If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
"kony" wrote in message ... On Sat, 26 Jun 2004 14:33:44 +0100, "James" wrote: Hi, I'm looking for an external hard drive for my laptop, which doesn't have USB 2, anyone have any suggestions about models and where to buy etc? I'm in the UK. Thanks! Does the laptop have firewire (1394)? That is the preferred interface, it is faster than USB2 in use. Can you cite a reference for that assertion? If you also needed another USB2 port, then USB might be a good compromise solution, but if the only real need is the external drive, get a firewire card and enclosure... keeping in mind that you'd also need firewire on a desktop (if drive is to be moved around), which some have but others don't. |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 06:01:46 GMT, "Ron Reaugh"
wrote: Does the laptop have firewire (1394)? That is the preferred interface, it is faster than USB2 in use. Can you cite a reference for that assertion? Sorry but I didn't collect links. You can find benchmarks the same way I did, Google search. USB2 isn't a lot slower in some cases, perhaps even faster in a few, but overall it is slower than the better USB2 chipsets, let alone the poor ones like Via's first attempt. |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
"kony" wrote in message ... On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 06:01:46 GMT, "Ron Reaugh" wrote: Does the laptop have firewire (1394)? That is the preferred interface, it is faster than USB2 in use. Can you cite a reference for that assertion? Sorry but I didn't collect links. You can find benchmarks the same way I did, Google search. USB2 isn't a lot slower in some cases, perhaps even faster in a few, but overall it is slower than the better USB2 chipsets, let alone the poor ones like Via's first attempt. That sounds like an overall nothing. Recent USB2 just just as well as Firewire performance wise. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
In article ,
Ron Reaugh wrote: Does the laptop have firewire (1394)? That is the preferred interface, it is faster than USB2 in use. Can you cite a reference for that assertion? I don't know about the OP, but I've found that USB2 seems a bit shonky when compared to FW. Occasional hangs in apps, that sort of thing. Possibly it's just bad drivers of the fact that there's both USB1.1 and USB2 devices on the same bus while Firewire tends to only have storage attached. been avoiding FW these days. -- I've seen things you people can't imagine. Chimneysweeps on fire over the roofs of London. I've watched kite-strings glitter in the sun at Hyde Park Gate. All these things will be lost in time, like chalk-paintings in the rain. `-_-' Time for your nap. | Peter da Silva | Har du kramat din varg, idag? 'U` |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 18:00:28 GMT, "Ron Reaugh"
wrote: USB2 isn't a lot slower in some cases, perhaps even faster in a few, but overall it is slower than the better USB2 chipsets, let alone the poor ones like Via's first attempt. That sounds like an overall nothing. Recent USB2 just just as well as Firewire performance wise. My above post was a mess. Reworded it should've read: USB2 isn't a lot slower in some cases, perhaps even faster in a few, but overall it (even the better USB2 chipsets, let alone the poor ones like Via's first attempt) is slower. ------------------------------------ The newest USB2 chipsets, when combined with a decent enclosure chip, can be near the same speed as firewire, but still firewire has an edge. Unless the USB2 chipsets are known to be the faster ones it could be a lot slower than firewire. If you have a list of products proven to bench at higher performance than average that might be useful info for the OP, but otherwise just buying something with no detail beyond "USB2" is certainly not any assurance it will be nearly as fast as firewire. |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
kony wrote:
On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 06:01:46 GMT, "Ron Reaugh" wrote: Does the laptop have firewire (1394)? That is the preferred interface, it is faster than USB2 in use. Can you cite a reference for that assertion? Sorry but I didn't collect links. You can find benchmarks the same way I did, Google search. USB2 isn't a lot slower in some cases, perhaps even faster in a few, but overall it is slower than the better USB2 chipsets, let alone the poor ones like Via's first attempt. FireWire vs USB2 is like DSL vs cable. With FireWire/DSL - you have a constant speed as the bus/line isn't being shared with anyone/thing else. USB2, OTOH, shares the bus with everything - so if you have 12 devices, then the speed may not be any faster than USB1.1. Like cable. If you're the only one logged on, then, yes, it's quicker than DSL. If the entire street decides to log on simultaneously, then the speed could slow to almost dial-up. So, if you have only one device, go USB2. Many? FireWire. Unfortunately, motherboards are shipped with more USB ports than FireWire (I have 12 USB2 ports on mine - but only four FireWire (one on the board, on on a plug-in port 'card' that came with the board (and is accessed via a 'trapdoor' in the top of the case) and two on my soundcard (one on the card itself, and one on the front-case control panel) |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Miss Perspicacia Tick wrote:
FireWire vs USB2 is like DSL vs cable. With FireWire/DSL - you have a constant speed as the bus/line isn't being shared with anyone/thing else. USB2, OTOH, shares the bus with everything - so if you have 12 devices, then the speed may not be any faster than USB1.1. Well, the important thing is that USB is host controlled and FireWire is multi master. Bandwidth wise it makes little difference. FireWire and USB hubs share bandwidth - multiple controllers can mean non shared bandwidth for both. As with cable or DSL the result is determined by implementation. If your DSL provider has too little bandwidth to the DSLAM, you will notice neighbours's traffic. Likewise if your cable co sells 20 people 1.5 Mbit each from 30 Mbit available on a channel, you're not really going to notice. Having an extra bottleneck is something extra to manage, but does not imply lower performance. But on USB, I do not even see where that bottleneck would be. The root hub? Thomas |
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
External hard drives and cases | Pete | Homebuilt PC's | 8 | November 23rd 04 02:09 PM |
Slow boot for GX1 PCs - Hard drives not recognized properly | KWA | Dell Computers | 5 | August 23rd 04 08:44 PM |
External Hard Drives | James | General | 17 | June 30th 04 05:27 PM |
External Hard Drives | Edward W. Thompson | Homebuilt PC's | 0 | August 26th 03 06:53 AM |
newb questions about SCSI hard drives | fred.do | General | 7 | June 26th 03 01:59 AM |