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    External HD for my VAIO FZ

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by KLee0891, Jul 10, 2008.

  1. KLee0891

    KLee0891 Notebook Enthusiast

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    OK so it has a 4 pin iLink. Is this considered Firewire 400 or Firewire 800. Does Firewire VS USB 2.0 make a difference. Also I want one with 7200 RPM, but I'm afriad this is too fast and External HD will overheat?

    Anything else I should be aware of before buying an External HD?
     
    KLee0891, Jul 10, 2008
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  2. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    I am pretty sure that every laptop on the market still uses firewire 400. To my recollection, firewire 800 is only available on desktops and servers.
    The speed of firewire is 400megabits per second, and the speed of USB is nominally 480megabits per second.
    there are 8 bits in a byte, so 50Mb/sec and 60mb/sec are the nominal speeds.
    Most USB hubs are limited by hardware, to around 35-40mb/sec, while firewire is not limited.
    However, if you want a really fast external harddrive, I would go with esata, if your laptop has it. If not, firewire is a good choice. Just make sure that you have more than one computer with a firewire port, so that you can use the external on multiple computers.

    Almost all external harddrives are 7200rpm, except for the mobile ones, which use laptop harddrives, which can range from 4200 to 7200rpm.

    If you are worrying about overheating, I suggest building your own.
    You can buy actively cooled external harddrive cases.
    Simply buy one, and a compatible harddrive, then assemble and youre ready to use it.

    Something like this would be good:
    http://www.directron.com/me835u2fsv.html

    Google shopping search results:
    http://www.google.com/products?q=external+harddrive+enclosure+with+fan+firewire+3.5%22&hl=en&show=dd&scoring=p

    I hope this helps,

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Jul 10, 2008
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  3. TheRealFireblade

    TheRealFireblade Notebook Consultant

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    Buy as large a capacity 3.5" SATA 2 (7200rpm) hard drive as you can afford, and a 3.5" SATA external enclosure with at least a USB 2.0 connection.

    You can get them with all sorts of connection combos - i.e. USB 2.0 + Firewire, USB 2.0 + eSATA, etc etc.
    But as long as it has USB 2.0 (most do), you'll be set, 'coz there's virtually no difference in (data transfer) speeds between USB 2.0 and Firewire.

    If you're at all concerned about heat... buy an enclosure with either mesh side vents (i.e. Icy Box), or a fan ;)
     
    TheRealFireblade, Jul 11, 2008
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