LaCie 500GB Rugged External Hard Drive-500GB RUGGED TRIPLE EXT USB/FW400/FW800 8MB

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LaCie 500GB Rugged External Hard Drive-500GB RUGGED TRIPLE EXT USB/FW400/FW800 8MB

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LaCie 500GB Rugged External Hard Drive-500GB RUGGED TRIPLE EXT USB/FW400/FW800 8MB

...

LaCie 500GB Rugged External Hard Drive-500GB RUGGED TRIPLE EXT USB/FW400/FW800 8MB

...

I need drives for several computers, including Mac, Windows and Linux boxes. This drive is definitely a must own if you have a Mac and may even be worth installing a fire-wire card in your PC.

Don't get me wrong, when it comes to value and best performance for your buck the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (Intense Blue) is a great option. Like the LaCie, it has a variety of color options including black, red, white and blue. Changing colors on your LaCie is much easier than buying a different color WD drive when the mood strikes. The rugged color bumpers are interchangeable. The WD doesn't have the "rugged" edges and it only has USB 2.0.

If you want to run a program or a media library off your external drive, USB is just not as good as fire-wire. Ignore the specifications and numbers, because from first hand experience I can tell you fire-wire definitely performs faster for large backups or regular data access. In that way the LaCie is also more versatile. Even if you are planning on using it for USB only right now, having the fire-wire ports means you are future-proofed. If you plan on getting a new laptop within the next year you can pretty much plan on it having fire-wire.

Now there are a few slight advantages that the WD has over the LaCie. The LaCie is definitely slightly bigger and thicker, and it's also more expensive. Still, the pros will probably outweigh the cons, especially for Mac users.

Pros
+ Great versatility with fire-wire 400, 800, and USB 2.0
+ Fire-Wire speeds give you better response times for online data access
+ Nice size with aluminum shell and "rugged" edges that hold up regular use
+ USB or FW powered, so no A/C required, which is great for portability
+ USB power sharing option allows you to hook up a USB hub, etc.
+ Works well on Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X and older versions too
+ You can set up your own disk encryption for security and privacy
+ Nice looks, and the brushed surface scratches much less than my WD drives
+ Other color options for your rubber bumpers are sold separately
+ Turns on and off with your computer or easily ejected via system tray
+ Easy driver-less installation really works!
+ Included backup software is less buggy than WD and may be useful for some
+ 500 GB capacity is great, even though 250 GB was good too
+ The 2 year warrantee is good, but not as good as WD's 3 and 5 year warrantees depending on model

Cons
- Priced higher than WD on a dollar per gigabyte basis
- Larger GB drives from LaCie are newer and have less of a track record
- Form factor is slightly larger and thicker than the WD passport drive
- Warrantee is also shorter than WD
- The *rugged* thing may be exaggerated; I don't recommend dropping it
- Still no standard Linux drivers or software included, but there are workarounds
- Have to spend your cash to get a case that should have been included

Conclusion

This drive is great or those who want a portable drive for backups or running a media library application like iTunes or Media Center. Now with the larger capacities coming out, the benefits of this drive are even better. The premium price may be worth it for those who need that extra edge in speed offered by fire-wire connectivity.

Enjoy!

LaCie 500GB Rugged External Hard Drive-500GB RUGGED TRIPLE EXT USB/FW400/FW800 8MB

...

I need drives for several computers, including Mac, Windows and Linux boxes. This drive is definitely a must own if you have a Mac and may even be worth installing a fire-wire card in your PC.



Don't get me wrong, when it comes to value and best performance for your buck the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (Intense Blue) is a great option. Like the LaCie, it has a variety of color options including black, red, white and blue. Changing colors on your LaCie is much easier than buying a different color WD drive when the mood strikes. The rugged color bumpers are interchangeable. The WD doesn't have the "rugged" edges and it only has USB 2.0.



If you want to run a program or a media library off your external drive, USB is just not as good as fire-wire. Ignore the specifications and numbers, because from first hand experience I can tell you fire-wire definitely performs faster for large backups or regular data access. In that way the LaCie is also more versatile. Even if you are planning on using it for USB only right now, having the fire-wire ports means you are future-proofed. If you plan on getting a new laptop within the next year you can pretty much plan on it having fire-wire.



Now there are a few slight advantages that the WD has over the LaCie. The LaCie is definitely slightly bigger and thicker, and it's also more expensive. Still, the pros will probably outweigh the cons, especially for Mac users.



Pros

+ Great versatility with fire-wire 400, 800, and USB 2.0

+ Fire-Wire speeds give you better response times for online data access

+ Nice size with aluminum shell and "rugged" edges that hold up regular use

+ USB or FW powered, so no A/C required, which is great for portability

+ USB power sharing option allows you to hook up a USB hub, etc.

+ Works well on Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X and older versions too

+ You can set up your own disk encryption for security and privacy

+ Nice looks, and the brushed surface scratches much less than my WD drives

+ Other color options for your rubber bumpers are sold separately

+ Turns on and off with your computer or easily ejected via system tray

+ Easy driver-less installation really works!

+ Included backup software is less buggy than WD and may be useful for some

+ 500 GB capacity is great, even though 250 GB was good too

+ The 2 year warrantee is good, but not as good as WD's 3 and 5 year warrantees depending on model



Cons

- Priced higher than WD on a dollar per gigabyte basis

- Larger GB drives from LaCie are newer and have less of a track record

- Form factor is slightly larger and thicker than the WD passport drive

- Warrantee is also shorter than WD

- The *rugged* thing may be exaggerated; I don't recommend dropping it

- Still no standard Linux drivers or software included, but there are workarounds

- Have to spend your cash to get a case that should have been included



Conclusion



This drive is great or those who want a portable drive for backups or running a media library application like iTunes or Media Center. Now with the larger capacities coming out, the benefits of this drive are even better. The premium price may be worth it for those who need that extra edge in speed offered by fire-wire connectivity.



Enjoy!