rwethereyet
Yeah, okay.
I want to get an external hard drive to copy my files on. Amazon.com has an Iomega 500GB for $109 or close to that amount. Has anyone else use an Iomega or have any recommendations? TIA!!
External Hard Drive
- Thread starter rwethereyet
- Start date
M
Mousebaby
Guest
I just bought a Seagate Free Agent Pro 500gb. This particular one uses the firewire to connect to my computer and it does not drag my computer down when it is running and it is a heck of a lot faster when you are copying files to it. This one I got for 149.99 but I'm sure with a little homework you could probably find it cheaper.
On the side note. I used to use a 250gb Iomega usb and it drug my computer way down while it was on. I wouldn't even have to be using it and it would slow everything down. My computer is running with 4gb of memory and has a dual core processor. It should not ever get that slow. Just giving you some info that I have experienced. I hope this helps.
Aye, get Firewire, especially if you are using it as a backup drive. The difference between the speeds of USB and Firewire are negligible when dealing with small files (i.e. word documents, photos, etc.), but increase dramatically when you start transferring video, songs, programs, etc.
Just make certain your computer is firewire compatible. (The connector kinda looks like a box, as opposed to a rectable that the USB uses)
From there, the HD speed comes into play, although there is probably little reason you need a 10k rpm. 5400 or 7200 will do fine.
And, of course, size. I have 3.2 TBs of HD space, and they are all Seagates...
Just make certain your computer is firewire compatible. (The connector kinda looks like a box, as opposed to a rectable that the USB uses)
From there, the HD speed comes into play, although there is probably little reason you need a 10k rpm. 5400 or 7200 will do fine.
And, of course, size. I have 3.2 TBs of HD space, and they are all Seagates...
rwethereyet
Yeah, okay.
I just bought a Seagate Free Agent Pro 500gb. This particular one uses the firewire to connect to my computer and it does not drag my computer down when it is running and it is a heck of a lot faster when you are copying files to it. This one I got for 149.99 but I'm sure with a little homework you could probably find it cheaper.
On the side note. I used to use a 250gb Iomega usb and it drug my computer way down while it was on. I wouldn't even have to be using it and it would slow everything down. My computer is running with 4gb of memory and has a dual core processor. It should not ever get that slow. Just giving you some info that I have experienced. I hope this helps.
Thank you. I never thought about the speeds and glad to know Iomega will slow me down. Looks like I will look at the seagates! Thanks again for all the responses.
No no, it has nothing to do with the brand. It has to do with the connection...USB versus Firewire.
dn0121
New Member
does your pc have a firewire connection? if you have a MAC then you have firewire.
M
Mousebaby
Guest
Mine is a Dell and it has firewire, why would you think only Mac's have firewire? :shrug:
dn0121
New Member
Oh, I don't think that. MACs have them as standard, not all PCs have do.
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GWguy
*
Actually, if you do research these, some DO have better transfer rates than others, USB being equal. Sometimes it's significant. Combination of the drive used (Maxtor vs Seagate vs Hitachi....) and the electronics used. Different vendors use the same drives, so find out what drive is actually being used.
I have LaCie drives (Seagate HD). Been using them for years with no issue. Currently have 3 500 Gb D2 drives and a 250. And I put one of the 500 Gb drives to the acid test last night. I was moving things around and knocked one drive off the table onto the floor, 3 feet. It was not a gentle drop. Powered it up and ran diagnostics, all was fine. Didn't skip a beat. It was powered off when it fell. If it had been spinning, I'm not so sure I would have been so lucky.
M
Mousebaby
Guest
I knew that was a faster way to go, but I was not sure of his/her computer knowledge. I went for the firewire because it was just easier to deal with in the long run for what I wanted it for.
rwethereyet
Yeah, okay.
I honestly don't know. I have a toshiba laptop. How can I find out if it's a firewall connection?
I am confused....explain?
dn0121
New Member
some USB drives are faster then others.
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Right, but damn near all Firewire throughput is faster than all USB throughput, regardless of drivers.
dn0121
New Member
but he was talking about USB and the speed of the USB interface being equal. the drives themselves can be faster.
Ahh, I see what happened. I was afraid the OP was assuming Mousebaby's comp was faster because of the brand, as opposed to the USB/Firewire part...so I was pointing out that it was faster because of Firewire, not the brand.
GWguy
*
Ok guys, some specs.
PC World - Mobile Computing Tips: FireWire vs. USB FAQ
Firewire is not faster. Firewire is 400Mb/s, USB 2.0 is 480Mb/s.
The point I was making about the drives was that you can buy a SimpleTech drive, but it will use a name-brand HD. LaCie uses Seagate (or is it Western Digital...) IBM uses Hitachi. Maxtor will use Maxtor. Western digital uses Western Digital. Each and everyone of these drives will have different performance specs, and some can outperform others in thruput and read/write operations. This is THE DRIVE ITSELF, not the interface. The rotational speed of the drive is highly important. The faster the drive spins, the faster it can read/write. A rotational speed of 7200 rpm will approach the boundary of thruput for a USB device. A rotational speed of 10,000rpm is usually used in servers where high throughput is critical. The home user CAN see a difference between 5400rpm and 7200rpm drives, assuming the PC is up to it.
Ok, now couple the DRIVE performance with the USB and other electronics to connect the drive to your PC, and you have another point for degraded performance. Not all electronics are the same, not all devices are built to the same spec. Get a USB drive with a speed of 5400rpm and low-cost electronics, and it will be a dog.
PC World - Mobile Computing Tips: FireWire vs. USB FAQ
Firewire is not faster. Firewire is 400Mb/s, USB 2.0 is 480Mb/s.
The point I was making about the drives was that you can buy a SimpleTech drive, but it will use a name-brand HD. LaCie uses Seagate (or is it Western Digital...) IBM uses Hitachi. Maxtor will use Maxtor. Western digital uses Western Digital. Each and everyone of these drives will have different performance specs, and some can outperform others in thruput and read/write operations. This is THE DRIVE ITSELF, not the interface. The rotational speed of the drive is highly important. The faster the drive spins, the faster it can read/write. A rotational speed of 7200 rpm will approach the boundary of thruput for a USB device. A rotational speed of 10,000rpm is usually used in servers where high throughput is critical. The home user CAN see a difference between 5400rpm and 7200rpm drives, assuming the PC is up to it.
Ok, now couple the DRIVE performance with the USB and other electronics to connect the drive to your PC, and you have another point for degraded performance. Not all electronics are the same, not all devices are built to the same spec. Get a USB drive with a speed of 5400rpm and low-cost electronics, and it will be a dog.
dn0121
New Member
ya, thats what i said without all the geek behind it lol
but firewire is faster
FireWire vs. USB 2.0 - Speed Comparison
or
FireWire - USB Comparison
but firewire is faster
FireWire vs. USB 2.0 - Speed Comparison
or
FireWire - USB Comparison
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