Usb2 Hd!

[Guru]

http://www.everythingusb.com/hardware/index/Maxtor_Personal_Storage_3000LE.htm

Has anyone tried one of these?

[Gurm]

This sounds hideously fishy to me...

Rotation speed: 5400 rpm
Average transfer rate: 60MB / sec
Seek time: 24ms

It's a 5400rpm drive, it takes 24ms to find anything, yet we're expected to believe it AVERAGES 60MB/sec.?

My RAID ARRAY doesn't deliver an AVERAGE of 60MB/sec.

In fact, no drive currently in production for desktop use is that fast.

Now, this may very well be a nice unit. But it ain't what it purports to be, and that's always troubling.

- Gurm

[Guru]

IBM and maxtors normal drives are rated at 200MB/s but nobody looks at those figures! So my Q still is has anyone tried one of these?

[az]

According to c't, USB2 HDs are suffering greatly from speed limits with the usb2 bridge chips, and they advise to either wait until those limitations are overcome or buy firewire HDs, if you want fast external hot-pluggable data storage. However, even those 1394 drives with the SAME bridge chips seem to be capped at different speeds, which suggests firmware issues, plus some bridges don't work well with some 1394 cards or their drivers - so, I'd wait until manufacturers have more experience with USB2 AND FireWire - but if you want, I can give you the names of the better units they reviewed

AZ

[Wombat]

Pretty much with az here. If you want such a drive, FireWire is the way to go. It's been out for quite a while, and Apple has created a real market for FireWire drives with their recent Mac designs.

[Guru]

The problem with Firewire is that not everyone has a firewire card but almost everyone has a USB(or USB2) port on his/her computer!

[High_Jumbllama]

Originally posted by Gurm
This sounds hideously fishy to me...



It's a 5400rpm drive, it takes 24ms to find anything, yet we're expected to believe it AVERAGES 60MB/sec.?

My RAID ARRAY doesn't deliver an AVERAGE of 60MB/sec.

In fact, no drive currently in production for desktop use is that fast.

Now, this may very well be a nice unit. But it ain't what it purports to be, and that's always troubling.

- Gurm

The 60 MB/S is the transfer rate over the cable. USB 2.0 is 480Mbps or 60MBps. Some marketing/sales person probably transposed numbers 'cause it sounds better.

[az]

The problem is, it is the theoretical transfer limit - but as I said above, there's currently no IDE-USB2 bridge chip that comes even close to those numbers in practical use.

And there is a drive which supports both FireWire and USB 1, for emergencies

AZ

[grey bear]

http://canada.cnet.com/hardware/0-1092-417-6753205.html?tag=rev

[Greebe]

The problem is, it is the theoretical transfer limit - but as I said above, there's currently no IDE-USB2 bridge chip that comes even close to those numbers in practical use.

@gb he's refering to bandwidth useage... not that there aren't any devices (I've read many reviews). Shame Maxtor used a pokey slow 5400 rpm HD for this...

[Belwarrior]

I am not very sure about this.. but sometimes the transfer rate stated is from disk to diskcache .. wasn't ATA133 something like that 133MB/s?

[Greebe]

that's the disk cache to interface speed burst speed rating of 133/s

[Technoid]

Originally posted by cking4@ford.com
Note also that MS has recently made it very difficult to get USB 2.0
support for Windows 2000, having legally threatened any web sites offering
the Release Candidate 2 beta drivers for download. They will also not be
in Service Pack 3.

They haven't yet made it impossible to get the RC2 drivers for 2K, just more
difficult to.

that sounds interesting!

any links?

[High_Jumbllama]

Originally posted by cking4@ford.com
Note also that MS has recently made it very difficult to get USB 2.0
support for Windows 2000, having legally threatened any web sites offering
the Release Candidate 2 beta drivers for download. They will also not be
in Service Pack 3.

They haven't yet made it impossible to get the RC2 drivers for 2K, just more
difficult to.

Why would one need a Microsoft driver to run someone elses interface card? (I know it makes it easier not having to keep track of another CD.) Don't the cards come with drivers?

[DosFreak]

7200rpms is not needed for an external drive. Transfer rates over the crappy USB2.0 connection are limited by just that...the USB. 5400rpms is even...neh..mabye even too much. Also power/heat were probably taken into consideration.

If Microsoft sticks USB 2.0 in SP1 for Windows XP but no USB 2.0 in Windows 2000.....PEOPLE SHOULD GO BESERK ON THEIR *****.

It's a Service Pack. NOT a feature pack.

High_Jumbllama-Most USB controllers can be run with generic drivers...just like modems/keyboards/mice. Performance is degraded but they at least work.