Which Is Quickest?

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CT

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Firewire or USB2? :Ponders:
 
Question: USB 2.0 is faster than FireWire...right?
Answer: No, actually FireWire is faster than USB 2.0.

Question: Hold on...USB 2.0 is a 480 Mbps interface and FireWire is a 400 Mbps interface, how can FireWire be faster?
Answer: Raw throughput rating numbers alone don't tell the whole story, as explained below.

The throughput numbers would lead you to believe that USB 2.0 provides better performance. But, differences in the architecture of the two interfaces have a huge impact on the actual sustained "real world" throughput. And for those seeking high-performance, sustained throughput is what it's all about (reading and writing files to an external hard drive for example).

Architecture - FireWire vs. USB 2.0


*

FireWire, built from the ground up for speed, uses a "Peer-to-Peer" architecture in which the peripherals are intelligent and can negotiate bus conflicts to determine which device can best control a data transfer

*

USB 2.0 uses a "Master-Slave" architecture in which the computer handles all arbitration functions and dictates data flow to, from and between the attached peripherals (adding additional system overhead and resulting in slower, less-efficient data flow control)

Performance Comparison - FireWire vs. USB 2.0
Read and write tests to the same IDE hard drive connected using FireWire and then USB 2.0 show:

Read Test:


* 5000 files (300 MB total) FireWire was 33% faster than USB 2.0
* 160 files (650MB total) FireWire was 70% faster than USB 2.0

Write Test:


* 5000 files (300 MB total) FireWire was 16% faster than USB 2.0
* 160 files (650MB total) FireWire was 48% faster than USB 2.0

FireWire - Still the Performance King!
As the performance comparison shown above confirms, FireWire remains the performance leader. And is the best choice for DV camcorders, digital audio and video devices, external hard drives, high-performance DVD burners and any other device that demands continuous high performance throughput.
 
LOL... I think so.. thanks Steve. :D

The reason I asked is I seem to get a different opinion from everyone I ask.
 
Yeah I had the same issues with that question. I did some searching though and the above seems to be reliable information that is backed up with a decent explination. On paper if you look at only the figures you can easily see why people get different answers to the same question.
 
good explanation Steve!
 
OK next dumb question - is there such a thing as a firewire card reader?

I don't fancy coupling the camera to the PC every time I want to upload pics, and I'd prefer commonality (commonality? :embarasse) between the 1D and the 20D so I dont have to use USB and firewire.
 
Yes there are, but they tend to be much more expensive than USB2 versions.

I believe Warehouse Express stock some but I would have to check to make sure.
 
Thanks Steve - I'll check it out. :thumb:
 
You found a firewire card reader yet Steve? :whistle2:

I'm currently using a PCMCIA slot card reader for CF cards on my lappy, it has a Sd reader built in........but i don't have anything on Sd :doh:

Takes ages to transfer 2gb of images.

The lappy does have a 4 pin firewire connection though, so it'll be quicker like that.

Main PC already has a firewire card in too, thats what the mini Dv cam plugs into :)
 
I didn't look..thought CT was doing that ;)

I would personally just buy a usb2 card reader and plug that in... in fact thats just what I did. :p
 
I have been using a Lexar Firewire CF reader since the summer when I bought one off eBay.
The speed is awesome compared to USB 2..:cool:

My advise if you have large files to download is go out and buy one, Mine was around £28 IIRC..:)
 
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