Extra storage for your digital life
Size, speed, and plugs are key factors to consider when buying an external hard drive
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The computer hard drive has come a long way over the past 20 years.
A typical drive in 1992 was about 5 inches across and stored about 128 megabytes - or barely enough to hold 25 songs. But now, large capacity external hard drives are all the rage, and they can store and back up just about everything in your digital life.
The Globe tested five external drives. Two of them are larger 1-terabyte drives more suited for backing up or storing a ton of files: the Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme at $289 and the SimpleTech Pro Drive by Fabrik at $199. Two of them are sleek, ultraportable 500-gigabyte drives: the Western Digital My Passport Elite at $219 and the Imation Apollo at $227. And lastly, we tested the security-focused Buffalo MiniStation DataVault 160-gigabyte drive at $145.
Bradley Ouellette, a computer engineer for Microsoft, working out of its Redmond, Wash., offices said he prefers Seagate as a brand right out of the gate. It offers the longest warranties - five years - on all its drives. That's important because the things that spin - hard drives, CD/DVD drives, and fans - are the first things to break on a computer.
But he couldn't resist the temptation of the 2.5-inch, 500-gigabyte Western Digital. For him, fitting that much data into such a small space - smaller and thinner than a wallet - is a very attractive choice.
When buying an external hard drive, the way you plug it in is also very important. The three most common types of plugs on external hard drives are called USB (probably the same type of plug used for your mouse), FireWire (commonly seen on video devices), and the newer eSATA, which is less common.
Some computers, especially laptops, tend not to send enough electrical power to their USB ports, however, and some drives will take up two ports or require an external AC-power adapter. FireWire is a great option, but most still don't have eSATA.
"I'd go with eSATA if you had it," Ouellette said. "And if you don't have eSATA, still get one that's compatible with it so you can upgrade to it later."
You should also look at the speed of the hard drive, which is measured in revolutions per minute. Most drives are either 5,400 or 7,200 RPM. The faster speed is always a better bet.
SEAGATE FREEAGENT XTREME $289
1 TB - USB, FireWire 400, and eSATA
Pros: The drive supports all standard interfaces. It comes with very easy to use proprietary software to automate backups and file transfers. Seagate is a great name; great warranty.
Cons: It requires an external AC-power source. It's also about half the size of and weighs about half as much as a laptop.
The final word:Even in 2008, a terabyte is a lot more data than many users probably will need. That's almost 500 hours of DVD-quality video.
SIMPLETECH PRO DRIVE $199
1 TB - USB, FireWire 400/800, and eSATA
Pros: The SimpleTech drive supports a faster version of FireWire and eSATA for very fast file transfers.
Cons: Comes with only a three-year warranty and requires external AC-power source. It's cheaper than Seagate, but it's not a Seagate.
The final word: SimpleTech has a 3-terabyte, two-drive-in-one-case product coming out soon. We're impressed.
WESTERN DIGITAL MY PASSPORT ELITE $219
500 GB - Mini-USB interface only
Pros: The drive is super small and super light and stores an incredible amount of data. No external power source required.
Cons: Only uses a single mini-USB port (the same wire as most digital cameras) so you'll be a bit limited on speed.
The final word: We had no problems with it and have only warm words of encouragement if you want to buy the Elite, but stay alert because if your laptop doesn't give enough power to the USB port, you'll have to buy a Y-adapter to use two ports.
IMATION APOLLO $227
500 GB - USB only
Pros: The Apollo comes with a Y-adapter in case you have to use two USB ports. It does not require an external power source. It comes with very good backup and file management software.
Cons: Our expert was worried about the quality of Imation's products.
The final word: If you can find it cheap online, go for it, but the Western Digital is the superior product.
BUFFALO MINISTATION DATAVAULT $145
160 GB - USB only
Pros: The drive is completely encrypted. When you plug it in, the interface asks you for a password to access the files. The drive is also protected from shocks and drops, but that's not an excuse to shake it around like a maraca. No external power adapter required.
Cons: It's only 160 gigabytes. Don't forget your password. Forget it and you lose your data.
The final word: 160 GB is still a lot of data, but the price you're paying is really for the encryption. If you don't need it, you can buy a bigger drive for less money.
