[cpw]

I'm finally getting to where I can't put off the purchase of an external hard drive anymore.
I'll be using it to back up my laptop and to store DV, digital images and, perhaps finally, a lossless iTunes library to feed a DAC.
I asked this question a long time ago and can't find the thread anymore, plus the technology has probably changed a bit.
What external (firewire) drives work best for Mac?
The bigger the better but no RAID, needs to be quiet and under $400.
What are the specs to pay attention to?
Is higher RPM always better?
The reviews out there seem highly contradictory (1 star, this is a POS>5 stars, best $ I ever spent, etc.)
Thanks,
CPW

 

[grawk]

I personally have a western digital that I got at sams fairly cheaply that's worked pretty well.

 

[cpw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk I personally have a western digital that I got at sams fairly cheaply that's worked pretty well.

You on a Mac?
How big is it?
What interface?
What RPM?
Is it quiet?
Thx,
CPW

 

[ken36]

Very interested also.

 

[grawk]

it's the fw400 drive. 160gb, not sure speed data, seems fast enough. I just use it as a music library and it handles it fine.

 

[AndyRx7]

I use a Lacie 160GB fw800 drive (7200rpm) (http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10058). It's ultra quiet as it doesn't have a fan. It's worked perfectly so far (~ 6 months) using it as a music library w/ apple lossless files. I've transported it several times with no problems.

 

[AlanY]

I use a Mac and have used two different external HDs: an ADS Tech enclosure with a hard drive that I added myself (USB 2.0 only) and a Maxtor OneTouch II that comes with a hard drive (USB 2.0 and Firewire 400).

Here are some Mac-specific observations:
- If you want to be able to boot your Mac off the external drive (e.g. to maintain a fully bootable backup), you must use a Firewire HD. OS X does not support booting off a USB 2.0 drive. I don't know if this still applies to the new Intel Macs.
- Firewire 400 is definitely faster than USB 2.0 on my Mac Mini. I know this is a religious argument to computer people, but I've tried both using two benchmarking programs and that was my conclusion.
- One of the biggest differences between hard drive enclosures is what they do with the cooling fan and whether the hard drive spins all the time. You'll find enclosures that run the fan all the time, enclosures that use a temperature sensor to only run the fan when the drive gets hot, and a few fanless enclosures. This can be an issue because even though the fans are small and quiet, they're generally slightly louder, when on, than my Mac Mini when idle. One of the reasons why I switched to the Maxtor OneTouch II enclosure is because it switches off the fan when the drive has been idle for a couple minutes. The other enclosure didn't. (I wasn't comfortable with the idea of a fanless enclosure, so I avoided those. I store my backups on this drive and want them to have maximum reliability.)
- Whether you want the hard drive to run all the time is also worth thinking about. My Maxtor enclosure not only shuts off the fan after a certain idle time, but it also parks the hard drive heads and stops the drive spinning for total silence when not in use. I like this (and I think it's better for longevity than a drive that spins all the time), but there is one disadvantage. When you first access the drive after some idle time, there is a couple second pause as the drive spins up. Because the Spotlight search database is stored on the hard drive itself, this means that Spotlight queries end up having a two second or so delay. This doesn't bother me; I actually think it's a fair tradeoff for quiet, but it could irritate some people I suppose. My other enclosure had the drive spinning all the time, so it didn't have a similar delay.

 

[Voltron]

I recently added the La Cie 300GB triple interface hard drive to the 120GB La Cie FW400 drive I have had for years. They are rock solid and we have never had a single problem in the last 2-3 years with the older one. We move them around the house to use them on our 3 Macs. Great product.

Capacity : 300 GB
Interface : 2 x FireWire 800 (9-pin) ports
1 x FireWire 400 (6-pin) port (compatible with iLink, DV)
1 x Hi-Speed USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1)
Fan : Fanless
Rotational Speed (rpm) : 7200
Interface Transfer Rate : FireWire 800: up to 800Mbits/s (100MB/s)
FireWire 400: up to 400Mbits/s (50MB/s)
USB 2.0: up to 480Mbits/s (60MB/s)
Max Sustained Transfer Rate : FireWire 800: up to 64MB/s
FireWire 400: up to 42MB/s
USB 2.0: up to 34MB/s
Average Seek Time (Write) : <10 ms
Buffer : 8MB minimum
Size : 1.7x6.3x6.8 in / 44x160x173 mm (WxHxD)
Weight : 3.31 lbs / 1500 g
Software Configuration : driver-free for Windows XP/2000 or Mac OS X; Silverlining for Mac OS 9; Silverkeeper for backup with Mac OS 9 & Max OS X
System Requirements : FireWire 800 equipped computer: Mac OS 10.2 or greater or Windows 2000/XP
FireWire 400 or iLink equipped computer: Mac OS 9.x/10.x or Windows 2000/XP
Hi-Speed USB 2.0 equipped computer: Mac OS 10.2.x or greater or Windows 2000/XP
USB 1.1 equipped computer: Mac OS 9.x/10.x or Windows 2000/XP
Intel Pentium II 350MHz-compatible or Apple G3 processor or greater; minimum 64MB RAM (Apple G4 processor required for use with FireWire 800)
Comments : 1GB (gigabyte) = 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending upon operating environment (typically 5-10% less).
* LaCie d2 Hard Drive Extreme maximum performance using FireWire 800 connection when tested and compared with LaCie first-generation FireWire 800 drives. Performance may vary depending on host configuration.
Box Content : FireWire 800 to FireWire 800 cable; FireWire 400 to FireWire 400 cable; iLink/DV cable; Hi-Speed USB 2.0 cable (USB 1.1 compatible); Drive stand; External power supply; LaCie Storage Utilities CD-ROM including: Silverlining Utilities (Mac OS 9) for advanced drive management, and SilverKeeper (for Mac) software for automatic backup and file verification

 

[xtr3me]

Why don't you consider buying an internal HD, which is a lot less expensive, and then buy an external box with firewire port?
That makes it a lot cheaper, and you get to choose the HD you like the most, being able to consider, performance, noise, price, etc.

Think about it.

 

[xUKHCx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanY - If you want to be able to boot your Mac off the external drive (e.g. to maintain a fully bootable backup), you must use a Firewire HD. OS X does not support booting off a USB 2.0 drive. I don't know if this still applies to the new Intel Macs.

From what i can gather you can boot of USB 2.0 on the new intel macs

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanY - Firewire 400 is definitely faster than USB 2.0 on my Mac Mini. I know this is a religious argument to computer people, but I've tried both using two benchmarking programs and that was my conclusion.

Second, for large data transfer it is very noticeable. I personally would always get firewire.


Look out for a drive that has the oxford 911 chipset. I had an enclosure without and then changed to one with the oxford chipset and it has made a noticeable differrence in the speed.

 

[scrypt]

After procuring this SATA Enclosure/Card combination for a negligable sum, I bought a pair of DiamondMax 300 GB SATA drives from Newegg and slid them in accordingly (unh unh). The two drives don't have to be configured as a RAID array; it's up to the, um, user's discretion.

As for the Maxtors: in the past, I've always used Western Digital drives, which have proved uniformly reliable; none have died in four years' time, which is more than I can say for Seagate and the Apple-installed IBM Deathstar (which were involved in data fatalities several years back). The Maxtor drives were an experiment based on good reviews. So far, they've been excellent but noisy; for prolonged reliability, check back with me oodles of years from now.

I must ululate: my external SATAs run far faster than my four external Firewire/USB IDEs. (I never use USB 2 at home for hard drives; whore-ever, all my enclosures have the option. This allows me to bring huge files to other people's houses and edit them on the fly with my own chosen software.) The speed nudge is worth considering, since hard drives tend to create wretched bottlenecks for foonts in search of velocity. Another thing to consider: SATA drives are compatible with later Macs (which might become important for you whenever you choose to upgrade).

Also: Yes, you can boot from PCI-card-connected SATA drives.

An additional perk to the enclosure: hot swappable drive bays for those who heft their externals workward.

[Edit: my enclosure came bundled with this card.]

One last thing: There is no such thing as a LaCie Drive in the sense of a LaCie-branded hard drive. All LaCie packages use proprietary hard drives from other companies (Western Digital, etc.), which is not a scandal at all; it is merely logical. I dislike the LaCie approach, but only because I happen to be a control geek: I prefer to decide on each individual option (style, function, speed, reliability, model issues history) and put the package together myself (drive + enclosure = an incredibly easy project for anyone here).

 

[3lusiv3]

I have 5 LaCie D2 firewire drives that I use with my powerbook. I highly recommend the Lacie drives. They are quiet and reliable.

 

[cpw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrypt After procuring this SATA Enclosure/Card combination for a negligable sum, I bought a pair of DiamondMax 300 GB SATA drives from Newegg and slid them in accordingly (unh unh). The two drives don't have to be configured as a RAID array; it's up to the, um, user's discretion.

Sorry for my ignorance, but how would a setup like this connect to my laptop? Which port specifically?

Thanks for all the responses & keep 'em coming.

CPW