mixmkr said:
I believe you have the numbers backwards... at least to my knowledge...480Mbps for firewire VS 400 for USB 2.0.
No, consumer level Firewire is 400Mbps, you can get 800Mbps interfaces,
but most of the time it is 400Mbps.
USB 2.0 is 480Mbps (but as someone has already pointed out, this is peak
burst time, and not what you will actually get constantly).
If you are using a laptop for recording (which is what I do), you should be
aware that most laptops chain all sorts devices off the USB bus internally.
My laptop has its built-in modem and wireless network card connected to
it. I turn these off in the BIOS to improve the performance of my USB 2.0
external drives. I also use a standard ps/2 mouse, rather than a USB one.
In most instances USB 2.0 is fine for recording, however you should keep
in mind that Firewire was designed specifically for working with large
multimedia files and will allow you to push the envelope further.