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reemas · May 31, 2004, 02:18 PM

i'm looking into getting an external hard drive soon and possibly fw 800.

i was wondering if the fw 800 drives run as fast as an internal 7200 rpm drive? or is firewire 800 not that fast yet?

also if it is that fast, then would i be better booting from it when i'm using my computer at home?

thanks.

Dr.Michael · Jun 1, 2004, 12:30 PM

Originally posted by reemas:
i'm looking into getting an external hard drive soon and possibly fw 800.

i was wondering if the fw 800 drives run as fast as an internal 7200 rpm drive? or is firewire 800 not that fast yet?

also if it is that fast, then would i be better booting from it when i'm using my computer at home?

thanks.

Theoretically FW800 transmits 100MB/sec. I don't know any hd out there that is so fast.

If you have a look at the 7200 rpm 2.5 inch hd you will find max media transfer rates of 60 MB/sec in the specs. Measurements (barefeats.com) show that the max rates are more like 35 MB/sec.

Compare this to a 3.5 inch drive in a fw800 case. There you can get something around 70 MB/sec (measured) with a fast enough disk.

So, no question: External FW 800 drives can be faster than internal 7200rpm hds. Booting from them speeds up your powerbook.
I boot from an external FW400, 10.000rpm samsung drive. Its much faster than my internal (4200rpm) drive. And I think this drive is also faster than an internal 7200 rpm drive.

It has peak transfer rates of nearly 45 MB/sec.

reemas · Jun 1, 2004, 12:41 PM

is thats the case, are there any ways to boot from teh fw at home but have a perfect copy of everything on my inter drive in case i take the pb to go?

any software that would do this? thanks.

guigo · Jun 1, 2004, 01:18 PM

If you are talking about have the same system in the fw 800 and the PB, I don't know any software..
but if you only need have the same files, for exemple, the Silverkeeper from Lacie is very helpful....I use this program to backup and synchronize my portfolio in the PB and my 250GB Lacie
I hope this can help you some way
Best regards
Guilherme

reemas · Jun 1, 2004, 01:56 PM

i would want the same files and everything esle. in otherwords id want ot boot from the fw drive from home and on the go boot from the internal. the reason being, booting from the fw800 would be much faster on my pb.

Dr.Michael · Jun 1, 2004, 03:36 PM

Originally posted by reemas:
i would want the same files and everything esle. in otherwords id want ot boot from the fw drive from home and on the go boot from the internal. the reason being, booting from the fw800 would be much faster on my pb.

Carbon Copy Cloner does this job. Its donationware.
But you would have to synchronize right before you leave your desk. Thats usually a time problem.

Maybe you can look for something like a (software - ) raid controller that automatically performs every operation on both of your drives.

wei · Jun 2, 2004, 12:15 AM

is there a way to default the PB to try to boot from external FW drive if fail then only start from internal HDD?

and bout the raid software, anyone have a clue? I'm only using a backup software that duplicates selected folders into a different drive at specific time.

reemas · Jun 2, 2004, 12:47 AM

Maybe you can look for something like a (software - ) raid controller that automatically performs every operation on both of your drives.

the only problem with that is that, im sure the internal drive would slow down the firwire drive, making that pointless right?

as for carbon copy cloner, i guess it's worth a shot. i dont have the fw800 yet but it seems like such a nice way to get around the pb slow hard drive speed. at home: boot from the drive, nice and fast.

on the go, take the advantage of the portable, but slow internal drive.

a neat solution... any idea how long the carbon copy clone takes to sync? im guessing only as fast as the inter hd speed?

also, does it just sync or full copies everytime of everything?

blacksheep · Jun 2, 2004, 02:18 AM

I have a setup consisting of my 17" PB 1GHz and a FW800 120GB 7200 rpm external HD (IceCube enclosure). I have been using the external HD is a startup disk whenever I'm docked at my base working station. When on the move, it's with the PB's 60GB 4200rpm internal HD. Yes, it's much slower. I have this setup for about 2 years (previously with PBTi800). By the way, the FW800 IceCube enclosure is serving as a FW800 hub with one more addition FW800 port.

Considering to swap my internal with a 2.5" 7200 rpm HD. But my AppleCare Plan will be voided. So how? Sigh....

Dr.Michael · Jun 2, 2004, 03:41 AM

Originally posted by reemas:
the only problem with that is that, im sure the internal drive would slow down the firwire drive, making that pointless right?

That depends on the implementation, but - considering straight forward thinking - thats right.

a neat solution... any idea how long the carbon copy clone takes to sync? im guessing only as fast as the inter hd speed?

Right again. The internal drive determines the max speed. In my case (60GB/4200rpm) it breaks down to 20 MB/sec.

also, does it just sync or full copies everytime of everything?

You can copy selected folders. So if you organize your work very well and always keep in mind, where your most up to date files are (pb or externally), sync can be quick.

Carbon Copy Cloner is a great piece of software. Considering that it can be used for free its marvelous. As a programmer I hope, you will send Mike Bombich (the developer) the small amount he asks for. Its worth it.

Does anybody know a very good sync software that checks for the latest versions of the files and reliably copys them in the right place?

reemas · Jun 2, 2004, 12:43 PM

blacksheep, or anyone...

how exactly do u boot from your external firwire drive bypassing the internal when youre docked at home?

also, did you use CCC to clone everything before booting or did you manually install os x onto the drive?

finally, how do you finad the comaprable speeds??

thanks!

blacksheep · Jun 2, 2004, 01:07 PM

Firstly, you need to install a valid Mac OS X on your external HD.
Cloning with CCC is one way but I prefer to use Apple's own Disk Utility's Restore function. I personally installed a fresh copy of Mac OS X on my external HD.

To startup from your external HD, just hook up to the PB and turn on the HD. Go to System Preferences > Startup Disk pane and choose the external HD. Restart and wala!

I don't have a 7200rpm internal HD to compare with a FW800 7200rpm external HD. But I sure can tell you that the latter is definitely faster than the internal 4200rpm HD in the PB. Applications launch faster and startup is about 30s faster.

iREZ · Jun 2, 2004, 01:41 PM

Any preference out there one which ext. HD is most compatible with Mac's, as in never had problems. I know Lacie has a good rep, but their 80gig only has 2mb of cache.

paully dub · Jun 2, 2004, 06:40 PM

To add to what others have been saying:

I have a Western Digital 120 gb 7200rpm 2mb chache 3.5inch drive in a dual fw400, usb 2 enclosure. I boot from that drive, and the speed quite snappy indeed. I can only imagine what fw 800'd do. My 60 mb 4200rpm drive feels sluggish in comparison, but I don't use it as much.

The drive plus enclosure set me back 120 euros, and I'll probably throw some cash Mike Bombich's way since Carbon Copy is my new best friend. I know I could've installed the OS myself...

I sooo recommend buying the drive and enclosure seperately, as it isn't the least bit difficult to assemble and install.

Oh and blacksheep and others, the correct spelling is voil�.

Dr.Michael · 04:11 AM

Originally posted by iREZ:
Any preference out there one which ext. HD is most compatible with Mac's, as in never had problems. I know Lacie has a good rep, but their 80gig only has 2mb of cache.

I support paully dubs opinion: buy your drive and case seperately. I heard of Lacie drives that make a lot of fan-noise.

See if you can get a case without or with a quiet fan (I have a sarotech, which looks cheap but has a good sound). And buy the best performing hd that you can get. No need to limit yourself to a 7200/2MB drive.

I can recommend Samsung drives because of their quietness. They perform as if they were made for fw 400.

blacksheep · Jun 4, 2004, 01:12 PM

MacPower enclosures

mmihalik · Jun 6, 2004, 03:10 PM

Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
I support paully dubs opinion: buy your drive and case seperately. I heard of Lacie drives that make a lot of fan-noise.

Dr. Michael,

It has been some time since LaCie used fans in their drive cases.

All current models, except Bigger, are fan free.

Mike

Dr.Michael · Jun 6, 2004, 03:40 PM

Originally posted by mmihalik:
Dr. Michael,

It has been some time since LaCie used fans in their drive cases.

All current models, except Bigger, are fan free.

Mike

Thanks for the hint.
Its really hard to find that out. Nobody seems to know.

Then Lacie would be a quieter choice compared to Sarotech (and only slightly more expensive).

mmihalik · Jun 6, 2004, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by Dr.Michael:
Thanks for the hint.
Its really hard to find that out. Nobody seems to know.

Then Lacie would be a quieter choice compared to Sarotech (and only slightly more expensive).

Some of the press reviews point it out, and there are also the comments by users.

Fan-free applies to the current D2 and FA Porsche models, as well as the PocketDrive.

Mike