The Daily Click ::. Forums ::. General Chat ::. USB hard disks?
 

Post Reply  Post Oekaki 
 

Posted By Message

Pete Nattress

Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif

Registered
  23/09/2002
Points
  4811
30th June, 2004 at 16:14:22 -

just wondering... could i use a USB hard disk simply as an extra hard disk like it was plugged directly into the motherboard, or does the connection speed make it act like a CD or zip drive?

 
www.thenatflap.co.uk

tdc052621



Registered
  20/12/2002
Points
  908
30th June, 2004 at 16:25:31 -

Your computer or operating system installs it as a drive and uses it like it is a real hard drive.So yes.

 
n/a

Villy

Shab's love pet

Registered
  27/05/2002
Points
  294
30th June, 2004 at 16:31:17 -

usb or usb2 is the question

 
n/a

Pete Nattress

Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif

Registered
  23/09/2002
Points
  4811
30th June, 2004 at 16:47:47 -

usb 2 is the answer. zim, i was really referring to the speed of the drive... like, is the connection fast enough to allow the drive to be used for, say, pagefile?

 
www.thenatflap.co.uk

tdc052621



Registered
  20/12/2002
Points
  908
30th June, 2004 at 16:50:20 -

Yes damm**! Usb2 is 100 times faster than usb1. Usb1 used to be 900 mbs per sec. and now usb2 is like 50 megs per sec.

 
n/a

Shme (Stupid Liar)

Too late to fornicate

Registered
  05/11/2002
Points
  574
30th June, 2004 at 17:11:10 -

USB 1.1 is 12 mbs (or 12 000 / 8 = 1,5MB), USB 2.0 is 480 mbs (or 480 000 / 8 = 60MB). those are theoretical maximum speeds.

 
Stinkiest click stuff
http://www.skunk-e.cjb.net

tdc052621



Registered
  20/12/2002
Points
  908
30th June, 2004 at 17:55:43 -

Oh s*** i accidently said 900 mbs instead of 900 kbs. LMAO

 
n/a

AndyUK

Mascot Maniac

Registered
  01/08/2002
Points
  14586

Game of the Week WinnerSecond GOTW AwardHas Donated, Thank You!VIP Member
30th June, 2004 at 19:16:51 -

ive got a little usb zip drive thingy that holds 128mb
transferring files are fast but not as fast a a normal hard disk.

ive never seem a usb hard disk though.

 
.

ChrisB

Crazy?

Registered
  16/08/2002
Points
  5457
30th June, 2004 at 19:26:19 -

It'll be fine as long as you don't have T3 connected via USB. ;P

They are definitely theoretical - it might depend somewhat on the quality of the USB interface (and make sure that supports USB2.0, too). However, I don't think many hard disks transfer at 60MB/s - I know mine doesn't - so you shouldn't notice much of a difference.

 
n/a

Lazernaut



Registered
  08/09/2002
Points
  1103

VIP MemberThe Cake is a LieIt's-a me, Mario!Wii OwnerPokemon Ball!
1st July, 2004 at 05:49:36 -

i agree with Andy.
I have both a 128mb thing, and another one that uses SD cards and neither of them are as fast as my harddrives... but i think it's just a matter of time before these things get as fast as harddrives..and i think that in the future, we'll have usb based normal harddisks..

 
n/a

Pete Nattress

Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif

Registered
  23/09/2002
Points
  4811
1st July, 2004 at 09:44:50 -

well, i _would_ by a normal HD(as they're cheaper) BUT i will probably be buying a laptop in a year and leaving this PC here whilst i go off to uni. so, i figure, if i'm going to spend some money, i might as well get a USB disk which i'll be able to take off with me and plug into the laptop, rather than waste money on a HD i'll only have for a year at most. if that sounds logical thanks for your help.

 
www.thenatflap.co.uk

Cybermaze



Registered
  03/04/2003
Points
  853
1st July, 2004 at 10:17:19 -

Ok, to sum it up:

USB 1.1 = 12Mbps = 1,5Mb/s
USB 2.0 = 480Mbps = 60Mb/s
Firewire (version 1) = 400Mbps = 50Mb/s

The speeds in Mb per second are the theoretical speeds. In pratice expect around 1Mb/s for USB 1.1, and 40-45Mb/s for USB 2.0 and Firewire. However apart from the theoretical speeds and speeds in practive there are a few other things to think about.

Not all Harddrives connected through USB/Firewire necessarily deliver full speed (eg 40-45Mb/s with USB2.0/Firewire), so check the specs! Also some external harddrives needs power seperately where as others use the power from the USB/Firewire cable. Think about your needs. Without external powersupply it drains power from the battery of the laptop and the harddrive can use more power than a laptop harddrive (depends). With an external power supply you cannot use the harddrive with being near to a power outlet.

Also consider this. The USB bus is cpu dependant. All data going to/from an USB device must go through the cpu as opposed to Parallel/Serial ATA/IDE interfaces. Since the UDMA/ATA 33 standard normal harddrives have DMA (Direct Memory Access) which means the harddrive can load data directly to main memory or save data from main memory without using the cpu which takes a lot of load off the cpu. ATA/IDE interfaces before that (PIO modes) also directed all data to from Harddrives/cd-rom drives through the cpu. This means:
1. Data speed to/from USB depends on the cpu speed and how much it is loaded.
2. Data transfers to/from USB stalls the cpu to move data to/from USB in stead of doing other stuff.
3. Not all computers (almost all new desktops though) can boot from USB.

Firewire on the other hand is cpu independant. This means:
1. The speed is stable no matter how much the cpu is loaded.
2. Firewire does not stall the cpu while transferring data.
3. Not all computers (but many new desktops though) can boot from Firewire.

Both USB and Firewire solutions are added just like a regular Harddrive in Windows.

Good luck.

 
If you knew, I would have to kill you...

Nobuyuki

Possibly Insane

Registered
  03/01/2002
Points
  2111
1st July, 2004 at 15:26:57 -

note: those guys saying their pocket drives are small is because that is FLASH MEMORY, not hard drive platters like you'd see in a device like an ipod or LaCie slim drive.

My best suggestion for a fast, non-self powered hd would be one of the 2.5" ones by Lacie. They are expensive, but they don't require external power, a big deal in external hard drives.

 
A WINNER IS YOU!

JP



Registered
  07/06/2003
Points
  1338
1st July, 2004 at 20:56:29 -

I buy Maxtor Firewire external hard drives. (one for every movie I make). You can stack em, and plug each one in to one another to create a chain of up to 63, or if you only have one Firewire port, you can plug other Firewire peripherals, (such as dv cams) into the port on the hard drive. Interestingly enough, the external hard drive is faster than the one on my comp.

 
Steve Zissou: Anne-Marie, do all the interns get Glocks?

Anne-Marie: No, they have to share one.
   

Post Reply



 



Advertisement

Worth A Click