FireWire/2.0 USB ComboCard for PC

Blane · Jun 20, 2002

h**p://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Product_Id=100353#

shadoe_phantom · Jun 20, 2002

there are a few out on the market now (all seem to be a good add-on to any system, if you need those features)

Blane · Jun 20, 2002

I'm gonna pick one up soon. Just waiting for Iomega to come out with their 120GB external Firewire HD. It's also going to be firewire powered so, no extra power cord needed.

shadoe_phantom · Jun 20, 2002

The only issues with the Iomega external Firewire HD is that you have to buy 2 units whereby one you must give to me =)

bertieg · Jun 20, 2002

Couldnt make it 3 could you LOL

Blane · Jun 20, 2002

This sounds like a big order. Anybody else want a $400 eternal HDD while I'm at it,lol.

dx · Jun 20, 2002

Blane said:
I'm gonna pick one up soon. Just waiting for Iomega to come out with their 120GB external Firewire HD. It's also going to be firewire powered so, no extra power cord needed.

Be carefull in buying your Firewire card as many Firewire cards do not offer bus power. The best way is implemented with a power connecter (usu, same type connector as Floppy) from the PSU to the card.

Also something to note, many high performance Oxford 911 compliant Firewire (usu, 7200rpm) drives need more than bus just power for good performance. Not sure if this Iomega drive is this type...but it's important to know.

Blane · Jun 21, 2002

Thanks dxkim for the well timed info. I thought all firewire cards had bus power. I'm glad you told me this.

dx · Jun 21, 2002

Blane said:
Thanks dxkim for the well timed info. I thought all firewire cards had bus power. I'm gald you told me this.

No problem

Its often assumed that Firewire is always bus powered like USB 1.1 and 2.0. But Firewire went for performance rather than universal compatability. Firewire devices are usually high powered devices...something bus power does not supply. So most Firewire devices supply their own power.

In all honesty, Oxford 911 Firewire at 400mbits per second is (so far) still faster than 480mbits per second USB 2.0. As I said, Firewire is more into performance than compatability. IE, you wont be seeing any Firewire mice or printers anytime soon.

BTW, if your Belkin does not supply Firewire bus power...Adaptec makes an excellent Combo (USB 1.1, 2.0 & Firewire) PCI card that DOES support bus power. Its called the DuoConnect. I have one...it's great!

_http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/product/proddetail.html?sess=no&prodkey=AUA-3121&cat=%2fTechnology%2fUSB%2fUSB+%26+FireWire+Combo+Cards

shadoe_phantom · Jun 21, 2002

yes. You might be better off Blane with a USB 2 external HDD instead (only 'cause you will have an easier time connecting to other PCs *other than yours).
I mean, why else would you buy an external HDD if not to be able to go & hook it up to other PCs away from home or from your main PC. (most new motherboards are being paired up with USB 2 now plus the bonus feature that most USB 2 devices are backwards compatible with USB 1)

Blane · Jun 23, 2002

Thanks dxkim and shadoe_phantom for the nfo. Now I have much to consider and investigate before I buy my pci card and ext. hdd.

ChickenMan · Jun 24, 2002

I have both Firewire and USB 2 onboard my M/B ( an ASUS A7V333 ), cheaper than buying an addon card if you need to upgrade your m/b.

Blane · Jun 26, 2002

Thanks ChickenMan. I'm a little too late on the m/b. I just did a m/b upgrade in march before Iomega made the announcement. So I have to go with the PCI card.

dx · Jun 26, 2002

I must agree with shadoe_phantom on this one. A USB 2.0 bus powered drive is much more versatile than a Firewire drive. If you want a drive that you can take to any computer (yes even a MAC with the right software) a USB 2.0 drive is a fine choice. USB 2.0 is backward compatable with 1.1 and will have the 5 volt bus power which you need. It will be slower on USB 1.1, but it will work.

Firewire is best for high performance needs. If your big into multmedia (video edit, photo edit, ...) it's the best. But for the best performance these drives are not bus powered (they just need more juice).

I have a laptop 2.5" USB 2.0 drive and several Firewire drives. The Firewire drives are exclusively for media files. But my USB 2.0 drive is the fun drive, because it's slightly larger than a pack of cigs and will go on any computer out there. Great fun!