FireWire® hard drives use high-speed cables to transfer data at speeds of 3,200 Mbits per second. Capacity and connections vary, with larger drives preferred for storing large collections of data, while multiple smaller drives offer redundancy. Different connection types are available, and physical size can affect portability and power requirements.
A FireWire® hard drive is a type of digital storage that uses a high-speed cable to transfer data. This variety of hard disk drive is alternately known as an “IEEE 1394” or “i.Link” drive and is capable of receiving data at speeds of 3,200 megabits (Mbits) per second. Although all IEEE 1394 drives use the same type of cables, different hard drive models have advantages and disadvantages. Consumers should evaluate a unit’s available capacity and connections. The portability and physical size of a FireWire® hard drive are also important considerations.
Many varying capacities are available in a FireWire® hard drive. This number indicates how much data a hard drive can hold. Most external drives are measured in gigabytes (GB) and terabytes (TB). As a general guideline, one gigabyte of capacity can hold one hour of standard definition video. A terabyte is roughly the equivalent of 1,000 gigabytes. Hard drives with a high capacity are generally preferred because they allow users to store a large collection of data on a single drive.
While large hard drives are common, consumers who are particularly concerned about data loss might consider using several smaller FireWire® drives instead of a single high-capacity drive. It is often possible to purchase multiple small-capacity hard drives for a similar price to one large drive. This approach allows users to make several copies of important data and store the drives in separate locations. Users should weigh the convenience of a single drive versus the redundancy of several smaller, less expensive IEEE 1394 disks.
The number and type of connections available on a FireWire® hard drive are also important. By definition, a FireWire® drive can be used with a standard IEEE 1394 patch cord. However, some hard drives also have ports for different connection types. Many drives include high-speed Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections for convenience. This allows you to connect a drive to a non-FireWire® compatible computer and can be useful if a user frequently shares the drive or has multiple computers with different capabilities.
Some FireWire® hard drives are physically larger than others. Often, the size of a drive is related to its data capacity. Units with a small form factor are often easier to transport and store than their large, bulky counterparts. Also, some IEEE 1394 hard drives require an external power supply, while others can be powered directly by the connected computer. Drives that don’t require additional power are convenient for travel, but may not have the same data transfer rates as externally powered drives.
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