external hard drive: USB vs Firewire

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argeliusargelius
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I want to get an 80GB external 2.5" portable hard drive for my 15" (Al) Powerbook for back-up purposes.



I specifically want a drive that requires no separate power supply (i.e. powered via the USB or firewire port). From my previous Windows days, I had a Lacie 2.5" USB drive that will not work with my Mac unless a separate Power supply is present (either from a second USB or separate AC power supply).



In investigating drives, I fine USB 2.0 and/or Firewire models.



In terms of selecting a drive as far as power is concerned, should I stick to Firewire, or should USB work too?



Thanks

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    First of all, you might have a hard time fulfilling your desire for no separate power supply. Although USB has been used to power external things, it's hardly been used for actual hard drives. It's about the same way for Firewire, except in the case of the iPod.



    Remember this: The Firewire port will only power the hard drive if your Powerbook is plugged into power. In the same way you can't charge your iPod battery off your laptop's battery, you also can't use a firewire-powered HD off the laptop's battery.



    Based on everything you said, and the assumption that you want have the ability to backup your PB when it's not connected to power, I'd actually recommend a 60GB iPod. It powers itself and can charge through your firewire port when the laptop is plugged in. It won't give you the 80GB of space you want, though, but using Apple's Backup program you can probably fit the essential stuff that you need onto the iPod and keep the application and OS disks if you need to restore them.
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  • Reply 2 of 4
    argeliusargelius Posts: 309member
    Thanks for your thoughts -- very helpful.
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  • Reply 3 of 4
    joeyjoey Posts: 236member
    And don't forget... if you ever plan to use the drive to move data from a PC notebook... I don't think I've ever seen a powered firewire port on a PC notebook (they all use that little unpowered firewire port)... I've had on and off luck with notebooks regarding USB powered hard drives as well... some put out enough power... some don't. There are a handful of drives out there that have a built in battery... those are the ones I prefer (I have the Gigavault from Sony)... but I've also used an old Archos Jukebox that I put a 60GB drive in (it used very easy to find replacable rechargable batteries). If you're going to use it with a desktop... you'll probably be ok with a firewire powered drive. There are also some dual powered drives out there... that will let you connect with either firewire or USB.
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  • Reply 4 of 4
    voxappsvoxapps Posts: 236member
    Would you like to be able to boot off of your backup drive? In case your internal drive fails, a bootable backup would enable you to keep using your Mac.



    If yes to the above, you'll need a Firewire drive because a Mac won't boot from a USB drive.
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