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    Firewire portable HD ?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Nosferatu, Aug 19, 2007.

  1. Nosferatu

    Nosferatu Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi all,

    I am thinking of getting a portable HD (around 120GB) to use with a macbook. I was considering a WD Passport but I've got worried about the possible need to connect it to both usb ports of the notebook (using a Y cable). :(

    So, now I am considering to find a firewire-capable portable HD. Any recommendations? :confused:

    I would appreciate your help.

    Thanks, G. :)
     
    Nosferatu, Aug 19, 2007
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  2. Nosferatu

    Nosferatu Notebook Enthusiast

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    Having searched around for advice, let me add a question:

    In terms of speed, does firewire provide an improvement?

    I thought so, but it appears I am wrong...

    G.
     
    Nosferatu, Aug 20, 2007
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  3. Ethyriel

    Ethyriel Notebook Deity

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    Yeah, it really does provide an improvement. Firewire is actually built upon SCSI, it's much more suited for the job. This is an old test, but it's still a good demonstration of the differences.

    I absolutely love my little 2.5" 120GB Apricorn drive. It has a built in Firewire cable, and comes with an extension cable and neoprene sleeve. They seem to use a good chip for the firewire, and it's very sturdy feeling. It hardly gets warm. It's more expensive than the competition, but not all that much and well worth it.
     
    Ethyriel, Aug 20, 2007
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  4. lupin..the..3rd

    lupin..the..3rd Notebook Evangelist

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    How does it appear that you are wrong? Firewire is faster than USB - ALWAYS.

    Even the very newest USB chipsets (which are better than older ones) can't keep up with Firewire 400, which has a roughly 20% speed advantage over USB2:
    http://www.amselectronics.com/DS-2320DBK.pdf

    Personally, I LOVE this Firewire drive:

    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go

    I bought the bare Firewire400 enclosure and added my own drive (Hitachi 5k160). It's so small, light, and firewire bus powered so no extra cables or power cords required!!

    Firewire provides 3x more power than USB does, so you can even use a 7200 rpm drive, bus-powered on firewire. :D
     
    lupin..the..3rd, Aug 20, 2007
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  5. enter260

    enter260 Notebook Consultant

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    lupin. aren't those enclosures kinda expensive? are they really worth it?
     
    enter260, Nov 4, 2007
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