Which is faster? USB 2 or Firewire IEEE1394

[biggiesmallz]

Also what's the transfer rate of each.

Thanx

 

[DannyBoy]

USB2 but not by much i dont think

 

[DannyBoy]

USB2 Transfer rate is : 480mbps

And Firewire is : 400mbps


ALthough there is a new firewire capable of 800mbps

dan

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: biggiesmallz
Also what's the transfer rate of each.

Thanx

If you're talking about drives:

Firewire: up to ~40 MB/s in real world (theoretical 50 MB/s) - slower if you don't use the Oxford 911 chipset.
USB 2: up to low 20s MB/s in real world (theoretical 60 MB/s)

Firewire: Faster and no drivers needed, but a bit more expensive. Provides higher power than USB.
USB2: Fast enough for optical drives but holds back hard drives a bit too much. Inexpensive. Requires additional drivers but backwards compatible with USB 1.1 (which is VERY slow).

 

[Hender]

USb2 is faster on paper, but tests repeatedly show that Firewire is in fact faster in the real world.

 

[PCMarine]

USB2 is theoretically faster than Firewire (480 mbps Vs 400 mbps)

However, to my knowledge, Firewire is a more viable option for harddrives and the like because firewire is much less CPU intensive and therefore improves harddisk transfer thoroughput.

 

[JohnnyTT]

To repeat what others have said......

USB is rated faster, but FireWire is faster in test results.

 

[DannyBoy]

Also what's the transfer rate of each

He asked for the transfer rate's, which i gave

 

[biggiesmallz]

Originally posted by: MrFiTTy

Also what's the transfer rate of each

He asked for the transfer rate's, which i gave

What is the difference between the numbers given ie.



USB2 Transfer rate is : 480mbps
And Firewire is : 400mbps


and


Firewire: up to ~40 MB/s in real world (theoretical 50 MB/s) - slower if you don't use the Oxford 911 chipset.
USB 2: up to low 20s MB/s in real world (theoretical 60 MB/s)

 

[Eug]

USB2 theoretical: 480 Mbps = 60 MB/s
Firewire theoretical: 400 Mbps = 50 MB/s

However, theoretical rates do not mean anything in the real world. Firewire is much faster.

 

[igowerf]

Let's keep repeating how firewire is faster in realworld tests while usb 2.0 is faster on paper.

 

[Yomicron]

I can't believe that no one mentioned that while USB2 is 20% faster on paper, Firewire tends to be faster in practice.

 

[LED]

Firewire800 by far 800Mbps in all worlds

 

[Vernor]

In the PC world, it seems you only need firewire for digital video cams.

 

[moonshinemadness]

You all seem to have forgotten to mention the fact that although USB 2.0 is faster on paper Firewire is actually faster in the realword!

 

[arcenite]

Since nobody else gave you the correct answer, Firewire is faster than USB2 in reality, but on paper Firewire is slower.

Bill

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Vernor
In the PC world, it seems you only need firewire for digital video cams.

Somebody who hasn't bothered to read the thread obviously.

And just if it wasn't clear...

USB 2 claims faster speeds than Firewire 1, but Firewire 1 wipes the floor with USB 2 in real life testing.

 

[DaFinn]

So, what you are saying is: Firewire is faster since it's rated slower, but USB2 is actually slower since it's rated higher...

Anybody confused yet...

 

[Vernor]

Originally posted by: Eug

Originally posted by: Vernor
In the PC world, it seems you only need firewire for digital video cams.

Somebody who hasn't bothered to read the thread obviously.

The thread police just got up.

 

[Macro2]

Firewire is faster in Real world than USB 2.0 despite what the on paper transfer rate is.
Sounds a lot like a P4 vs an XP. Hey, didn't Intel develop USB 2.0? It figures.

OTOH, Firewire 2 will destroy USB 2.0 and leave no doubt. 800 mbps

 

[ndee]

USB2 is faster on paper but firewire is faster in real world tests.

 

[krackato]

Why do I read this forum?

 

[OverVolt]

I think Firewire is faster than USB2. Right!

 

[JohnnyTT]

So you are all trying to say what exactly......?????????

 

[moonshinemadness]

So i think what everyone is trying to get at is the fact that USB 2.0 which is faster on paper and was developed by Intel is actually slower than firewire that is rated slower on paper.....Hmmm makes sense.....i think....