Multiple external drives question

[CWatters]

It occured to me that I've not seen this asked/answered before...

If you have an external USB enclosure with TWO or more drives in it (eg a
DVD and an HD) do they normally use two USB cables or share one? Anyone want
to comment on the performance difference between two seperate boxes and one
shared box?

 

[Rod Speed]

It occured to me that I've not seen this asked/answered before...

If you have an external USB enclosure with
TWO or more drives in it (eg a DVD and an HD)

Those arent very common at all.

do they normally use two USB cables or share one?

Normally just one.

Anyone want to comment on the performance difference
between two seperate boxes and one shared box?

Really depends on how you use it. There arent many
situations in which you can actually copy directly from
say the HD to the DVD, the data normally moves from
the HD to memory and then to the DVD for example
and in that case you dont have true simultaneous
access to both devices, the access is sequential.

Even with say two HDs and file copying between them,
you still dont have true simultaneous access, so it shouldnt
make much difference over say two HDs each in their own
enclosure with their own USB cable.