Which External HD with Time Machine?

[golfman]

I have a coupon from Dell that I want to put towards an external HD. There are two Lacie models and one WD MyBook Studio I'm considering. Here are the links:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...ail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=eep&cs=6044&sku=A0967061
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...ail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=eep&cs=6044&sku=A1471186
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...ail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=eep&cs=6044&sku=A1324299

What I don't understand is the older of the two Lacie models, discontinued I think (500GB) has a 16MB buffer but the new model has 8mb. The WD MyBook Studio has the 16mb buffer. Does the buffer size make a difference in performance? Which of these 320GB models would you choose to use with Time Machine?

 

[JNB]

Quite honestly, it really doesn't matter all that much. For a backup, performance, buffer size, etc., are even less important than they are in a primary drive (and most folks place an overemphasis on those numbers, anyway). All that matters really is that it doesn't crap out on you. Both LaCie and Western Digital are as trustworthy and reliable as anything else out there, and would meet your needs just fine. You'd never notice the other stuff, trust me. It boils down to, which one fits your decor better?

 

[Cliff3]

The newer LaCie you linked to is 320GB while the older drive is 500GB - the current version of the 500GB drive also has a 16MB buffer. I have the 750GB version of the newer LaCie drive - the lack of a cooling fan was what I was after. The older drive requires a fan for cooling, and I didn't need the fan noise.

 

[Aj2488]

what exactly does the buffer do?

 

[Cliff3]

what exactly does the buffer do?

It caches reads and writes for performance reasons. The larger the disk, the larger the buffer. 1TB disks typically have 32MB buffers, 500-750 have 16MB, etc.

 

[Aj2488]

Awesome, Thanks Cliff!