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Best External Drive for MacBook/FCP 5.1?
I upgraded all of my desktop FCP with the latest FCP Suite and the last G5 and Apple Raid. Now my client wants me to travel with my FCP and MacBook 17″ to work on a short term project remotely. Is a FW drive the best/only option and any suggestions of the fastest/bestest brand? Thanks!
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10 Replies
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G-technology.com
G-Raid Mini. Bus powered, FW800, 85MB/s transfer rate. Capable of DV, HDV, DVCPRO HD, Uncompressed 8-bit SD and one stream of uncompressed 10-bit SD.
Shane
Littlefrog Post
http://www.lfhd.net -
big fan of the G-technology drives too … but just for a heads-up, another option would be the LaCie Little Big Disc
Bus-powered, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, Hi-Speed USB 2.0, Up to 82MB/s, max 320GB -
You did mean MacBook Pro laptop….correct? Regular Macbook’s don’t work so well with FCP 5.1 due to the graphics card in the laptop.
With regards to drive options:
SATA
https://www.firmtek.com/seritek/or
https://www.sonnettech.com/news/press/pr2006/pr091206_express34.html
FIREWIRE
Not sure I would trust Lacie again after so many failures, but they might have fixed thier issues and some users have had decent luck with them.I use a 500GB G-Raid for my 15″ Macbook Pro. Did have a hic up with it and had to run Discwarrior from an older laptop, but it is still cranking away.
Not sure if it is shipping, but you could look into a Sig FW Express card as well:
https://www.siig.com/product.asp?pid=1081&catid=128Might help if you want to capture from a camera or deck to take a load off the FW bus and drives.
All of this hardware is still new, so expect a little learning curve with drivers and set up. A month or so ago there were complaints on the Apple board about the Express 3/4 slot not seating the cards properly, but it might have been solved.
Also invest in a cooling pad for your laptop. These MacBook Pro’s run really hot and you don’t want any over heating while on the road.
https://www.antec.com/us/pro_notebookcooler.htmlAndy Edwards
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I use an Firmtek Express34 card and an external SATA enclosure for media on my 17″ MBP. I capture DV through firewire. I also use a pair of firewire 400 drives for all sorts of related elements such as motion/soundtrack pro/live type files, music or other stuff. Been running this way for a couple of months with no troubles at all.
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Wow. You guys are just too helpful with this info. Yes it is a MacBook Pro 17″ 2.16Ghz, 2GB. Shane, do you know if the Mini is shipping? Did not seem to be the case when I sent to the G-Tech site. Of course, I can call tomorrow. And guys, what does a SATA drive config like FirmTek give you that the FW800 does not in this case: Just more streams of video – and how many? I do not know alot about SATA at this time. Thanks again for all your help.
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Aw crud, it isn’t shipping. Well, you can always get a G-Raid. Sure you have to plug it in, but it is SOLID. FAN COOLED too, unlike LaCie…which can cause big issues.
Shane
Littlefrog Post
http://www.lfhd.net -
Not the topic but I’m considering buying a macbook (not pro) for Final Cut Studio. I know Apple says it’s not so hot but there’s an increasing number of reviews/benchmarks on the web showing it works quite well. Am I mad??
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Hi,
Just wanted to correct some information about LaCie drives.
– LaCie Big Disk 1TB has a fan with settings that automatically vary depending upon temperature
– Same for d2 500GB and all Bigger DisksHope this helps.
Mat @ LaCie -
Matt,
While your in here browsing, does Lacie plan on offering their own Express 3/4 slot card? Or are you letting other companies manufacture it to fit your drives?
Andy
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