Benefits of a powered external drive vs. non-powered

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I currently have a 320 GB MyBook for my Macbook. I'm thinking of going to the WD Passport of the same capacity. I'll be connecting to both through FireWire 400. I know the benefits of FireWire vs. USB which is why I choose to continue with FireWire, but powered vs. non-powered?

Can you tell me what the benefits of having a powered external drive vs. a non-powered would be? I'd like to clear some space and lift all this weight off my desk (oh I know, so heavy) but I want to make sure I'm not making any sacrifices by doing so.

I mainly use my laptop as a home computer and I'm always connected to power. If this is so, does it really matter if I downsize? What do you guys think? Do you have any experience with these drives?

Thank you!!
 
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Usually the difference lies in the type and speed of the drive you can get with a powered external. Usually the non-powered variety are laptop drives or slower 4200/5400RPM drives whereas the powered drives are full size desktop drives running at 7200RPM. However, Firewire is capable of providing quite a bit of power, so it's possible that the Firewire variety of non-powered drives could also contain 7200RPM drives.
 
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