External Hardrive Query

Status
Not open for further replies.

Parky-RFC

Baseband Member
Messages
84
Hi guys just looking for a little bit of advice regarding an external hardrive I'm thinking about purchasing.

I have an old-ish Dell Desktop with pretty crap specifications for this day and age. 512MB Ram LOL.

This might be a stupid question but does your system need to have specific system requirements to run a 1.5TB external hard drive? Bear in mind that I already have 2 internal drives, one 80GB and one 320GB.

Here's the external I'm currently looking at: Hard Drives - External - SEAGATE EXT HD 1.5TB FREEAGENT DESK SILVER RET Product Info - 0871 230 0540 Specialist in PC / Laptop Components Sales. CPU Memory Hard Drives Flash Networking ISC Online 0871 230 0540 Specialist in PC / Laptop Components Sal

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Its cheaper here Seagate FreeAgent 1.5TB External Hard Drive USB - Retail Silver - Ebuyer

No you don't need minimum specs you can easily upgrade ram and its only a £20 chore these days

before someone reccomends doing it yourself looky here
Seagate ST31500341AS 1.5TB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 32MB Cache - OEM - Ebuyer
Extra Value 3.5" USB2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure for upto 1.5TB SATA Hard Drives - Retail - Ebuyer

Thanks for your response mate. I've just noticed that the ''interface'' is ''USB 2.0''. I don't think I have that, would it matter a great deal?

I took a screen shot of my USB details, can you make anything from it?
 
I can't tell from that soz I haven't turned on to the dark side of nerds who know the device codes off by heart. usb2.0 is backwards compatible with usb1.1 so you don't have anything to worry about. If you want me to double check what is the model number of the desktop?
 
The only big thing will be a slower transfer rate between 2.0 and 1.1, but you can use it with no problems... but yes, I would upgrade the ram if possible and your budget allows...

Quote:

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]You may have heard that USB 2.0 is "backward-compatible" with USB 1.0/1.1 (Full-Speed USB). While that's true, USB 1.1 is also forward-compatible with USB 2.0. Whenever a system has USB 2.0 ports, you'll find the "Enhanced" USB controller in Device Manager, but you will also find two other USB controllers. These two to mantain backward compatibility to USB 1.1 devices. Each USB 2.0 host actually has 3 chips onboard. The USB controller routes signals to the correct controller chip depending on how a device is recognized. Where a device is physically plugged in has no bearing on how it is routed. All ports on a USB 2.0 motherboard can host any USB devices at all as long as the system and devices are healthy.

The vast majority of USB 2.0 devices will work on older PC's and Macs. None should flat-out fail unless there are other issues with the system. Hi-Speed USB devices will revert to Full-Speed operation when connected this way. Understand that Hi-Speed is at least ten times faster than Full-Speed in actual operation, so the speed difference is quite noticeable - unless you have never experienced Hi-Speed, of course.

When it comes to USB hub compatibility between USB 2.0 and USB 1.1, here some facts:
[/FONT]
  • [FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica][/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]
    [*]A powered hub is always preferable to unpowered.
    [*]USB hub ports are not as capable or flexible as real PC ports so it's best not to expect the world of them.
    [*]USB 1.1 (obsolete) hubs will work fine on USB 2.0 ports, but they cannot utilize USB 2.0 capabilities. They will default to slower speeds.
    [*]Hi-Speed and Full/Low-Speed USB devices can coexist nicely on USB 2.0 hubs. Connecting such a hub to a USB 2.0 port is recommended.
    [*]USB 2.0 hubs can be used on older USB 1.1 computers.

    [*]Although it is said that you can "cascade" up to 4 hubs, problems may start to arise after two hubs, it's best to minimize hub usage if possible.
    [*]Many USB devices don't work well on hubs. Cameras, scanners and especially USB drives are known to have problems with hub connectivity.
    [*]Remember that "active USB extensions" are really just one-port hubs.
    [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]As you can see, there are very few issues (if any) to be concerned about when mixing USB types. If the system and devices are healthy, it should be a "no-brainer" to connect any USB device - provided that you follow manufacturer?s instructions.

By William DeVercelly
[/FONT]
 
I can't tell from that soz I haven't turned on to the dark side of nerds who know the device codes off by heart. usb2.0 is backwards compatible with usb1.1 so you don't have anything to worry about. If you want me to double check what is the model number of the desktop?

I believe my USB's are 2.0.

Thanks for everyone's help, appreciated!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom