|
|
expresscard e-sata on MBP
|
|
|
|
Senior User
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: San Jose
Status:
Offline
|
|
In an effort to speed up backups (which are catastrophically slow over USB 2.0, never more than 10MB/s in real terms), I bought an e-SATA express card from OWC (APIOTEK EC-0003D) for my MBP/OS X 10.4.8. Performance is much better, although oddly variable (anywhere between 15-30MB/s)
The problem is that the hot swap feature seems very finicky. Sometimes drives mount, sometimes they don't. Disconnecting the card usually improves things for a bit, but it's not very convenient.
I'm using the latest drivers I could find, and I even updated the firmware through Windows, but no dice.
My second problem is with an external drive that has a SATA connector (not an e-SATA one). I purchased two short cable adapters, but they don't seem to do the trick (neither OS X nor XP sees the drive). Anybody know what cables actually do work in this case?
Also, I'd be curious to know what the preferred interface for external drives is among MacBook/PowerBook owners. USB seems slow, FIrewire 400 not much better, Firewire 800 is hard to find/expensive and e-SATA is so far faky.
Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Dec 1999
Status:
Offline
|
|
|
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status:
Offline
|
|
My USB 2.0 external drives are REALLY fast; WAY faster than 10MB/s. What USB drive/enclosure are you using?
I don't know that eSATA will help if there's some problem with the drive itself.
|
Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior User
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: San Jose
Status:
Offline
|
|
The drives are:
2.5" 120GB 5400RPM Seagate Momentus in a Vantec NexStar3 enclosure
3.5" 500GB 7200RPM Maxtor Maxline Pro in an AMS Venus DS3 enclosure
(both SATA)
These are not slow drives (in particular the Maxtor). Indeed, the performance with USB for those two is identical, so I suspect USB being the bottleneck, not the drive or enclosure.
I measured the speed by copying a 1GB file to and from the internal to the external drive. Actually, performance is usually closer to 15MB/s with USB, vs. 20-40MB/s with e-SATA.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Status:
Offline
|
|
That performance is really bad... I have a Seagate 500G in an AZIO USB2/eSATA enclosure (with an eSATA PC Card) and I get 20MBps over USB and 60MBps over eSATA.
What app are you using to copy files? I noticed on my parents iMac that Dantz Retrospect is really slow compared to copying using the command line.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Nagoya, Japan • 日本 名古屋市
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by mfbernstein
In an effort to speed up backups (which are catastrophically slow over USB 2.0, never more than 10MB/s in real terms), I bought an e-SATA express card from OWC (APIOTEK EC-0003D) for my MBP/OS X 10.4.8. Performance is much better, although oddly variable (anywhere between 15-30MB/s)
[...]
Also, I'd be curious to know what the preferred interface for external drives is among MacBook/PowerBook owners. USB seems slow, FIrewire 400 not much better, Firewire 800 is hard to find/expensive and e-SATA is so far faky.
Have you given Firewire 400 a fair shake? I just timed a file transfer to my FW400 drive, and it was 30MB/s. My FW800 drive is faster yet, about 50 MB/s.
One thing I agree on: USB sucks for hard disks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by CaptainHaddock
One thing I agree on: USB sucks for hard disks.
And this I disagree on. I have two different external devices, one is strictly a USB hard drive, and the other is also a network drive. With USB connections they both are VERY fast. I have yet to find a Firewire drive adapter that is as affordable as a USB adapter, and so far I see no reason to start saving for one. I should also add that almost all of my files are under 1GB, which plays to USB 2.0's strengths; Firewire 400 would probably be faster if I was transferring almost all huge files. But not by a whole lot.
|
Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: California
Status:
Offline
|
|
Usb 2.0 sucks...has never been as fast, powerful, or reliable as firewire 400.
Go with 800.
|
MacBook Pro
Mac Mini
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by CaptainHaddock
Have you given Firewire 400 a fair shake? I just timed a file transfer to my FW400 drive, and it was 30MB/s. My FW800 drive is faster yet, about 50 MB/s.
One thing I agree on: USB sucks for hard disks.
I have to agree with every statement made here.
My external FW HD does about ~30MB/s over FW400 and I get almost 50MB/s over FW800. If anything else than FW, I'd take eSATA. USB2 for decent performing HDs just plain outright sucks.
|
•
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status:
Offline
|
|
What are you using to measure transfer rates? I'd like to check my two USB external drives to see where I stack up. Since I have yet to find a Firewire enclosure that isn't seriously more expensive than USB enclosures, I don't have one to compare at home, but if i can use the same tool to measure my transfer rates, I can see if it would be worth it to me to get one of the pricey Firewire enclosures.
|
Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Los Angeles, California
Status:
Offline
|
|
Define "seriously more expensive." I just bought (as in, 4 days ago) a combo USB2/Firewire 400 Drive for ~$23 off of Newegg.
|
Linkinus is king.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by ghporter
What are you using to measure transfer rates?
scp works fine. Alternatively, ActivityMonitor shows disk access too.
|
•
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: San Antonio TX USA
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by brokenjago
Define "seriously more expensive." I just bought (as in, 4 days ago) a combo USB2/Firewire 400 Drive for ~$23 off of Newegg.
I haven't been shopping for an enclosure for quite a while. When I did buy my last one, the ONLY firewire enclosure I found cost something like $75 compared to the $25 USB2 enclosure (I can't remember the vendor right now). I'll keep my eyes peeled; new devices with newly released hardware are coming out all the time and this may simply be an example of me not looking at the right time.
Simon, thanks for the info-I'll start looking for SCP.
|
Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Los Angeles
Status:
Offline
|
|
USB is for input devices. It's not for network devices. It's not for mass storage devices. It's bad enough that new iPods rely on it.
|
"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: München, Deutschland
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by Big Mac
USB is for input devices. It's not for network devices. It's not for mass storage devices. It's bad enough that new iPods rely on it.
Seconded, thirded and fourded.
PB.
|
Aut Caesar aut nihil.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by ghporter
Simon, thanks for the info-I'll start looking for SCP.
It's a part of every OS X install.
% man scp
|
•
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: in front of my Mac
Status:
Offline
|
|
Originally Posted by Big Mac
USB is for input devices. It's not for network devices. It's not for mass storage devices. It's bad enough that new iPods rely on it.
Exactly.
|
•
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Washington state
Status:
Offline
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: St. Louis, MO - USA
Status:
Offline
|
|
If you're planning on getting an external FireWire drive, keep in mind that the 400 and 800 are on the same bus. I have a FW400 audio interface and got a FW800 drive to do audio recordings on. Sadly, the bus can't handle both when I'm doing live recording/playback (unless you drop the recording bitrate, of course). I always end up recording to my internal and moving the files over to the external for later editting. It probably doesn't pertain completely to your situation, but it's something to keep in mind for future application. Good luck!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Feb 2007
Status:
Offline
|
|
I am very satisfied with both my CombrGB portable disk drive (800 FireWire) and SilverSATA I both from Wiebetech. My ExpressCard34 is also from WiebeTech. I do not have the speed specs available as I type this, but Iam very impressed with the SATA speed with no problems. The WiebeTech drives come with multiple cables.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Rules
|
|
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
|
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|