Best External Firewire 800 nearest $100????

As the subject line implies. I use a LaCie hard disc with the blue light for my current project drive. It's a bit old I believe, (got it from a friend), and at 5400 rpm. I'm looking to get a new workhorse and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I found a Buffalo 7400 rpm 1 tb for $111. Anyone? Otherwise should I buy an enclosure and build it slowly? I don't see myself getting a newer Mac with Thunderbolt capabilities anytime soon. So I'm kinda stuck with Firewire 800. By the way I have a 2009 iMac i5 2.66 quad core, 16 gig ram if it makes a difference.

Otherwise what kind of stuff are you guys using? I hear about RAIDS a lot but don't know much about them. I'm trying to educate myself in the meantime. Been prettty busy here.

Here's the Buffalo.

www.amazon.com/BUFFALO-DriveStation-Comb...id=1364434391&sr=1-1

I can't say for sure, but I've read some ugly reports about Buffalo failing and bad support online. Just stuff I've read.

I'd look at Other World Computing drives. Know to be very reliable, top notch customer/tech support.

Hey thanks Ben. Of course upon further investigation I've been finding a lot of negative on the Buffalo drives. I think I'll pass. I went to OWC... Seems a lil pricier but I know you get what you pay for.

Seems Firewire is on the way outs. Nobody around here, (Best Buy, etc) don't carry them anymore. It's all USB 3.0 and of course TB.

Here's a question. Can a USB 3.0 drive be used with a mac at all with a converter cable???

Don,

"Seems Firewire is on the way outs. It's all USB 3.0 and of course TB."

Lots of FW800 external drives still to be had, go to your favorite online retailer and do a search.

"Here's a question. Can a USB 3.0 drive be used with a mac at all with a converter cable???"

Most usb3 external drives are fully usb2 compatible, BUT DON'T BOTHER. While the drive is compatible, usb2 speeds are useless for video work. USB3 is a different animal altogether.
The usb port on your computer is usb2 only, so go for a FW800 drive as it will be the fastest you can achieve.
If your LaCie drive is FW800, you can always pop it open and install a faster drive in it, assuming the enclosed drive is a sata drive, you can just purchase a bare internal 7200rpm drive or a ssd drive and plug it in. Of course if the LaCie is a usb2 drive, the above advice applies.
Hope this helps, Greg

Thanks Greg. I knew all of that except for the gem about installing a faster drive in the Lacie! That could be a very viable option.

You are welcome