FireWire cables come in two speeds: 400 and 800, with the latter being faster. However, the speed may not matter if the computer cannot support it. Compatibility is not an issue as both speeds are compatible. Users should consider the files they commonly transfer to determine which speed is best.
A FireWire® cable is useful for moving files from one device to another, and as of September 2011, two speeds are available: 400 and 800. The number represents the FireWire® speed in megabits per second (Mbit/s). In terms of sheer speed, FireWire® 800 is obviously better, but there are cases where the 400 is better. If your computer is weak or slow, the best FireWire® speed may not help, as your computer cannot support the data stream. Some people may worry about 400 and 800 compatibility, but this issue is not as important as most users believe; depending on the common files being transferred, getting the higher speed of FireWire® may not save users much time.
The easiest factor to determine between the two FireWire® cables is their speed. FireWire® 400 is capable of moving files at 400 Mbit/s, while FireWire® 800 is capable of transfer speeds of 800 Mbit/s. Here, FireWire® 800 speed is obviously better, but there are conditions that can prevent this faster cable from operating at full capacity.
Depending on the device or computer that FireWire® is connected to, the cable may not be able to sustain its optimum speed. New, modern computers, or those with powerful drive technology, can easily sustain FireWire® 800 transfer speeds. Older computers have difficulty maintaining this speed, and FireWire® 800 speeds can slow, on average, up to around 550 Mbit/s, which isn’t much better than FireWire® 400. If your computer or device is old or slow, then FireWire® 400 will provide roughly the same performance as the 800 at a lower cost.
Compatibility is a problem with many computer parts, simply because incompatible parts don’t transfer data or don’t function. This is no problem when choosing a FireWire® speed, because both the 400 and 800 are backwards and forwards compatible. A 400 device can work with an 800 wire and an 800 device can work with a 400 wire.
Users should check the files they commonly transfer to see which FireWire® speed would be best. Whether users are transferring entire hard drives or gigabytes (GB) of data, FireWire® 800 will help reduce transfer times. Small file transfers will not receive the same benefit. For example, if an average of 1 megabyte (MB) of data is transferred, using FireWire® 800 will save less than a second, which may not be worth the extra expense.
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