[Macfreak7]

hi,
i need some storage device, which option would serve better?
for basic storage, and also considering the advantages/disadvantages of zip/cd rws.

i have a powerbook, so external is a must. apple has an internal zip drive, but its only 100 mb i think. qps has firewire cd-rw. are those good? or is iomega better(though they dont have firewire for cd-rw)

please help asap. thanks.

[druber]

depends on what you want to store, for how long, if you want to take info from place to place or just make archives. i've got a zip100 at home and it's great. i store mp3s on there to take to work, or bring home work or files. 100mb disks is a little small, perhaps, but if you're mostly working with text, moderate-sized files it's nice and quite fast.
for archival, cdr is obviously going to hold a whole whole lot more data, though shelf-life is an issue (make sure you get single-color disks). burning cds also takes a good bit longer and takes more attention that drag&drop removable media drives. iomega makes zip drives that carry 100 or 250mb disks, and jaz drives that us 1 and 2 gig cartridges. lower-end models may be more difficult to find, i guess, but i've seen both just about everywhere. all are available in external cases (usb or zip, not sure which 'book you have).

any more info you want to give?

[Chuck_star]

You should get both. Both serve their own purpose. Do yourself a favour

[Cipher13]

Burner. Easily. Don't even consider a Zip.
Get a Yamaha CD burner and you will not be disappointed.
CD media is MUCH cheaper than Zip (less than a dollar for 650 megs on a CD, and about $25 for a 100 meg Zip).
CD's are faster, more reliable, and can be used on any machine with a CD drive - much more comps have CD drives than Zip drives.
Plus, you can burn audio CD's, backup your Playstation CD's, and so on...
Get a burner...

Cipher13

[Macfreak7]

ok for now i will go for a zip drive, cause that is what my dad will need, alot of re-writing, no archiving.
though the media is more expensive than cds, i wont need too many cartridges.

now which zip drive should i go for? are there any firewire zip drives yet? iomega has a firewire adapter for their USB drives.. or perhaps apples internal zip drive? but then i wouldnt be able to use it for my crappy pc.(just for my mp3s)

and eventually i think i will go for a cd rw too.. (doing myself a favour. RIGHT! )
im not sure about yamaha, the company doesnt know whether to focus on pianos or amplifiers or cd writers.... but again, qps sounds like a risky buy. so i'd like more info on that too.

thanks ppl.

[Cipher13]

Oh well. Your loss.
And by the way... if you plan on listening to mp3's from a zip disk, don't expect the disk to last long.
Not sure about Yamaha? Lemme put it this way: have you ever seen a post in here about problems with Yamaha drives? No.
QPS drives? Yes. Plextors? Yes. And so on.
But, get what you want. You will be more than happy with a Yamaha. They are the best.
Doesn't know what to focus on?
Sorry to be harsh, but thats a damn ignorant comment.
They have been in the CD burner business as long as anyone else, and longer than most if not all competitors.
QPS drives are crap. They are not very compatible with Toast, which is the best CD recording software available for the Mac.
Yamaha drives are totally Toast compatible.
I won't comment further on that remark.
They're the best... take it or leave it.
But think about General Dynamics for a moment will you? Yeah, exactly.

Cipher13

[This message has been edited by Cipher13 (edited 11-18-2000).]

[suprz]

hey cipher, i want to get a yamaha cd burner for my imac (i have ALOT of music i want to burn onto cd's ) i went to the yamaha web site and i saw alot of cd burners, but i could not find one that said "usb" i saw a few for firewire, and alot for scsi. i would like to buy one from an online store, (macmall..etc..) but dont know the model i need. any suggestions?

------------------
" I think,
therefore....IMAC

[Macfreak7]

i've decided on the iomega external zip 250mb usb model. hope it works fine.
i will be going in for a cd rw in a month or so.

as for yamaha, is (http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi.exe/Specs/?gHDR00007CRW8824FXZ) their best? i will have to check 'em out since you were being so persistent, cipher. i've heard one complaint about a yamaha cd rw, but thats probably just the only case, eh? not all problems find their way onto this forum.

what about HP? they're the most popular where i live.

{how can i add a link to words when i post? for eg. the link i posted, how can i attach it to a word?}

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by suprz:
hey cipher, i want to get a yamaha cd burner for my imac (i have ALOT of music i want to burn onto cd's ) i went to the yamaha web site and i saw alot of cd burners, but i could not find one that said "usb" i saw a few for firewire, and alot for scsi. i would like to buy one from an online store, (macmall..etc..) but dont know the model i need. any suggestions?

Sorry, I don't think Yamaha make a USB burner...
Is that your only option? What kinda comp you got?

Cipher13

[suprz]

cipher, i have a slot loading 350mhz, 6gb, 64ram imac (blueberry, born 11-1-1999 according to apple), no firewire, just usb ports. and i really like the yamaha units. i have tried to read as many forums i can about the products i wish to purchase and you are correct about yamahas, i have not read any negative reports about them. would a cable that goes from scsi to usb work?

------------------
" I think,
therefore....IMAC

[Apple_John]

suprz,

You can get a IDE to USB Enclosure and put a yamaha inside.
http://www.macally.com/new/usb/newca805uc.html

[suprz]

thank you apple john!!!! i like that, it will work just fine and it will look great either mounted underneath my uniriser imac stand or even just sitting on the shelf. this uniriser by the way, does what it was advertised to do. it looks like it came with the imac and it did drop the temp of the chip down around 7 or 8 degrees. and the shelf has pre-drilled holes in it. (there isnt anything in the box that says what they are there for but i'm sure i can find use for them) thanks again to everyone for the info

[Misha]

FYI there is little speed benefit in getting a FireWire Zip 250, which VST offers (and for a pretty penny, I'll add).

[Macfreak7]

Originally posted by Misha:
FYI there is little speed benefit in getting a FireWire Zip 250, which VST offers (and for a pretty penny, I'll add).

Will that be the same as getting a firewire adapter for the iomega Zip 250 usb?

[Paul S]

VST's FireWire Zip drive is an internal IDE (ATAPI) drive in a FireWire enclosure. The USB Zip with FireWire adapter cable will only perform as fast as USB. IDE is a faster connection, but won't perform drastically better than VST's drive. The larger determining factor is the speed of a Zip drive mechanism in general. USB is 1.5MB/s. Basic IDE is about 12MB/s. A Zip mechanism usually doesn't sustain more than 3MB/s. In your case, the VST won't work because it is only FireWire, which your iMac doesn't have. If you go the Zip route, buy the USB version.

[Macfreak7]

Originally posted by Paul S:
VST's FireWire Zip drive is an internal IDE (ATAPI) drive in a FireWire enclosure. The USB Zip with FireWire adapter cable will only perform as fast as USB. IDE is a faster connection, but won't perform drastically better than VST's drive. The larger determining factor is the speed of a Zip drive mechanism in general. USB is 1.5MB/s. Basic IDE is about 12MB/s. A Zip mechanism usually doesn't sustain more than 3MB/s. In your case, the VST won't work because it is only FireWire, which your iMac doesn't have. If you go the Zip route, buy the USB version.

I mentioned earlier, i have a powerbook g3 (two firewire/two USB ports), not an imac. So i will need an external Zip drive.

VTS better than Iomega? or it doesnt matter much? I'd rather purchase a drive which is compatible with pc too(obviously no firewire there). VTS is not pc compatible is it?

[Paulos]

"The USB Zip with FireWire adapter cable will only perform as fast as USB."

This is not true... the Firewire adapter isn't a USB > Firewire adapter, it plugs into a special plug on the back of the USB Zip drive and is actually a lot faster.

Have a look at this:
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/firewire/...P_adapter.html

Write speeds to 250meg zips are twice as fast! Course you will have to decide if it is worth the extra cost.

I think Iomega USB Zip Drive with firewire adapter is the way to go. cheaper than VST plus you get the speed of firewire with your mac and just use it via USB for PCs.


[This message has been edited by Paulos (edited 11-20-2000).]

[Cipher13]

As long as something is going through USB on either end, it will not exceed 1.5MB/s.
End of story.

Cipher13