Whats the best external drive setup for FCP and accompanying software?

With all the external Hard Drives out there I am hoping that other users could suggest the best options when setting up FCP to work with an external drive. I am working with both SD and HD and am planning to use DVD Studio, Soundtrack Pro along with Motion and AE.
With all the info out there claiming to be the 'best' it gets a little confusing. I bought a 2T WD HD with Firewire 400, 800 and eSATA connections. With the amount of footage I have to capture this wont last long. And the intention is to archive this footage and making it easy to access in a year or two.
Which is best type of connection? Firewire 800 or eSata? Any Suggestions as to a really good external hard drive set up that I can add to as finances allow?

Not quite sure what this question has to do with Qmaster, but what the heck.
The simple response is get the fastest and biggest external you can. If you are getting a drive mechanism without swappable disks, purchase 2 mechanisms - 1 for use when editing and the second for backing up. Purchase a 3rd drive to back up your system drive.
If you go the swapable drive bay route, you'll pay more for the mechanism but you'll recoup the cost as you can purchase additional bare drives for a fraction of the cost of another whole mechanism.
The fastest connection speed is esata then FW800 then FW400. USB is not appropriate to editing video (but can be used for simple backups).
If you have the resources, something like a Caldigit HDOne is a high performer. If that's out of your range, look into their VR line or something from MacBurley. Granite Digitial also makes good basic devices.
Have fun.
x

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