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Aser, I need help with more FW questions...

SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
edited February 2006 in Strut Central
Ok I understand the USB 2.0 -vs- FW400 speed debate and that FW is cpu independent. I have one Serato related question though. This I/O has 2 FW ports on the back. If I connect my FW HD with my MP3's to one of the ports in the back AND use the I/O to record my sets, how much will that affect the bandwidth?Will my transfer speeds still be high because there's traffic in two seperate directions or what?

  Comments

  • AserAser 2,351 Posts
    I haven't heard many folks having problems daisy chaining firewire devices for audio. However, if any video work is planned, it is not recommended to do so. That being the main complaint of the new macbook for final cut pro users.

    some rules for fw daisy chaining....

    - limit of 63 firewire devices per computer
    - there should be no more than 16 cable lengths between the computer's fw port and the last fw device
    - connect devices that require power from fw directly to the computer.

    tips to avoid slow down

    - keep your external drive at least 10% free, lower than that and you'll see performance issues
    - turn sleep mode off in energy saver
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    ok, thanks man. so you think that I won't have any problems with bandwidth?! I mean, this is gonna be for gigs, so I definitely don't this to fuck up.
  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    I've never daisy chained Firewire before so I never thought of doing that with my soundcard...

    Aser, as far as powered Firewire devices go, is it recommended to plug them directly into your computer because of performance issues or because of your computer being a more reliable power source?
  • AserAser 2,351 Posts
    fw shouldn't be the main concern in the speed chain, rather it should be the hard drive speed. HD's use nowhere near the maximum throughput of a firewire connection (roughly 50%). So as long as your hd is fast enough, it should be good.

    I also read that turning "Journaling" off on your external devices will speed them up. Again this is for your media storage device, keep journaling on for your boot drive.
  • AserAser 2,351 Posts
    is it recommended to plug them directly into your computer because of performance issues or because of your computer being a more reliable power source?

    it's the latter........there are lots of firewire products on the market that power through the port exclusively. For that to work you need it to be at the head of the chain, directly connected to the computer.

    as long as you have a fw400 drive that is 7200rpm with an 8mb cache then you're good. I think pretty much all the ones on the market meets these specs nowadays, w/ the oxford 911 chipset.

    nerd ooot.....
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    7200rpm with an 8mb cache


    Word, that's pretty much standard nowadays. I wouldn't buy anything slower than that.
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