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Is USB 2.0 better than Firewire? Please help me decide.

I

IsOs

Diamond Member
I'm thinking of getting an external DVD RAM drive. It's available either in USB 2.0 or Firewire, which is both not part of my current system so I need to add a card. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1 so I can connect other USB device into these new ports. On second thought, Firewire seems the way to go since mose Digital Video Camera uses a Firewire connection.

I can't seem to decide which way to go. Can someone please let me know what they think along with advantage and disadvantage of going one way or another.

Thanks.
 


<< I'm thinking of getting an external DVD RAM drive. It's available either in USB 2.0 or Firewire, which is both not part of my current system so I need to add a card. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1 so I can connect other USB device into these new ports. On second thought, Firewire seems the way to go since mose Digital Video Camera uses a Firewire connection.

I can't seem to decide which way to go. Can someone please let me know what they think along with advantage and disadvantage of going one way or another.

Thanks. >>

USB 2.0 has a marginally higher throughput, but in general IEEE-1394 (fire wire) is better because USB taxes the CPU more than is necessary. Also, there is a PCI card that has both USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 ports if you really can't decide (can't remember the manufacturer).
 


<< I would go with firewire for those reasons too, the cpu load is too high for USB. >>

USB is some twisted plot concocted by Andy Grove to force people to buy better CPUs instead of using older ones.
 
Thank you for the responses. I didn't know that USB 2.0 taxes the cpu. That's good info and therefore I'll go with the Firewire solution🙂
 
Why a DVD-RAM drive? Why not a RW drive? A RAM disk will only work in a RAM drive, a RW will work in (most) anything.
 
There are no USB 2 cameras because USB 2 is new. There is a sequel to firewire coming out as well, but I don't know if it's backward compatable. Exactly how much does usb tax the cpu, and is it really pertinent? A 10% tax on a 100MHz cpu would be less than 1% on a 1000MHz cpu. This argument used to be raised on sound cards also, but at the speeds cpu's are at today, the loads really don't affect results noticeably.
 
I thought that USB 2.0 addressed the saturation issue found under USB 1.1 ... along with allowing for bandwidth that rivals IEEE 1394/i-Link/FireWire.

I would go USB 2.0 just because most all systems should be able to easily handle USB 1.1 saturation issues as well as the same utilitzation issues under USB 2.0 if they exist.

Also, more computer-related products are found for the USB spec.
 
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