Firewire vs. USB 2.0

[jaydee]

What's better and why? I know USB is 80 mb/s faster and firewire can do networking, and is the choice for video streaming, but is their really a need for both? What's the big deal? Any original sources would be helpful. Thanks guys.

 

[QuestionsandAnsweres]

im not sure but i believe firewire uses less cpu itilization (has its own chips)
or something? might be totally off the wall here

 

[bonkers325]

firewire more powerful

 

[aka1nas]

Well, Firewire is nice cuz there is already a large base of Digital camcorders equipped with it. USB 2.0s backwards compatability is nice, but the only thing that really requires the transfer rate is video editing right now. FireWire would be more useful at the moment. I would just get Adaptec's DualConnect card that has both on it!

 

[Davegod75]

i like usb 2.0 for the backwards compatibility and that fact that mice, keyboards and scanners use usb 1.0. But USB 2.0 is being killed off. I don't think we will see it take off, but who knows

 

[Noriaki]

FireWire is more flexible and powerful.

It's kinda like Ultra2 SCSI (80MB/s) vs ATA100 IDE (100MB/s).
Sure in raw transfer rate the IDE (USB) is faster, but the SCSI (FireWire) has other benefits that more than make up for it.

Like lower CPU utilization, being a true peer to peer protocol for two.

 

[corkyg]

Firewire is here and running at the advertised 800 kbps. USB 2.0 is slowly emerging . . . there are few devices available. It runs a little faster on paper . . . 880 kbps. But . . . there's almost nothing to run . . so that is moot. By the time USB 2.0 devices begin to appear, 1394b or Firewire II will be here running at 1600 kbps.

Firewire is easy and mature technology. It is essentially the add on that made SCSI 2 into SCSI 3. Another boon for PC users from Apple. (SCSI was the first!)

I just ordered the new Orangemicro PCI card for BOTH Firewire and USB 2.0. All bases are covered that way. 😉