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    External Drive Help

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by Rodenthunter56x, Jun 5, 2007.

  1. Rodenthunter56x

    Rodenthunter56x Notebook Geek

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    Hey guys I have a seagate 250gb 7200rpm pata which I want a good cheap external enclosure for. I have a enclosure now but I don't trust it anymore as my drive broke while in it and I had to send it back. Any Ideas? Either firewire 400 or usb 2. Also how fast would a networked drive run compared to usb 2 or firewire?

    Thanks for your help
     
    Rodenthunter56x, Jun 5, 2007
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  2. Wingsbr

    Wingsbr NBR Decepticon NBR Reviewer

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    If you have a choice you should always get firewire. USB 2.0 has a higher "rated" speed but Firewire is faster by far, they use different protocols to transfer information. Not sure on the network drive so I can't comment on that. http://chris.pirillo.com/media/2007/05/23/firewire-vs-usb-20/
    good article about the 2 differences.
     
    Wingsbr, Jun 5, 2007
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  3. Rodenthunter56x

    Rodenthunter56x Notebook Geek

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    Hmm thanks for the advice. I'm not sure if I actually have a firewire port. What I have is a small port thats like a mini firewire i think thats called 4pin firewire. Is that any better than usb 2.0 and are there any enclosures that use them?
     
    Rodenthunter56x, Jun 5, 2007
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  4. Wingsbr

    Wingsbr NBR Decepticon NBR Reviewer

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    Yeah you have Firewire. It looks like a little rectangle with a small dent on one of the longer sides and the dent is usually at the bottom of the rectangle. There is 6 pin and 4 pin. The enclosure will be a 6 pin out, you will have to get a 6 pin to 4 pin cable. It doesn't change the speed at all, just matches the proper interface. I have that setup, 4 pin laptop, 6 pin My Book. Search Google for Firewire external hard drive enclosure or if you have a Best Buy or Circuit City close they will have them for pretty good price. All (I think) of them are at least USB 2.0, you have to make sure that it is Firewire and that the interface matches your harddrive, ie Serial ATA or Paralell ATA. Hope this helps.
     
    Wingsbr, Jun 5, 2007
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  5. Rodenthunter56x

    Rodenthunter56x Notebook Geek

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    Ok thanks a lot I have been wondering about if there was a speed difference in the pin #. Thanks
     
    Rodenthunter56x, Jun 5, 2007
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  6. Rodenthunter56x

    Rodenthunter56x Notebook Geek

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    Hey I read some where that a enclosure with just firewire like this is faster than one that has both USB 2.0 and Firewire. What kind of enclosure do you have because there are so many out there.
     
    Rodenthunter56x, Jun 5, 2007
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  7. Wingsbr

    Wingsbr NBR Decepticon NBR Reviewer

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    I don't know if there is any speed difference with one that has one vs both. I don't have an enclosure. I have a My Book Premium which is a 7200 rpm SATA and the harddrive came with it.
     
    Wingsbr, Jun 5, 2007
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