I'm thinking of getting an external FW800 2,5" hard drive. But is there really any point in going for a 7200rpm drive? The FireWire bus seems to be the limiting factor to me...
The FireWire bus seems to be the limiting factor to me...
You'd see a difference between the two. I've tested an external Firewire 7200 vs an internal 5400 and the 7200 is 30% faster. That was on FW 400 too. The interface speed isn't the limiting factor and you will see a difference going to 7200.
FW 800 has a limit of 100MB/s, FW 400 has 50MB/s. Typical write speeds for 7200rpm internal are about 40MB/s so you won't really see a difference between FW 800 and FW 400 (you only notice it on RAID-0 drives).
You make the choice depending on your use though. I use a 5400 external for data transfer between home and work and I find it to be fast enough. For regular use with large files like HD video clips, a 7200 would be preferred. 5400 will be quieter and cooler though.
You'd see a difference between the two. I've tested an external Firewire 7200 vs an internal 5400 and the 7200 is 30% faster. That was on FW 400 too. The interface speed isn't the limiting factor and you will see a difference going to 7200.
FW 800 has a limit of 100MB/s, FW 400 has 50MB/s. Typical write speeds for 7200rpm internal are about 40MB/s so you won't really see a difference between FW 800 and FW 400 (you only notice it on RAID-0 drives).
You make the choice depending on your use though. I use a 5400 external for data transfer between home and work and I find it to be fast enough. For regular use with large files like HD video clips, a 7200 would be preferred. 5400 will be quieter and cooler though.
OK thanks a lot for that very usefull info.
OWC sells 500GB bus powered external drives at 5400rpm but I can't find any drives of that capacity on NewEgg... there they only go up to 320... It's good to know FW400 will be plenty fast enough though, cases without FW800 interface are quite a bit cheaper.
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The FireWire bus seems to be the limiting factor to me...
You'd see a difference between the two. I've tested an external Firewire 7200 vs an internal 5400 and the 7200 is 30% faster. That was on FW 400 too. The interface speed isn't the limiting factor and you will see a difference going to 7200.
FW 800 has a limit of 100MB/s, FW 400 has 50MB/s. Typical write speeds for 7200rpm internal are about 40MB/s so you won't really see a difference between FW 800 and FW 400 (you only notice it on RAID-0 drives).
You make the choice depending on your use though. I use a 5400 external for data transfer between home and work and I find it to be fast enough. For regular use with large files like HD video clips, a 7200 would be preferred. 5400 will be quieter and cooler though.
You'd see a difference between the two. I've tested an external Firewire 7200 vs an internal 5400 and the 7200 is 30% faster. That was on FW 400 too. The interface speed isn't the limiting factor and you will see a difference going to 7200.
FW 800 has a limit of 100MB/s, FW 400 has 50MB/s. Typical write speeds for 7200rpm internal are about 40MB/s so you won't really see a difference between FW 800 and FW 400 (you only notice it on RAID-0 drives).
You make the choice depending on your use though. I use a 5400 external for data transfer between home and work and I find it to be fast enough. For regular use with large files like HD video clips, a 7200 would be preferred. 5400 will be quieter and cooler though.
OK thanks a lot for that very usefull info.
OWC sells 500GB bus powered external drives at 5400rpm but I can't find any drives of that capacity on NewEgg... there they only go up to 320... It's good to know FW400 will be plenty fast enough though, cases without FW800 interface are quite a bit cheaper.