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Topic: EAC with external CDRW drive ok? (Read 2649 times) previous topic - next topic
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EAC with external CDRW drive ok?

After determining (in a different thread) that much of the frustration I've been experiencing is likely due to the drive I'm using, I've decided to look into purchasing a DAE-specific CDRW drive.  I've got some questions about how I should configure such a drive externally, to be used primarily for ripping with EAC.  I haven't picked a drive yet, but will be basing my decision on reviews on this forum and desired functionality (speed, quality of ripping imperfect CDs, laptop/interface compatibility, etc.).  There is no shortage of info on drives, but I haven't been able to find alot about using an external drive with a laptop.  If I missed good threads on this, please direct me to the right place.

Because I've only got a laptop (IBM T40), I suspect the best audio-grabbing drives will need to be external. This is fine, only I'm not sure what interface I should use. My T40 has two USB ports (I think they're only USB 1, but they may be USB 2; is USB 2 backward compatible with devices that had previously been hooked up to USB 1?). I also have a PCMCIA Firewire card. And I've got a standard (25 pin?) serial port and an available Ethernet port (I connect to the web through my Linksys wireless router).  Feurio! advises to use a SCSI drive in external housing, connected with a PCMCIA SCSI card, due to relatively lower CPU load and expanded drive options (with buyer-beware caveats to make sure the SCSI controller has a "Cardbus" interface for fast burning and to ensure that any necessary drivers work with your version of Windows).  See the full discussion here.  Insights from anyone's who's tried various external CDRW set-ups would be invaluable.

I'm also in the market for an external hard drive, which would also need to interface with the laptop. (I've got my eye on the Seagate Barracuda 120GB based on reviews from people on this forum for its reliability and low noise-levels). Ideally I'd like to rip with a top-notch DAE CDRW (Plextor?) and send the files to the Seagate drive. Any advice on which ports/interfaces I should use for each? Also, I plan to quickly get an additional hard drive to provide back-up for my files. Can I set up multiple external Barracudas in a RAID to accomplish this? Alternatively, Linksys has an Etherfast NAS with a 120GB drive and an open bay for an additional 120GB drive, built especially for data redundancy/backup. Any thoughts on which set-up makes more sense? If I go the RAID route, how would I do this and what sort of software would you recommend (i.e. Norton Ghost, etc.)?

EAC with external CDRW drive ok?

Reply #1 –
For top-notch DAE, use a Plextor. That way you get to use Plextools, as well, which is a very capable substitute to EAC. In certain situations, one won't be able to get a perfect rip, and the other will.

I don't know how their external drives compare to their internals, but I can't imagine they'd vary too much. As for a connector, I dunno... You should check with them.

EAC with external CDRW drive ok?

Reply #2 –
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...My T40 has two USB ports (I think they're only USB 1, but they may be USB 2; is USB 2 backward compatible with devices that had previously been hooked up to USB 1?).
Yes, it's backwards compatible. But if you hook up USB1 and USB2 devices in series on the same port, they'll all run at USB1 speeds.
Quote
I also have a PCMCIA Firewire card. And I've got a standard (25 pin?) serial port and an available Ethernet port (I connect to the web through my Linksys wireless router).  Feurio! advises to use a SCSI drive in external housing, connected with a PCMCIA SCSI card, due to relatively lower CPU load and expanded drive options (with buyer-beware caveats to make sure the SCSI controller has a "Cardbus" interface for fast burning and to ensure that any necessary drivers work with your version of Windows).
Personally I'd go for firewire then. It's somewhat SCSI-like in its resource consumption, unlike USB. And you already have the interface.
I'm not sure which devices are considered top-notch at this time. A couple of months ago I was looking for a drive, and the Yamaha CRW-F1 was recommended at the time. It's actually available in a Firewire+USB2 version and a SCSI version.
Plextor always have good offerings, be it at premium prices.
Quote
I'm also in the market for an external hard drive, which would also need to interface with the laptop. (I've got my eye on the Seagate Barracuda 120GB based on reviews from people on this forum for its reliability and low noise-levels). Ideally I'd like to rip with a top-notch DAE CDRW (Plextor?) and send the files to the Seagate drive. Any advice on which ports/interfaces I should use for each? Also, I plan to quickly get an additional hard drive to provide back-up for my files. Can I set up multiple external Barracudas in a RAID to accomplish this? Alternatively, Linksys has an Etherfast NAS with a 120GB drive and an open bay for an additional 120GB drive, built especially for data redundancy/backup. Any thoughts on which set-up makes more sense? If I go the RAID route, how would I do this and what sort of software would you recommend (i.e. Norton Ghost, etc.)?

Barracuda is a safe bet, yes. But having both a Seagate and a Maxtor DM9+, I can say that in my fanless system neither is audible. The Maxtor has a 3 year warranty when you get the 8Mb version, where Seagate has only 1 year (2 years in Europe) to offer. And it is a lot cheaper than the Seagate (in Holland). [Edit]Oh and I also considered the Hitachi 180GXP 8Mb models, which also come with 3yrs warranty and should be equally inaudible. I didn't get that because it was on backorder, and I hate waiting...[/edit]

RAID is not a good backup solution imho. Viruses and young children around the pc will still be able to take out your data. I'd get two 120Gb drives, both can be firewire boxed (I don't think 1 firewire + 1usb will be faster, but no experience with that). Then for making a backup, I like to run Drive Image. It's somewhat of a brute force method, and it's not so fast, but it doesn't require one to think
That Etherfast NAS is cool, but are you really prepared to pay that much?

EAC with external CDRW drive ok?

Reply #3 –
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See the full discussion here

Keep in mind that those Q&A pages are 4 years old or more, so Firewire wasn't a realistic option at that time...   
SCSI is perfect, but Firewire should work as fine as SCSI, I guess.

EAC with external CDRW drive ok?

Reply #4 –
Thanks for all of the input.  I've been looking around for firewire external drives and am having trouble finding local retailers with any in stock.  I'm wondering whether I should invest in a housing that can convert IDE to firewire so that I can maximize my drive choices.  Are there any reasons why this might not be a good idea? (i'm not very technically literate, so just setting such a system up is a bit intimidating).

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... both can be firewire boxed (I don't think 1 firewire + 1usb will be faster, but no experience with that). Then for making a backup, I like to run Drive Image.


For a novice, what do you mean by firewire boxed?  Would I need to use both firewire ports for this setup, or could I daisychain(?) the drives in such a way that only one port would be used?  Remember, I will likely use the other firewire port for my CDRW.

EAC with external CDRW drive ok?

Reply #5 –
It's not that you're a novice, it's just that my vocabulary fell short. I guess I invented that terminology...  sorry... I meant exactly what you're describing: i.e. IDE drives in firewire enclosures.

That seems more flexible to me (and probably more economical) than native firewire drives. You can always put a larger drive in the enclosure later, for example.

Ofcourse, your backup drive should only be connected during backing-up, not at any other time. So why not disconnect your cdrw and plug-in the backup drive at those times?
Drive to drive copying will probably be slightly faster that way (if the ports each have a separate controller) than daisy chained.

edit: removed an 'a' that was wrongly put.