am open to purchasing an internal HDD then putting it in an enclosure but have no knowledge of what I would need to look for.
Click to expand...

May i recommend usb? As everybody already knows with the new MacBooks, Apple doesn't care so much for FW anymore. If they did, they would include it in ALL notebooks.All computers have usb, not all of them have firewire. This just makes sure that the life of the hard drive lasts as long as possible because chances are you might purchase another iMac or MacBook years from now that might not have FW. I just got a 500GB MyBook Essential Edition for 75 dollars at BestBuy on sale. Firewire disks always seem to be more expensive than USB disks.

As for the availability of a USB port, a hub might not be such a bad idea or such an annoyance. You might need a couple more USB ports in the future anyway.
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
That is why a dual interface is key. FW now as he has it, USB later when FW is phased out of the iMacs. (this should start a riot)
 
S

Slowstick

macrumors 6502
Dec 16, 2008
335
0
jessica. said:
That is why a dual interface is key. FW now as he has it, USB later when FW is phased out of the iMacs. (this should start a riot)
Click to expand...

Ya....I would save my money and just go with a USB only. Dual interface drives are an option if money isn't an issue.

Time Capsule would also be a thing to consider if being used with time machine.
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
Slowstick said:
Ya....I would save my money and just go with a USB only. Dual interface drives are an option if money isn't an issue.

Time Capsule would also be a thing to consider if being used with time machine.
Click to expand...

TC is a bit pricey for what it does TBH.
And the dual interface doesn't really up the price that much on the MyBooks. But again, the shift to USB on Apple's part makes buying a FW only drive a bad move today.
 
S

Slowstick

macrumors 6502
Dec 16, 2008
335
0
jessica. said:
TC is a bit pricey for what it does TBH.
And the dual interface doesn't really up the price that much on the MyBooks. But again, the shift to USB on Apple's part makes buying a FW only drive a bad move today.
Click to expand...

You're probably right. I change my mind and would just go for a dual interface drive. I did some research and they aren't THAT much more expensive.

Good luck finding one though!!;)
 
GoCubsGo

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,741
153
WINNER!
I'm joking. WD seems to be great about not over-charging for something like this. However, Seagate ... not so much. They're not bad, but they're still higher than WD.
 
I

Island Roots

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 26, 2003
178
0
jessica. said:
WINNER!
I'm joking. WD seems to be great about not over-charging for something like this. However, Seagate ... not so much. They're not bad, but they're still higher than WD.
Click to expand...
The difference between WD and Seagate are the warranties...Seagate likes to offer 5-year warranties whereas Western Digital is typically only a 1-year warranty.
 
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