Im looking to get a 500 gb external hard drive to rip my dvds on to so that i dont cluster all of the space up on my laptop. I have a few questions, my first is if i rip my dvds on to an external drive will it slow down the ripping time? i also was wondering if this is a recommended way of ripping or if i am digging myself into a hole. If you have any suggestions on what drive i should select or if i should not use this idea at all i would love to hear them. thanks
it actually could b faster or the same speed, ure not digging ureself a hole but u will if u get a "lacie" external hard drive so dnt b cheap while paying for the 500gb hard drive get good brands like western digital http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822136030 or maxtor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144069 my personal choice would b the my book 500gb for wd
CNet, gives the WD drives poor review for write speed, 36 minutes to write a 10 gig test folder off both the usb and fire wire. Read test was lest than 10 minutes, which they say is a little better than average.
transfering lots of files requires a very good proc to keep the transfer speed high thats y its not the same transfering a 10gb file than transfering a folder full of music and pics with 10gb as he said his main purpose was rip dvds so either it will b only one file or lots of big vob files so he wnt have a prblm with it
I have 2 WD "me book" external HDD's and love them. Now i never use them to rip DVD's to because of the USB. I rip them to the SATA internal then just transfer the folder when i have time to spare (not using the PC that is) Should take about 10-12 minutes just to rip the DVD to the HDD with an internal. Will be longer with an external.
yea but if i get an external drive with firewire wont it be just as fast or even maybe faster than my internal drive? and i only have an 8x dvd burner so it might not make it any faster or slower, my burner might be whats slowing me down.
@steimy What are the specs of your WD drives. I Do swear by WD internals, but when i saw that review on Cnet it kind of scared me off the external WD's.
these are the specs... i know the basics but some of the specs i have no clue what they mean so if anyone can give me suggestions i would appreciate it. Model Brand Western Digital Series My Book Premium Model WDG1C5000N Performance Interface USB 2.0 / IEEE 1394a Capacity 500GB RPM 7200 RPM Average Seek Time 8.9ms Average Latency 4.2ms Physical Spec Form Factor 3.5" Dimensions 6.8" x 5.7" x 2.3" Weight 2.9 lbs. Features Features Easy to set up, easy to use -- Installation is a snap because you don't really "install" this drive, you just plug it in and it's ready to use. There is no CD to install; the included software loads from the drive the first time you plug it in. WD Backup software – We’ve provided software that makes backing up your data as easy as possible. With a few simples steps you can back up all your data files or just save your picture and music files. You can also set scheduled backups, so you don't have to think about it again. Intelligent drive management features — The My Book drive turns itself on and off with your computer and Safe Shutdown prevents the drive from being powered down until all your data has been written. Capacity gauge — See at a glance how much space is left on your drive. Intelligent drive management features — The My Book drive turns itself on and off with your computer and Safe Shutdown prevents the drive from being powered down until all your data has been written. Smart design — The elegant case, iconic of a book, takes up less space on your desk, stacks horizontally, and allows two or more drives to nestle neatly together like volumes on a shelf. High quality hard drive — Inside the case is an exceptionally fast-ultra quiet, cool-running hard drive from Western Digital. Free Google software — Search your drive, manage your photos, and simplify Web searches with included Google software. Note: Google software is compatible with Windows 2000 and XP only. Packaging Package Contents 500GB External Hard Drive 1 x USB Cable 1 x FireWire (IEEE 1394a) Cable Power Adapter and Power Cord Manufacturer Warranty Parts 1 year limited Labor 1 year limited
@Van13 Those specs sound like what i've been looking for in an external HD. especially these... Are you using the firewire or the usb port? Is there an "interface" that you need to use or is it just an additional drive attached to your box?
Checked it out,,USB 2 is slightly faster than firewire,,it's something like 480mbps vs 400mbps. Where as USB 1 is something pants like 11mbps. However, I found a webpage that compared two identical hard drives and they found that for some reason the firewire one did actualy transfer files slightly faster. Although UBB2 in theory is faster,,for hard drives at least, the way firewire works makes it better for the job. I'll post a link to the site if I ever find it again!
I found that there are 2 different "flavors" of firewire 1394a and 13094b. Flavor "a" maximum xfer rate is 400 Mbps flavor "b" is 800 Mbps, They do spec the firewire to be a 1394a. so yeah seems USB 2.0 put the "fire" out (By the way USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps) apologies for the pun...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...ategoryId=pcmcat107700050005&id=1164155964057 that is what i bought. But they have one's called "premium" if you want the firewire. I personally did not need it. The external is just extra storage for things i do not use much. I have 4 internal drives for the things i use more often. Plus the rest of the specs are the same. And actually the USB 2.0 is faster. Here are the specs on the premium. 320GB maximum storage capacity Dual FireWire (IEEE 1394) and USB 2.0 interfaces Data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps via USB 2.0, up to 400 Mbps via FireWire 8MB cache buffer 7200 rpm for fast read/write times 8.9 ms average seek time Automatic power-up, Safe Shutdown and LED activity lights make this drive easy to use Capacity gauge lets you see at a glance how much space is left on your drive Stackable metal case looks like a book and sits horizontally or vertically Includes USB cable, FireWire cable, AC adapter with power cord, quick installation guide Compatible with PC and Mac
As a data transfer standard,,yes USB is 480 vs the 400 of firewire. BUT,,,,when tested (i really will have to find this website and link it) some guys found that in most cases and if all else is equal,,,the firewire version of the same hard drive did actually perform better in real life! I'm not an expert but as with most technical things,,you find that the more you know,,,,the more you realise you don't know! My fiat marea is a 1.6 engine but beats a 1.8 ford focus (yes,,it's proven) there si obviously more to it than pure engine capacity,,,stuff that i don't understand. my point is that there is something different in the way these 2 standards work,,,not just in the mpbs figures.
