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    What's the Best, faster USB portable hard drive?

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by arlab, May 21, 2009.

  1. arlab

    arlab Notebook Evangelist

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    I need a portable hard drive. I don't need that much capacity. 160GB/320GB is enough.

    I'm looking for one of those that don't need ac power. And it must be small and lightweight.

    Any good suggestions?

    I was thinking of this one. Is it a good option?
     
    arlab, May 21, 2009
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  2. garetjax

    garetjax NBR Freelance Reviewer NBR Reviewer

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    You'll want a 2.5" formfactor external hard drive then. It requires no external power source aside from the USB connection, and it's small and very lightweight. I recently reviewed the Seagate FreeAgent Go, which comes in various capacities, including 320GB. It's a 2.5" external hard drive, and you can read about it here:

    Just In! Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB External HDD Review - TONS OF PICS!
     
    garetjax, May 21, 2009
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  3. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    Phil, May 21, 2009
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  4. arlab

    arlab Notebook Evangelist

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    I just remembered: I have a FireWire (1394) port. Is it faster than USB? Any USB disk will be compatible?
     
    arlab, May 21, 2009
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  5. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    Yes Firewire is faster. You'll need a drive with Firewire connection.
     
    Phil, May 21, 2009
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  6. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    If you really need speed, it should be possible to get an internal drive, and enclosure and use an e-sata connection via an experesscard for example - I'm not sure about power though....
     
    DetlevCM, May 21, 2009
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  7. arlab

    arlab Notebook Evangelist

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    Well, not that much speed. Firewire/USB is enough. What's a good hard drive with both these connections?
     
    arlab, May 21, 2009
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  8. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    In that case I think your USB is going to limit most drives...

    Also, you most likely won't get the full theoretical USB speed depending on how the internal hubs are wired...
     
    DetlevCM, May 21, 2009
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  9. garetjax

    garetjax NBR Freelance Reviewer NBR Reviewer

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    It depends on which version of FireWire you are talking about. FireWire 400 (also known as 1394a) is rated at 400MBps, while FireWire 800 (also known as 1394b) is rated at 800MBps. As you know, USB 2.0 has a ceiling of 480MBps, so technically, it could outperform the 1394a FireWire specification.
     
    garetjax, May 21, 2009
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  10. aKarma

    aKarma Notebook Enthusiast

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    Technically, but in real world usage the FireWire 400 performance tends to consistently slightly outdo USB. Plus, it also has a much lower cpu utilization.
     
    aKarma, May 21, 2009
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