Audio files, photos and movies swallow up a ton of hard disk space. If your Mac’s internal drive is bursting at the seams, or if you want to keep a backup copy of your irreplaceable data, an external FireWire drive may be just what you need. Lucky for you, Macworld tests and rates external FireWire hard drives.

Below, you’ll find our ratings and test results for desktop FireWire hard drives, updated every time we review a new device. The prices of each drive reflect the listed price at the time of the review. To see the results for portable FireWire hard drives, click here.

CURRENT EDITORS’ CHOICE: Iomega External Hard Drive FireWire 800/FireWire 400/USB 2.0 250GB, Black Series
RUNNER-UP: OWC 400GB Mercury Elite-AL Pro 7,200 rpm FireWire 800/400+USB2

External Hard Drive FireWire 800/FireWire 400/USB 2.0 250GB, Black Series, (4.5 Mice)
Iomega, $240
Pros: Fast; triple interface; includes Retrospect Express; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: None significant.
Issue reviewed: October 2005
– This drive sports a full complement of ports with both flavors of FireWire as well as USB 2.0. It has a low price per gigabyte, plenty of capacity, and it’s speedy.

Mini FireWire Companion Hard Drive, 250GB, (4 Mice)
LaCie, $200 (Best Current Price: $175.41)
Pros: Fast; can boot OS X using FireWire; very low price per gigabyte.
Cons: No USB 2.0 ports.
Issue reviewed: October 2005
– This hard drive designed to sit under the Mac mini doesn’t strive to be a USB and FireWire peripherals hub as well as a desktop hard drive.

MiniStack 320GB 7200RPM, (4 Mice)
Newer Technology, $290
Pros: Can boot OS X using FireWire; integrated USB 2.0 and FireWire hub; large capacity; includes Retrospect Express; low price per gigabyte.
Cons: None significant.
Issue reviewed: October 2005– This Mac mini-designed drive offers more than increased storage capacity. It also offers ports aplenty. It has an heat sink in the bottom of the unit to help keep the drive cool as well as a fan that can be controlled via switches on the back of the unit.

400GB Mercury Elite-AL Pro 7,200 rpm FireWire 800/400+USB2, (4.5 Mice)
OWC, $399
Pros: Large capacity: fast; can boot OS X via FireWire; triple interface.
Cons: None significant.
Issue reviewed: October 2005– OWC recently added a new, less expensive line of aluminum-clad drives to its Mercury Elite Pro lineup. The AL series features the same high performance, ports, and drive options as Macworld’s previous Editor’s Choice, but it has a lower price tag and a slim aluminum case that complements a Power Mac G5. The drive performed well, winning one of the three timed trials we run and coming in near the front of the pack on the other two.

DiskGo! 80GB 3.5” Portable Hard Drive, (2 Mice)
Edge Tech, $105 (Best Current Price: $88.48)
Pros: None significant.
Cons: Can’t boot OS X via FireWire; inconsistent performance.
Issue reviewed: September 2005 – The DiskGo! is a desktop drive with FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 ports. The company considers FireWire booting to be a feature – a feature this drive doesn’t support. Nor does the drive’s documentation mention this fact.

400GB DiskGo! 3.5” Portable Hard Drive, (2.5 Mice)
Edge Tech, $375 (Best Current Price: $335.84)
Pros: Low price per gigabyte; boots OS X via FireWire.
Cons: Very slow at booting OS X via FireWire; inconsistent performance.
Issue reviewed: September 2005 – The DiskGo! is a desktop drive with FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 ports. This 400GB model is the only DiskGo drive that will boot OS X via FireWire (a fact Edge Tech does not document), but it does so very slowly.

OneTouch II 300GB FireWire 800 & USB Drive, (4 Mice)
Maxtor, $320 (Best Current Price: $250.00)
Pros: Boots OS X via FireWire; OneTouch backup via Retrospect Express (included); flexible connections; low price per gigabyte.
Cons: Sluggish performance when copying and duplicating files.
Issue reviewed: September 2005 – This triple-interface desktop hard drive is designed to be a backup device. It ships with EMC Dantz’s Retrospect Express software and has a programmable button that can be used to initiate backups.

miniMate 80GB 7200rpm FireWire + USB 2.0 Hard Drive & Integrated FireWire and USB Hub for Mac Mini, (4 Mice)
MicroNet, $169 (Best Current Price: $107.95)
Pros: Boots OS X via FireWire; integrated USB and FireWire hub.
Cons: Modest capacity; high price per gigabyte when compared to other desktop FireWire drives.
Issue reviewed: September 2005 – The miniMate drive looks like a shorter Mac mini, and is designed to sit under the Mac mini, but you don’t have to own a Mac mini to use this external drive/peripheral-hub combo. Connect a FireWire 400 cable and a USB cable to the miniMate, and you’ll be able to use two more FireWire devices and three more USB devices.

UltraGB+ 800 with 160GB 7200rpm drive, (4 Mice)
WiebeTech, $400
Pros: Bus-powered (no need for additional power cable); flexible connections; boots OS X via FireWire.
Cons: High price per gigabyte when compared to other desktop FireWiree drives.
Issue reviewed: September 2005 – Is it a desktop drive that doesn’t require external power, or a bus-powered pocket drive for a giant? If you don’t plan on taking this drive on the road, it’s probably not worth the cash. But for video folks on the move, powering up a 160GB (up to 400GB) drive from your PowerBook could prove very useful.

Quicksilver 3.5-inch FireWire/USB 2.0, (3 Mice)
Kanguru, $140
Pros: Carrying case; stand; cool, glowing kangaroo on drive.
Cons: Sluggish FireWire 400 speeds; expensive price per gigabyte; no FireWire 800; can’t boot OS X via FireWire.
Issue reviewed: May 2005 – This drive has an interesting design, especially if you like blue, glowing kangaroos. But its test results weren’t very impressive and, at a very modest 80GB, the Quicksilver has a high cost per gigabyte. Larger capacity versions of the drive are available and are a better deal if you simply can’t live without a drive featuring an illuminated marsupial.

OneTouch II, (3.5 Mice)
Maxtor, $300 (Best Current Price: $250.00)
Pros: One-button backup with Retrospect Express; low cost per gigabyte; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: Very slow performance, except for Photoshop test.
Issue reviewed: May 2005 – The OneTouch II is designed to be a desktop backup device. It ships with Dantz Retrospect Express software and has a programmable button that can be used to initiate backups.

CrossFire Desktop 160GB, (4 Mice)
SmartDisk, $190 (Best Current Price: $143.99)
Pros: Distinctive design; good FireWire 400 speeds; boots OS X via FireWire; USB 2.0, and FireWire connectors.
Cons: No FireWire 800; modest capacity.
Issue reviewed: May 2005 – This moderately priced drive features the same signature case design as other SmartDisk drives; it’s just bigger. The version we tested didn’t have a huge amount of capacity, though a Windows-formatted 250GB version is available.

G-Technology G-Drive FW 800 & FW 400 400GB, (4 Mice)
G-Technology, $559
Pros: Fast; FireWire 400 and 800; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: No USB; expensive.
Issue reviewed: April 2005 – This fast drive really complements the design of a Power Mac G5 and offers great performance and tons of storage capacity, but it is a bit expensive.

d2 Hard Drive Extreme with Triple Interface 200GB, (4 Mice)
LaCie, $229 (Best Current Price: $179.00)
Pros: Triple interface for flexible compatibility; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: Sluggish FireWire 800 speeds.
Issue reviewed: April 2005 – The d2 features an attractive case design and a competitive price. The drive supports both flavors of FireWire as well as USB, but had somewhat sluggish FireWire 800 speeds.

Hard Drive by F.A. Porsche FW400 160GB, (4 Mice)
LaCie, $149 (Best Current Price: $118.42)
Pros: Low price per gigabyte; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: No USB; low capacity.
Issue reviewed: April 2005 – This drive has a very simple design and low, low price tag. It’s a good choice for those without a FireWire 800-capable computer or the need for huge capacity.

400GB Mercury Elite FireWire 800 Pro, (4.5 Mice )
OWC, $450
Pros: Fast; FireWire 400 and 800; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: No USB.
Issue reviewed: April 2005 – The Mercury Elite 800 Pro is a high-capacity, high-performance desktop drive for those more concerned with speed and performance than with design details.

External Hard Drive 250GB, (4 Mice)
Western Digital, $279 (Best Current Price: $191.00)
Pros: Programmable buttons for backup; Retrospect Express software included; USB and FireWire connectors; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: Sluggish.
Issue reviewed: April 2005 – Designed to be a desktop backup device, this drive features a one-button backup via the included Retrospect Express. We found its FireWire 400 performance a little sluggish. A version featuring a built-in memory card reader is available for $299.

ToughTech 800 (TT8-250), (4 Mice)
WiebeTech, $340
Pros: Rugged; fast; USB and FireWire connectors; bootable via FireWire in OS X.
Cons: Expensive.
Issue reviewed: April 2005 – The ToughTech might cost a little bit more than most drives, but it has great FireWire 800 performance, sports a USB 2.0 connector, and is designed to take a beating.