-
Hard Drives – Firewire vs. SCSI vs. SATA
Ok, first things first, apologies for asking a question that i am sure is asked repeatedly and you are all sick of by now. I am still quite a newbie to Apple and Final Cut Pro editing so please bear with me, i am looking to gleam from anyone and everyones knowledge and learn, learn, learn…..
I use Final Cut Pro 4.5 on a G4 Powerbook 1.5Ghz. I have a big project to edit and need more storage space. I have used external firewire drives before for this but i want to get a few things clarified in my head before going ahead and buying more. I should point out i run a very small operation and cant afford to spend big and also i am currently all i use is my laptop with a view to adding a G5 into the equation at a later date.
1. I only really edit on MiniDV or DVCam, does this mean firewire external hard drives are more than adequate?
2. Is getting a hard drive with a PCI SATA power card a good idea? Is this faster and more reliable? (like the Lacie D2 version)? Can these kinds of drives even work with a powerbook?
3. SCSI hard drives can also be external. I am right in thinking these are the best but are more expensive and only come as drives that have to be housed yourself?
4. Finally is there any make that has proved more reliable? I take it the biggest problem is overheating and so should i be looking at getting a drive with a fan cooler?
Any help would be massively appreciated.
-
4 Replies
-
Hi,
[jimmyhop] “1. I only really edit on MiniDV or DVCam, does this mean firewire external hard drives are more than adequate?
Yes!
3. SCSI hard drives can also be external. I am right in thinking these are the best but are more expensive and only come as drives that have to be housed yourself?”
SCSI would be a lot more expensive (if its even an avaialble option for a Powerbook) and way overkill for DV/DVCAM.
Best Wishes,
Mitch
-
I am currently using a Lacie 160gb d2 firewire 400/800 external and it has been working great for about a year now. In the studio I part time work at and interned with over summer the editors aside from there tons of avid media drives use maxtor’s the new metal cased one and they say they work well also. You shouldn’t have any over hearting problems with your externals I don’t think.
-
Editing DV on a PowerBook can easily be done wih firewire drives.
I suggest using FW800 drives when possible – LaCie D2’s have worked fine for me, but so have a variety of others. Just make sure the drive uses an Oxford Chipset of some type (Oxford 911 or Oxford912). Medea has an offshoot FW centric company that has some interesting offerings that seem to emphasize cooling.http://www.g-technology.com/index.cfm
If your machine does not have FW800 ports, a FW800 PC Card (aka Cardbus, not PCI) will give you the ports you need, while also separating DV device traffic from your FW HD traffic.
I have not researched using eSATA drives connected to a PB via a SATA PC Card – I don’t even know if a SATA PC Card exists. If it does, I am sure it’s plenty fast – but all that speed comes at the cost of compatability with other machines. Hence my affinity to LaCie Triple Interface D2 drives (FW400, FW800, USB2.0).
Hope this helps
-
You can get a 10% discount on G-Raid Drives through LA Fincal Cut Pro Users group.
Best
Harry.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up