View Full Version : USB 2.0 Vs Firewire
BigSlade
07-19-2005, 05:20 PM
How much would switching to Firewire help with the amount of time it takes to sync my iPod? I currently have 1874 songs and 1942 pictures on my 30GB iPod photo. I'm running Win XP on an Athlon 64 3400+ with 512 MB RAM. Would using Firewire vice USB 2.0 noticeable decrease my sync time? Thanks for the help.
hotphil
07-20-2005, 05:00 AM
I don't think it would make any appreciable difference and personally I wouldn't bother with the extra expense.
mmmm_beer
07-20-2005, 12:30 PM
USB 2.0 has a throughput of 480 Mb/s
Firewire has a throughput of 400 Mb/s
Unless you are running other devices on that USB channel, USB should be a bit faster. Overall, you probably won't notice that much of a difference.
wytwolf
07-20-2005, 07:00 PM
well in real world tests firewire is slightly faster when compared to usb 2.0. Though usb 2.0's max speed is 480Mb/s it rarely reaches it, and when it does it's in the form of bursts.
From the tests I've seen from external hard drives firewire is about 5-10% faster writing (what takes the longest with ipods) and about 15-20% faster reading.
The only thing is the ipod harddrive is not fast enough to make a difference (unlike high rpm external harddrives). Both usb 2.0 and firewire should be the same, firewire might be 3-5% faster.