Wouldn't it be interesting if the extra "iPod Firewire cable" Apple sold really was a firewire800 cable with a detatchable Firewire 400 transformer/connector included? That would make people start buying Firewire 800 cards...
Completely pointless. The hard disk in the iPod just doesn't get anywhere near saturating a firewire 400 bus never mind 800. Most external drives even don't get close to saturating 400mbit unless they are 10,000 rpm SATA drives with large buffers or connected via RAID0.
Yeah, USB is 'new'... only been standard on Macs for what, six years?
PCs played catchup in this arena too, sorry. PCs had it first, but it didn't see any widespread adoption until the iMac made it standard.
As for USB being 'slow', it is when compared to FireWire. USB2 is much closer to FW400, but it still can't keep up in real-world tests for intense data transfers. USB requires the CPU to jump in and act as the traffic cop, while FireWire devices negotiate amongst themselves, and don't put any load on the CPU. (Intel invented USB, and since they have a vested interest in selling CPUs, well... gotta come up with reasons to chew up cycles. )
USB 2.0 is new in the fact that now it has to be used with your iPod if you don't want to shed extra money.I saw USB in tons of PCs for a long time,but in 2001 we got 2.0.Correct me if I'm wrong,but didn't apple just put USB 2.0 in their computers?The iMac coming out at the same time USB spread doesn't mean that it "made it standard".If that was the case,macs would have made firewire standard(which I kinda wish they did).You don't have to say sorry for the PC playing catchup,because apple is using USB 2.0 as standard,because PC users are well known with USB.If you guys have macs and say how slow USB 2.0 really is,I appiciate it before I take the dive to get a mac.Peace out.
If you guys have macs and say how slow USB 2.0 really is,I appiciate it before I take the dive to get a mac.Peace out.
It's the same speed on the Mac as it is on the PC so don't let that stop you choosing a Mac. What we're bitching at is that it's slower than Firewire and needs more CPU.
It doesn't actually matter with regard to the iPod and speed of transfer as that's a slow drive anyway but if you've got firewire already, it just works better than USB and uses less resources. Plus you can boot off a firewire connected iPod but not a USB one.
For the Mac faithful, USB is a more inferior technology and we don't like inferior tech winning over good tech. Not when it means some Mac users will have to go out and add a firewire cable or add USB2.0 to their Macs.
If you're choosing an external drive for your Mac Mini though, get one with a firewire400 port on it as well as USB2.0. Then you have the choice.
USB 2.0 is new in the fact that now it has to be used with your iPod if you don't want to shed extra money.I saw USB in tons of PCs for a long time,but in 2001 we got 2.0.Correct me if I'm wrong,but didn't apple just put USB 2.0 in their computers?The iMac coming out at the same time USB spread doesn't mean that it "made it standard".If that was the case,macs would have made firewire standard(which I kinda wish they did).You don't have to say sorry for the PC playing catchup,because apple is using USB 2.0 as standard,because PC users are well known with USB.If you guys have macs and say how slow USB 2.0 really is,I appiciate it before I take the dive to get a mac.Peace out.
USB 2.0 took a while to get on the Mac but USB 1.1 has been used since 1998 - as standard for peripherals. FireWire 800 and 400 for that matter will never spread unless it's used more. Dell laptops and Toshiba seem to use it, so do Sony. BUT that's not enough.
It's the same speed on the Mac as it is on the PC so don't let that stop you choosing a Mac. What we're bitching at is that it's slower than Firewire and needs more CPU.
It doesn't actually matter with regard to the iPod and speed of transfer as that's a slow drive anyway but if you've got firewire already, it just works better than USB and uses less resources. Plus you can boot off a firewire connected iPod but not a USB one.
For the Mac faithful, USB is a more inferior technology and we don't like inferior tech winning over good tech. Not when it means some Mac users will have to go out and add a firewire cable or add USB2.0 to their Macs.
If you're choosing an external drive for your Mac Mini though, get one with a firewire400 port on it as well as USB2.0. Then you have the choice.
Thanks.Still would of gotten a Mac anyway considering I've been trying to convience my parents for over a year.I really don't like mediocere stuff and don't really like to "settle",but that's what I have to work with at the moment.I completely trust the platform and want an iMac,but I wish they were cheaper;about 1000 dollars.Although I'll only have the mac mini as an option,I'm gonna mod it like crazy with Shapeshifter,Candy Bar,and all that good stuff.
Comments
Originally posted by joelbergqvist
Wouldn't it be interesting if the extra "iPod Firewire cable" Apple sold really was a firewire800 cable with a detatchable Firewire 400 transformer/connector included? That would make people start buying Firewire 800 cards...
Completely pointless. The hard disk in the iPod just doesn't get anywhere near saturating a firewire 400 bus never mind 800. Most external drives even don't get close to saturating 400mbit unless they are 10,000 rpm SATA drives with large buffers or connected via RAID0.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Yeah, USB is 'new'... only been standard on Macs for what, six years?
PCs played catchup in this arena too, sorry.
As for USB being 'slow', it is when compared to FireWire. USB2 is much closer to FW400, but it still can't keep up in real-world tests for intense data transfers. USB requires the CPU to jump in and act as the traffic cop, while FireWire devices negotiate amongst themselves, and don't put any load on the CPU. (Intel invented USB, and since they have a vested interest in selling CPUs, well... gotta come up with reasons to chew up cycles.
USB 2.0 is new in the fact that now it has to be used with your iPod if you don't want to shed extra money.I saw USB in tons of PCs for a long time,but in 2001 we got 2.0.Correct me if I'm wrong,but didn't apple just put USB 2.0 in their computers?The iMac coming out at the same time USB spread doesn't mean that it "made it standard".If that was the case,macs would have made firewire standard(which I kinda wish they did).You don't have to say sorry for the PC playing catchup,because apple is using USB 2.0 as standard,because PC users are well known with USB.If you guys have macs and say how slow USB 2.0 really is,I appiciate it before I take the dive to get a mac.Peace out.
Originally posted by AudioBlood
If you guys have macs and say how slow USB 2.0 really is,I appiciate it before I take the dive to get a mac.Peace out.
It's the same speed on the Mac as it is on the PC so don't let that stop you choosing a Mac. What we're bitching at is that it's slower than Firewire and needs more CPU.
It doesn't actually matter with regard to the iPod and speed of transfer as that's a slow drive anyway but if you've got firewire already, it just works better than USB and uses less resources. Plus you can boot off a firewire connected iPod but not a USB one.
For the Mac faithful, USB is a more inferior technology and we don't like inferior tech winning over good tech. Not when it means some Mac users will have to go out and add a firewire cable or add USB2.0 to their Macs.
If you're choosing an external drive for your Mac Mini though, get one with a firewire400 port on it as well as USB2.0. Then you have the choice.
Originally posted by AudioBlood
USB 2.0 is new in the fact that now it has to be used with your iPod if you don't want to shed extra money.I saw USB in tons of PCs for a long time,but in 2001 we got 2.0.Correct me if I'm wrong,but didn't apple just put USB 2.0 in their computers?The iMac coming out at the same time USB spread doesn't mean that it "made it standard".If that was the case,macs would have made firewire standard(which I kinda wish they did).You don't have to say sorry for the PC playing catchup,because apple is using USB 2.0 as standard,because PC users are well known with USB.If you guys have macs and say how slow USB 2.0 really is,I appiciate it before I take the dive to get a mac.Peace out.
USB 2.0 took a while to get on the Mac but USB 1.1 has been used since 1998 - as standard for peripherals. FireWire 800 and 400 for that matter will never spread unless it's used more. Dell laptops and Toshiba seem to use it, so do Sony. BUT that's not enough.
Originally posted by aegisdesign
It's the same speed on the Mac as it is on the PC so don't let that stop you choosing a Mac. What we're bitching at is that it's slower than Firewire and needs more CPU.
It doesn't actually matter with regard to the iPod and speed of transfer as that's a slow drive anyway but if you've got firewire already, it just works better than USB and uses less resources. Plus you can boot off a firewire connected iPod but not a USB one.
For the Mac faithful, USB is a more inferior technology and we don't like inferior tech winning over good tech. Not when it means some Mac users will have to go out and add a firewire cable or add USB2.0 to their Macs.
If you're choosing an external drive for your Mac Mini though, get one with a firewire400 port on it as well as USB2.0. Then you have the choice.
Thanks.Still would of gotten a Mac anyway considering I've been trying to convience my parents for over a year.I really don't like mediocere stuff and don't really like to "settle",but that's what I have to work with at the moment.I completely trust the platform and want an iMac,but I wish they were cheaper;about 1000 dollars.Although I'll only have the mac mini as an option,I'm gonna mod it like crazy with Shapeshifter,Candy Bar,and all that good stuff.