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iMacfan · Mar 12, 2006, 03:13 PM

Hello,

I'm hoping to spruce up my setup, and am wondering what to do. I'm currently running a 12" 1.33Ghz Powerbook, which I love, but all these new core duos are very tempting. However, what I really need is some more HD space - I'm filling up the 60Gb here very rapidly. So, getting a new intel iMac, just for a larger HD seems a bit extravagant, especially as I'm not that into gaming and have an Xbox if necessary. Getting just a big HD (I don't need the portability that much), and maybe a copy of Tiger, would seem like a better option, and I might even have enough money left for a budget wintel box for when I need it.

So, do any of you have any opinions and suggestions regarding running a powerbook off of an external HD - does it speed things up or slow them down? What data do you put where so that you have the vital files when you take the computer with you? Given that I get a 7200 drive, with FW and USB2, are there any differences between brands, and does 16Mb cache really improve things that much?

Thanks in advance,

David.

MallyMal · Mar 12, 2006, 03:28 PM

I've done it before. I only did it because the internal HDD in my 12" PB crashed. I reallly didn't see a difference in performance. Basically, the stuff I had on the external was a backup copy of my internal that I cloned with Carbon Copy Cloner. I know this isn't exact what you asked but that is my experience with it.

k squared · Mar 12, 2006, 03:48 PM

I ran my PB off an external LaCie (FireWire, 160 GB, Porsche case)) while waiting for a new internal hard drive. I could notice the speed difference between the external (7200 rpm) and the internal (5400 rpm) while using the Finder and copying files.

iMacfan · Mar 12, 2006, 05:29 PM

Looking around, I've seen Maxtor 500Gb drives for reasonable prices - would anyone warn me not to get a Maxtor?

David.

rparke1 · Mar 12, 2006, 05:32 PM

maxtors are know to crash frequantly. id highly suggest getting LaCie or perhaps a seagate

mattsgotredhair · Mar 12, 2006, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by rparke1

maxtors are know to crash frequantly. id highly suggest getting LaCie or perhaps a seagate

LaCie's are known to suck, I'd suggest Seagate.

I've had 3 LaCie drives burn out over the last few years. So if you go with them, just don't keep anything incredibly important on it.

rparke1 · Mar 12, 2006, 07:58 PM

i've one thats been going for 3 years strong (a laCie) and i just got another a year ago and no problems. and i've a seagate in my laptop no problems. go with ether and you should be fine

iMacfan · Mar 13, 2006, 02:53 AM

What about Western Digital - They've got a new one that looks like a book, and is a much nicer design than the very plastic-looking Seagate ones?

David.

Tuoder · Mar 13, 2006, 07:35 AM

Originally Posted by iMacfan

What about Western Digital - They've got a new one that looks like a book, and is a much nicer design than the very plastic-looking Seagate ones?

David.

I have had good luck with desktop Western Digitals in my PC. I kick the crap out of those drives (3 of them) and they just keep coming back for more. But, I cannot speak for their laptop drive quality.

tooki · Mar 13, 2006, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by iMacfan

So, do any of you have any opinions and suggestions regarding running a powerbook off of an external HD - does it speed things up or slow them down? What data do you put where so that you have the vital files when you take the computer with you? Given that I get a 7200 drive, with FW and USB2, are there any differences between brands, and does 16Mb cache really improve things that much?

Yes, it does improve speed. Desktop drives are appreciably faster, even after the slight bottleneck that FireWire (never mind USB 2) imposes. Of course, you lose portability!

16MB cache doesn't make any appreciable difference. Don't choose based on that.

I happen to like Seagate. Their drives are solid performers all-round, plus (at least on their internal drives) they give the longest warranties. I've never had any trouble with Maxtor drives, nor have my clients. Western Digital had a rough patch in the 1990s with tons and tons of drives failing, but I think they have become reliable again. Hitachi is also good, despite a few bad production runs around 2000 that sullied the reputation of some drive models. Samsung got into the hard disk market not too long ago. It's too early to see how their reliability will stack up.

In response to rparke1's suggestion of a LaCie: LaCie doesn't make hard disks, they put hard disks into enclosures. So inside, it'll be one of the brands I mentioned above. That said, LaCie's enclosures as of late seem to be having quality problems, so it's certainly not worth the premium price.

tooki

iMacfan · Mar 13, 2006, 09:58 AM

Thanks - one other option I've seen is to get an empty case and a desktop drive. The thing is, that doesn't seem to be any cheaper, and you don't get the nicer enclosures and extra software. However, some drives on their own have a 5yr warranty, while the external solutions are just 1. Is that something that I should base my decisions on, or not?

David.

Tuoder · Mar 13, 2006, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by iMacfan

Thanks - one other option I've seen is to get an empty case and a desktop drive. The thing is, that doesn't seem to be any cheaper, and you don't get the nicer enclosures and extra software. However, some drives on their own have a 5yr warranty, while the external solutions are just 1. Is that something that I should base my decisions on, or not?

David.

My data is more important than my drive. That being said, a five year warranty is awesome. I've smoked HDDs in far less time. I smoked a couple of used ones in months. I was using Drivespace on Windows 98SE, but still.