Re: Question about external drive
- From: "Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:27:04 -0600
Jorge Cervantes wrote:
I have 4-5 years old computers at home and office.
I was thinking about buying external drives during this holidays. I saw
this ad today:
Western Digital 1TB MyBook USB/FW/eSATA $126
This external drive comes with eSATA drive but my computers do not
have SATA drives.
Can my computer use eSATA external drive?
Twayne wrote:
It says it connects by USB or Firewire, so ... your question is
confusing. SATA, eSATA, etc. are all going to be taken care of
inside the external case. You don't care as long as you have a USB
2 or firewire connection for it. You would only care about eSATA
if you wanted to install it inside your computer instead of as an
external drive, in which case it's a different set of issues.
I hope you're not buying it from eBAY. Please, be very careful. Newegg
seems to have the best price I saw in a quick check on it.
excerpt from wD
Easy to set up, easy to use - Installation is a snap because
you don't really install this drive, you just plug it in and it's
ready to use.
USB 2.0 interface - A simple connection that offers convenience
and compatibility among multiple computers.
Fits right in - Takes no more space than a paperback book.
Collect two or more and they nest neatly together like volumes on a
shelf. Smart and energy efficient - Turns itself on and off
with your computer.
PC and Mac compatible - Works with both Windows® 2000/XP/Vista
and Mac® OS X 10.4.8 or later
Ideal for
a.. Instant storage
b.. Easy to use
c.. USB 2.0
d.. Saving and organizing your digital photo collection
System Requirements
a.. Available USB port
b.. Windows® 2000/XP/Vista®
c.. Mac® OS X 10.4.8 or later
Package Includes
a.. External hard drive
b.. USB cable
c.. AC adapter
d.. Quick Install Guide
Twayne,
I believe you may be the confused one here.
eSATA is "External SATA". It is a connection similar to USB and Firewire.
SATA, PATA, IDE, EIDE, etc are the classic 'internal' (although I don't like
using that word - as you can have firewire/usb ports that are only
accessible inside a computer case) connect media to the computer.
I cannot actually expalin it in more simplistic terms than this:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_eSata
I have several external drives now that I use on my newer computers via
eSATA and on my older machines via USB and FireWire. It's just a different
external connector/different cable with different capabilitis (performance
levels.)
I believe you quoted the wrong drive.
I bet this is the one the OP was asking about:
http://www.frys.com/product/5554200
Which would be this one on Western Digital's site:
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=374
Looking at the specifications, you can see why someone might want eSATA
instead of USB or Firewire:
FireWire 800
Serial Bus Transfer Rate (1394b) 800 Mbits/s (Max)
eSATA
Serial Bus Transfer Rate (eSATA) 3 Gb/s (Max)
FireWire 400
Serial Bus Transfer Rate (1394a) 400 Mbits/s (Max)
USB 2.0
Serial Bus Transfer Rate (USB 2.0) 480 Mbits/s (Max)
BTW - I say that is the drive the OP speaks of because it meets their
specifications exactly.
Frys.com has the Western Digital 1TB MyBook Studio Edition Triple Interface
External Hard Drive WDH1W10000N for $120 + $6 shipping = $126 shipped.
Supports connection via USB 2.0, FireWire 400/800, and eSATA.
( They (those who posted the Black Friday deal) even provide a review:
http://bensbargains.net/deal/76029/ )
--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
.
- References:
- Question about external drive
- From: Jorge Cervantes
- Re: Question about external drive
- From: Twayne
- Question about external drive
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