It depends on the drive, and thus it depends on how the OS handles the drive. If PS recognizes the drive, either USB or FireWire, you CAN use it, but I would recommend against it.
Since PS relies so heavily on the scratch volume, you want it as fast as possible and that’s going to be local, internal. The minute you start running into an I/O backlog, I’m betting PS will croak. That’s an opinion, not a fact.
It´s risky. My firewire drive sometimes disconnect for no reason.
I have had no problems. I was heavily advised against it in this forum, even told that PS doesn’t recognize those drives. It’s actually a function of the OS. If it does not recognize the drive as removable, then PS won’t either.
Sure it’s risky, but hey, HD’s fail in the middle of a job too!
One nice perk:
Turn off the drive when on the Web. No one can touch it then. Put all your final images there also.
Thanks for your help there though, still undecided. 2 to 1 against. I might just get the HD anyway, cos my teeny tiny 30 GB are almost choked!
Martin
Martin,
Don’t let the commentary stop you from buying a firewire/usb external drive. They’re great. I port a boatload of stuff using them. My commentary was aimed at the specific intended use – as a scratch disk. I’ll be buying more this year, but you just don’t want (IMO) to use it as a scratch disk for Photoshop, although apparently Lawrence hasn’t had an issue doing so.
I love them personally.
Echo Tonys statement. I have a 200 gig Firewire drive. I call it ‘Hangar’, and it serves a purpose. Just not a scratchdisk one.
If I had a second internal HD, it would be my scratch disk. It was far easier to buy a firewire and simply plug it in.