Register | Login: pw: 

Attackpoint - performance and training tools for orienteering athletes

Discussion: Hard drives - yes. But with...

in: Samantha; Samantha > 2010-01-31;

#  Posted 2010-01-31 23:21:11
unpronunciation: Hard drives - yes. But with some of the LaCie ones you have to format them on a PC first. Then you can overwrite the partitions and reformat on a mac.

#  Posted 2010-01-31 23:37:09
Acampbell: Sam i just got one for my mac. I can look up the name for you tonight when i get home.

#  Posted 2010-01-31 23:38:48
Samantha: Ok, well Ross has a PC so I could so that.

Thanks Alison, that would be great.

#  Posted 2010-02-02 03:59:20
Acampbell: Sam the one i have is made by the company Seagate. And it looks like it is made for macs. www.seagate.com

#  Posted 2010-02-02 05:09:58
iansmith: Sam, you should be able to pick up any firewire or USB 2.0 external drive and format it on your Apple. I'm not in particular aware of any compatibility issues, beyond the input port. External hard drives typically interface via USB 2.0 (most common), firewire, or Serial ATA (mostly internal drives). I don't know if your computer has a firewire port, and you're probably best of with USB 2.0.

This article might be useful. I have purchased products from Microcenter including a couple of hard drives before, and I have always the selection, prices, and service excellent.

You have a few considerations:
    Format: The Apple default format is Hierarchical File System, which is what your computer will probably use by default. I have no experience with this format, but it should be straightforward - when you plug in the hard drive, your computer should recognize it and try to format it. Windows uses NTFS, which your Apple won't be able to read. The most widely accepted format is FAT32 (most USB sticks use this format); virtually every machine made in the past decade can read/write FAT32, so if you want to be able to access or write to your external with a PC, this is the format of choice.

    Size: This really depends what you plan to store, though space is pretty cheap - you can get a fine 500 GB hard drive for about $100, with smaller drives slightly more expensive than $0.20/GB. I personally have used Western Digital hard drives and found them reliable, but any drive will eventually fail. Seagate drives are fine, too.

    Power supply: if you get a drive without external power - a plug into a power socket - it will get all its power through your computer's USB or firewire port. This isn't necessary a problem, and certainly the most portable external hard drives don't have external power, but there can exist limitations when you're relying on the computer port for power. For instance, there's a limit to how much power your computer can provide through its USB bus. Some drives made need more power; alternatively, if you have more than one USB device plugged in, you may not have enough power to run all of them. I personally prefer external hard drive enclosures with their own power.

    Case: you have the option of buying a packaged external hard drive, with its own (possibly inaccessible) case, or buying a case and an internal hard drive. I've always taken the latter route because it's a bit less expensive and somewhat more customizable, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. The about.com article discusses this somewhat.


An example of a hard drive with no external power source.
An example of a hard drive with an external power source.
Note that the above prices are not necessarily representative of the two classes.

#  Posted 2010-02-02 05:21:54
iansmith: One other topic that I didn't mention that's closely related to power supply is form factor. FYI, form factor basically means size; a 2.5" form factor means the box is about 2.5" wide, etc. You basically only see 3.5" and 2.5" varieties.

The 2.5" variety are likely to be marketed as "ultra-portable" - they're small, get all their power from USB, and are sort of like the Macbook Air - they make some compromises on performance for smallness. They work fine, and certainly are convenient. Some examples:
WD My Passport - Note that it uses USB power
The general class of 'micro' drives

The 3.5" form factor is a bit bigger and bulkier, but they tend to be cheaper for equivalent performance. They are more likely to have external power (I like this so I don't have to worry about when I can unplug the drive, e.g.).
WD 3.5" My Book - note the external AC adapter for power
The general class

#  Posted 2010-02-02 05:51:44
Jordan.Laughlin: That sums it up quite well Ian. What is your major again?

#  Posted 2010-02-02 07:14:04
iansmith: Canadian studies.

#  Posted 2010-02-02 07:34:59
Samantha: Wow, thanks Ian! Too tired tonight to really read through all the articles, although I am looking forward to it.

#  Posted 2010-02-02 07:46:38
drewi: Also, Sam, your Mac does have a firewire port, since it was made in the last ~10 years. =P

Advertisement
 

You must be logged in to add a message



 

Mar 19, 2010: processing time: 0.07s | © 2000-2010 Attackpoint LLC
contact | about orienteering | privacy policy | donate