Mobile HDD

[Chris T]

Hi All

I am the proud owner of a new MBP:

2.93 GHz
7200 Rpm (320g) internal HDD
8 Gig RAM
17" Antiglare

I am trying to figure out the best option for a 500gig-1Tb MOBILE FW HDD that can handle heavy audio and/or video, for use with Digital Performer and LIVE.

My plan is to run my project session and possibly video off the internal HDD and run streaming samples (Kontakt etc) from the external HDD. So I need a HDD which is FAST and reliable with audio. A colleague said the external SHOULDN'T be bus powered since it won't handle audio streaming. Is this true?

Any suggestions? Here are my contenders so far:

--Glyph Portagig 800 (7200 Rpm)
--LaCie Rugged Hard Disk 500 gig (Rpm?)

thanks

[HCMarkus]

It's the Firewire chip and (mostly) the drive INSIDE the enclosure that matters. Check http://www.storagereview.com and learn before you buy. Also, if you plan on using a Firewire audio interface, you might want to go with eSATA via a card.

[stephentayler]

Will you be using a Firewire audio interface?

I would also recommend using eSATA, especially if you intend to use Firewire for an audio interface or for video output.

I wouldn't use a buss powered drive. Personally I use regular drives , rather than the so-called portable variety, when out and about. The WD Mybook (Studio Edition) and Lacie d2 Quad drives both offer eSATA/FW/USB options.

Cheers

Stephen


PS on another note, if you are putting together a mobile system, I can't stress enough the importance of good cases for your kit.

I use Kata cases for my MBP and audio kit. Kata make cases for camera equipment, the company was started by some ex Israeli army people. They also make body armour, and many of their cases are built from similar material.

http://www.kata-bags.com/about.asp?page=12

My laptop case paid for itself on my first trip with it. An airport security man dropped the case off a high inspection table and it landed hard on its corner... the case being rounded and impact-resistant meant there was no problem.

Sorry to have drifted off topic...

[Chris T]

Thanks.

Mac Book Pro however does not have eSATA connectors right? I think I'd need a Cardbus HBA for eSATA transfer.... Not sure if I want to go to all that trouble. I'll have FW ports available so I'd prefer FW drive if they're fast enough....

Anybody know of small mobile FW drives which are NOT buss powered?

[Chris T]

Anybody know the OWC Mercury On-The-Go ?

It's 500Gig, 7200 Rpm, and good price. Looks like this is my best bet if I want a fast, FW800 large cpacity mobile drive...

[Jim]

I only have good things to say about OWC products. I don't know about that particular drive. I agree with Steven Taylor about not using buss-powered drives... not for long periods anyway. They heat up your laptop if you use them for long, and heat kills electronics. Speaking of heat, I use SMC FanControl on my MBP, set to full-blast 24/7. You can turn it off when mixing or playing back critical mixes, but it sure keeps my MBP nice and cool (relatively speaking, of course).