I just bought my first external hard drive, a Seagate Free Agent Pro 500 gig usb 2.0 esata. I bought this because it was on sale and I think it's what I need. Then again I don't know squat about external drives, although Cap provided some useful information in a previous post. So here is my question. I think I have usb 1.0. The guy in the store said this drive will be real slow unless I buy a 2 port usb 2.0 pci card, which I did. Then I realize a Firewire 3 port pci card was installed about a year ago for some reason that I can't remember. This firewire pci card doesn't say anywhere that it is a 2.0 card. So I guess what I want to know is will this firewire card work or should I take it out and put the new one I bought (usb 2.0 pci card) in. Also if anyone has any opinions on this drive, let me know. Thanks everyone.
New external hard drive
- Thread starter Brian Martin
- Start date
Firewire is a different beast. How old is your computer? Just about every computer made in the last three or so years has USB 2.0 ports.
Try plugging in your external drive to one of your USB ports - it'll usually let you know if it's only USB 1.0 or 1.1 with a popup window that you're connecting a USB 2.0 device to a slower port.
Try plugging in your external drive to one of your USB ports - it'll usually let you know if it's only USB 1.0 or 1.1 with a popup window that you're connecting a USB 2.0 device to a slower port.
Um, methinks there's been a slight misunderstanding on my part. Someone please correct my thinking here if wrong.
Unless the 'puter motherboard itself is USB 2.0 compatible (BIOS and all), adding a PCI USB 2.0 capable card doesn't add USB 2.0 to the 'puter. It's still gonna be USB 1.0, yes?
Yet one can add an IEEE1394A PCI card to a 'puter with Win98 2nd Ed or higher and gain Firewire capabilities, yes?
Brian : Seagate drives are very good quality, having served me well over the years. Personally? I do not prefer USB external hard drives regardless of generation. Too slow and processor demanding as compared to FireWire.
Unless the 'puter motherboard itself is USB 2.0 compatible (BIOS and all), adding a PCI USB 2.0 capable card doesn't add USB 2.0 to the 'puter. It's still gonna be USB 1.0, yes?
Yet one can add an IEEE1394A PCI card to a 'puter with Win98 2nd Ed or higher and gain Firewire capabilities, yes?
Brian : Seagate drives are very good quality, having served me well over the years. Personally? I do not prefer USB external hard drives regardless of generation. Too slow and processor demanding as compared to FireWire.
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Actually, you can add a USB 2.0 PCI card to a 1.0 computer. I have an older model Dell that I have done that to. Works fine.
Tom : Yes, it will work but do you obtain the 420mbs transfer rates of 2.0 or something significantly less (e.g. 12-20mbs 1.0 )?
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I haven't noticed any difference between the transfer rate on aything attached to this card on this computer vs. and newwer model computer with USB 2.0. Then again, this Dell is seven years old (ancient when it comes to computers), is my main office computer, and I don't expect big things from it.
You can plug a 2.0 to a 1.1 port but will only get the 12Mbs or so. USB 2.0 will transfer at 480Mbs. You may not notice a speed difference when you play your music but you WILL when you try to backup files or transfer them back and forth. I can backup a 120Gig HD of MP-3's in about an hour using USB 2.0.
The same file on a 1.1 machine takes about 18 hours.
Even though Firewire will transfer at 400Mbs, the block transfer structure is different than windows so 480 verses 400 is not a good comparison.
Unless you can run Firewire 800, then the argument is pointless.
The same file on a 1.1 machine takes about 18 hours.
Even though Firewire will transfer at 400Mbs, the block transfer structure is different than windows so 480 verses 400 is not a good comparison.
Unless you can run Firewire 800, then the argument is pointless.
Thanks for the comments. My pc is a Dell and is about 6 years old. I had the memory and hard drive beefed up a few years ago and had xp installed. I will probably have it for awhile and I am just trying to find a way to make this work until I do get a newer pc.
I was told by a co-worker that I won't get the full benefit of the 2.0, something slightly less. I have no idea if the speed will be acceptable or not as I have nothing to compare it to. If this card is not going to be any better than what I have now, then I just don't know.
I might mention I plan on using this hard drive to store music only and I will get another soon to have a duplicate back up.
Cap, not sure what you mean. As opposed to? If you are talking about the power supply, the drive I purchased has its own power supply cord that you just plug in.
Sorry if these seem like dumb questions, but I'm just learning. Thanks again.
I was told by a co-worker that I won't get the full benefit of the 2.0, something slightly less. I have no idea if the speed will be acceptable or not as I have nothing to compare it to. If this card is not going to be any better than what I have now, then I just don't know.
I might mention I plan on using this hard drive to store music only and I will get another soon to have a duplicate back up.
Cap, not sure what you mean. As opposed to? If you are talking about the power supply, the drive I purchased has its own power supply cord that you just plug in.
Sorry if these seem like dumb questions, but I'm just learning. Thanks again.
No, Cap doesn't mean power supply draw (I may be so bold to say). He's talking about the speed of reading the drive ("throughput" in geek-speak) and how it draws on the CPU. (Again, I'm being bold in speaking for Cap.)
Firewire has its own way of providing fast speeds without drawing on the main CPU (basically, the brains and thinking for a computer - playing music also takes CPU "brains"). USB draws on the "brains" from the main CPU of your computer. It is also slower than firewire.
I hope this doen't confuse you too much, but here's an article that discusses the differences...
http://www.usb-ware.com/firewire-vs-usb.htm
Firewire has its own way of providing fast speeds without drawing on the main CPU (basically, the brains and thinking for a computer - playing music also takes CPU "brains"). USB draws on the "brains" from the main CPU of your computer. It is also slower than firewire.
I hope this doen't confuse you too much, but here's an article that discusses the differences...
http://www.usb-ware.com/firewire-vs-usb.htm
Thanks, Kayleigh. You said it much better.
An activity that will point out the disparity of processor domination comparing both technologies is to "copy" a folder from an external drive to an internal drive (or visa versa) with about a gig or two of data, USB 2.0 versus IEEE1394A. While the transfer is taking place, try to multi-task using another resource intensive program. The friendliness of multi-tasking using FireWire over USB anything becomes abundantly clear. Even deleting large volumes of trash bin contents is faster.
A good possible solution is to purchase a combo enclosure (has both USB 2.0 & IEEE1394A capabilities) and add your own hard drive preference. A little more costly but definitely versatile. I have a half dozen such devices just in case there comes a time when the external drive must connect to a 'puter with no FireWire capabilities (or only USB 1.0, as FireWire has been around a lot longer than USB 2.0.).
All this being said, nothing was faster nor more reliable than my 10k rpm SCSI drives, internal or external. Cost killed it. For example, it cost me $1,000 for a 47gb external way back when. I'm so old skool! No, just old. Sigh!
An activity that will point out the disparity of processor domination comparing both technologies is to "copy" a folder from an external drive to an internal drive (or visa versa) with about a gig or two of data, USB 2.0 versus IEEE1394A. While the transfer is taking place, try to multi-task using another resource intensive program. The friendliness of multi-tasking using FireWire over USB anything becomes abundantly clear. Even deleting large volumes of trash bin contents is faster.
A good possible solution is to purchase a combo enclosure (has both USB 2.0 & IEEE1394A capabilities) and add your own hard drive preference. A little more costly but definitely versatile. I have a half dozen such devices just in case there comes a time when the external drive must connect to a 'puter with no FireWire capabilities (or only USB 1.0, as FireWire has been around a lot longer than USB 2.0.).
All this being said, nothing was faster nor more reliable than my 10k rpm SCSI drives, internal or external. Cost killed it. For example, it cost me $1,000 for a 47gb external way back when. I'm so old skool! No, just old. Sigh!
Thanks Cap. So I think this is what I'm going to go with. This will give me 3 interface possibilities, but I will use the firewire. Any more opinions? Thanks
Tiger Direct -
Seagate / FreeAgent Pro / 500GB / 7200 / eSata/USB 2.0/FireWire / External Hard Drive
Item Number: S130-8008
Availability: In Stock
Regular Price: $.00
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My Price: $199.99
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This Product Has Limited Exchange Privileges.
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Seagate FreeAgent Pro 500GB USB 2.0 / eSATA / FireWire External Hard Drive
Access your content from anywhere, share it with anyone and sync it to almost anything. The FreeAgent™ Pro data mover automatically duplicates and moves content you select to multiple locations.
The FreeAgent Pro data mover provides anyone who’s serious about their digital content with the freedom to stay connected to it.
It’s all about having your latest files right where you need them, when you need them. The FreeAgent™ Pro data mover automatically duplicates and moves content you select to multiple locations like email and contacts to your IPod™, photos to a Shutterfly™ account, your entire “My Documents” folder to FreeAgent, or move it to your own online space where you can access it from any browser 24/7 or share it with anyone you choose.
FreeAgent Pro has an innovative modular interface "future-proofs" technology, continuous automatic revisions of your files to help keep you safe from goof-ups and if need be can roll back your system settings to a better time
This Drive Holds
- 212 two-hour DVD-quality movies or
- 750 hours of VHS-quality video or
- 440 days of around-the-clock MP3 audio or
- 186,500 vivid digital photos or
- 1066 action-packed games!
Specifications
Capacity (GB): 500
Interface: USB 2.0/eSATA/FireWire
Spindle Speed (RPM): 7200
Data Transfer Rate on USB 2.0: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Data Transfer Rate on FireWire: Up to 400 Mb/sec
Data Transfer Rate on Serial ATA: Up to 3000 Mb/sec
Dimensions: 7.5" x 1.4" x 6.3"
Detailed Features
Features
Automatically move your content to multiple locations
Share pictures online and automatically update without thinking about it
Share or access your own online space 24/7
Automatic revisions of your content help keep you safe from goof-ups
Preloaded software
Power on/off touch point
and this card to use with the firewire
Ultra 7-Port FireWire/USB 2.0 Combo PCI Card 19.99
Tiger Direct -
Seagate / FreeAgent Pro / 500GB / 7200 / eSata/USB 2.0/FireWire / External Hard Drive
Item Number: S130-8008
Availability: In Stock
Regular Price: $.00
Click to view LOWER PRICE!
My Price: $199.99
Protect Your Investment
Extended Service Plans as Low as $24.99 1 Year Replacement after Mfg. Warranty Ends... $24.99 2 Year Replacement after Mfg. Warranty Ends... $40.99
This Product Has Limited Exchange Privileges.
COMPARE THIS DEAL! PC Connection $219.95
‡You Save Up To $19.96 Our Price: $199.99
Seagate FreeAgent Pro 500GB USB 2.0 / eSATA / FireWire External Hard Drive
Access your content from anywhere, share it with anyone and sync it to almost anything. The FreeAgent™ Pro data mover automatically duplicates and moves content you select to multiple locations.
The FreeAgent Pro data mover provides anyone who’s serious about their digital content with the freedom to stay connected to it.
It’s all about having your latest files right where you need them, when you need them. The FreeAgent™ Pro data mover automatically duplicates and moves content you select to multiple locations like email and contacts to your IPod™, photos to a Shutterfly™ account, your entire “My Documents” folder to FreeAgent, or move it to your own online space where you can access it from any browser 24/7 or share it with anyone you choose.
FreeAgent Pro has an innovative modular interface "future-proofs" technology, continuous automatic revisions of your files to help keep you safe from goof-ups and if need be can roll back your system settings to a better time
This Drive Holds
- 212 two-hour DVD-quality movies or
- 750 hours of VHS-quality video or
- 440 days of around-the-clock MP3 audio or
- 186,500 vivid digital photos or
- 1066 action-packed games!
Specifications
Capacity (GB): 500
Interface: USB 2.0/eSATA/FireWire
Spindle Speed (RPM): 7200
Data Transfer Rate on USB 2.0: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Data Transfer Rate on FireWire: Up to 400 Mb/sec
Data Transfer Rate on Serial ATA: Up to 3000 Mb/sec
Dimensions: 7.5" x 1.4" x 6.3"
Detailed Features
Features
Automatically move your content to multiple locations
Share pictures online and automatically update without thinking about it
Share or access your own online space 24/7
Automatic revisions of your content help keep you safe from goof-ups
Preloaded software
Power on/off touch point
and this card to use with the firewire
Ultra 7-Port FireWire/USB 2.0 Combo PCI Card 19.99
it's kind of like me trying to type while listening to music and drinking coffee....too much brain power being used at one time...so things staarrtt toooo getttttttt sloowwwwwwwwwwwww.