New Macbook Pro optimimal External / Internal Drives

[egrissom]

Hello,

I was hoping someone could help me decide on a new external firewire drive to purchase as well as push me in one direction or the other on the internal HD offered in the new Macbook Pros released today. I know there are probably countless threads about "What External Drive should i get for a MBP?" but I thought I'd post my question anyway as there is brand new hardware on the market with specific configurations.

As a background I am by no means a professional video editor. I have been using Final Cut Pro since version 2 but it's generally for my own creative endeavors. The rest of the time I work in web development. I have Final Cut Pro 5 now, and would be willing to try out Express if not for the lack of batch capturing.

I currently have a G5 2.3 Dual Core with two internal HDs, 250 gigs on the boot drive and 500 Gigs on the media drive. It has 2 Gigs of Ram. I do my web development on a first generation Macbook with a "good lord this thing is too tiny" 60 gig drive, 1/3 of which is full of mp3s and old episodes of Doctor Who (I've said too much). My goal is to sell both of those machines and purchase a new MacBook Pro with an external 1TB drive.

I plan on going with the higher end model to get the additional RAM, etc. My questions are:

• Do I need to upgrade the internal HD to 7200 RPMs or am I safe with 5400 RPM's since all my media will be on the external drive?
• I realize this is probably a silly questions but now that Firewire 400 is gone, and there looks to be only one 800 port how does someone keep an external drive connected AND capture video off the camera deck? Do external drives have additional connectors to daisy chain?
• Lastly what external drive can you recommend for use with FCP 5?

Thanks for taking the time to read. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Maximillian]

Any 3.5 firewire drive would work just fine. If you have the cash, go for one with a FW 800 port as it'll be faster than a FW 400 one and you won't need an adapter.

I'd always liked Maxtor external drives but we use Lacie drives at work and they do just fine too.


As a side note, I do a lot of video editing with FCP and I've used dozens of FW drives with no issue.

 

[egrissom]

Thanks for the response-

Any thoughts on the drive speed of the internal HD? Is 5400 rpm okay for the boot drive (if the media is stored on a 7200 rpm drive)?

I can try and pick the macbook pro at the apple store tomorrow if the base config is cool, otherwise i'll order it online now. I've waited a long time for this release so i don't mind waiting another week or so for it to ship. thanks again.

 

[Maximillian]

If you're going to be editing off the internal HD, I'd put in the $50 extra to get the 7200 rpm drive.

 

[egrissom]

Thanks again, sounds like I'll be better off upgrading the drive to the 7200.

 

[bigbossbmb]

don't upgrade the internal to 7200rpm, it's a waste. DO NOT edit media from the internal drive EVER.

A 5400rpm system drive is fine. Just make sure your external is a 3.5" 7200rpm drive.

As for connecting the camera and the drive, you'll need an expresscard adapter to give you another FW port.

 

[egrissom]

thanks for the info!

I had just ordered the upgraded machine so I'm glad you posted, i should have enough time now to cancel.

I have always kept my FCP project files on my internal drive and all the media, capture scratch, render files, etc. on another non boot drive. I did this with my G5 and a second internal drive, and I plan on using the same approach with the MacBook pro and the external drive. No plans on ever keeping the media on the same drive as the OS.

When you warn against editing media on the internal drive does that include project files too? Is it better to keep everything (including project files) on the external?

thanks again for all the help, i really appreciate it.

 

[TFTSO]

Western Digital has their MyBook Studio Edition which runs between $120 and $250 plus for up to 1TB. These were designed for Mac users and come with a pretty slick Firewire 800 to 400 cable, so you have the option of using the 800 or the 400.

You can check the family line out at wdc.com.

If you are community-conscious you can grab a refurbished unit at Grassroots Computers http://www.grassrootscomputers.com/parts.asp?stxt=wdh1q right now for a crazy deal. They have a limited time sale going, the prices tend to fluctuate.

Just go to the website and search for WDH1Q, that will bring up all the Studio Edition product.

They also have a coupon code on google for ten bucks off, coupon code FMT1.

 

[ChemiosMurphy]

Western Digital has their MyBook Studio Edition which runs between $120 and $250 plus for up to 1TB. These were designed for Mac users and come with a pretty slick Firewire 800 to 400 cable, so you have the option of using the 800 or the 400.

You can check the family line out at wdc.com.

If you are community-conscious you can grab a refurbished unit at Grassroots Computers http://www.grassrootscomputers.com/parts.asp?stxt=wdh1q right now for a crazy deal. They have a limited time sale going, the prices tend to fluctuate.

Just go to the website and search for WDH1Q, that will bring up all the Studio Edition product.

They also have a coupon code on google for ten bucks off, coupon code FMT1.

WD "My Book" drives are pieces of crap. I had the chipset on one fail on me and totally wreak havoc on the drive. Look at the newegg reviews of them. Bad stuff. They don't use the same "aaks" drive that is sold retail.

Go to newegg and buy an external enclosure, and then get a WD internal "aaks" series drive.

 

[brop52]

Check out OWC and their aluminum enclosures. They are really nice, reliable, and you can have a lot of flexibility.

 

[bigbossbmb]

When you warn against editing media on the internal drive does that include project files too? Is it better to keep everything (including project files) on the external?

No, the project files are fine on the internal (and preferred). If your media drive goes down, having the project file on the internal will allow you to re-capture your media from your master tapes.