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External HDD: USB 2.0 or Firewire 400

C

c1001

Gawd
Joined
Oct 24, 2004
Messages
943
Just bought a Maxtor external HDD to use as a backup. Does anyone have any opinions on wether I should connect it via USB or Firewire.
 
i have an external enclosure with a 160 gb maxtor in it.. the enclosure is both usb 2.0 and firewire 400.. in real life, i can't tell a difference between the two.. i think that usb 2.0 is theoretically faster.. it is something like.. usb 2.0 = 500 mb/s firewire 400 = 400 mb/s..

i wonder though if having other things on the usb could slow down another usb device.. like my keyboard and mouse for example..

i would personally get a plain usb enclosure because its way cheaper.. and theoretically faster.. it was a waste of money for me to get the combo one.. cause i never have been in a situation where a computer had firewire and didn't have usb 2.0....
 
Usb 2 is marginally faster, at 480 megabits/s, versus 400 mb/s for Firewire. However, IIRC there are better things about firewire, technically speaking. The analogy I heard was Firewire is like scsi, and Usb is like IDE.

In any case, try it and see!

 
USB2 is faster on paper (480mbps vs 400mbps for Firewire) However, you will enjoy more consistent throughput and lower CPU utilization if you use Firewire.
 
I concur. USB 2.0 generally has inferior mass-storage performance because unlike IEEE-1394, it was not really designed for that purpose.
 
should i switch back to my firewire cable then? since i am paying for it and not using it.. i wonder if i can hook both up at the same time? i don't think i will try it though... cause frying my external enclosure would suck
 
Firewire is a superior technology compared to USB. And it has a cooler name :)

If I had to choose, one or the other, I would chose USB2.0 just for the simple fact of, I can take it with me anywhere, to any computer and know it has a USB port somewhere. Some computers,most lowend or lapys dont have a Firewire port.
 
Lol. I love how people read "External HDD: USB 2.0 or Firewire 400" and don't even pay attention to the fact that he's not asking "What should I buy." He's asking "I have an external HDD with both, which should I use." :)



Doug's comment pretty much sums things up.

I have an external enclosure with both, and at home I use Firewire, because it give a more stable transfer speed and less CPU usage, but when on the road I use USB, since most PC's don't have firewire.

OH PS....don't try to hook up both. Just don't do it.
 
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