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Seagate Expansion 3 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive STBV3000100 | Seagate Backup Plus 3 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive (STCA3000101) | Seagate Backup Plus 3 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for Mac (STCB3000900) | WD My Book 4TB External Hard Drive Storage USB 3.0 File Backup and Storage |
|
| Customer Rating | ||||
| Price | $119.99 | $119.99 | $129.31 | $191.87 |
| Shipping | FREE Super Saver Shipping | FREE Super Saver Shipping | FREE Super Saver Shipping | FREE Super Saver Shipping |
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| Hard Drive Size | 3 TB | 3 TB | 3 TB | 4 TB |
| File System | Unformatted | NTFS | Unformatted | Unformatted |
| Hard Drive Type | External | External | External | External |
| Add to Cart | Add to Cart | Add to Cart | Add to Cart |
Product DetailsSize: 3 TB
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Product Description
Size: 3 TB
From the Manufacturer
Easy, Reliable Add-on Storage
The Seagate Expansion External hard drive offers an easy-to-use solution when you need to instantly add storage to your computer and take files on the go. Featuring drag-and-drop file saving right out of the box, USB-powered capability, and fast data transfer with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity, it's simple, reliable add-on storage.
Installs in seconds with the included power supply and USB cable
Seagate has delivered proven, reliable storage solutions for more than 30 years
The Easy-To-Use Storage Solution
The Expansion external hard drive installs easily by plugging in two cords. You can start saving your digital files to this hard drive within seconds of removing it from the box.
Quickly and easily free up storage space on your computer's hard drive
Featuring drag-and-drop file saving right out of the box
Instantly Adds Storage Capacity
Digital photos, video and music files can tax your computer's storage, causing performance to decline as its internal hard drive fills to capacity. The Expansion External hard drive helps remedy this situation by enabling you to free up storage space on your computer's hard drive.
The Expansion External hard drive comes in a range of capacities, from 500GB up to the 3TB model offering enough data storage for:
Up to 3,000 hours of digital video Up to 750 2-hour DVD movies Up to 960,000 digital photos Up to 49,980 hours of digital music
Installs in Seconds
Seagate Expansion External hard drive features like these make it incredibly easy to use this drive right from the box. Simply plug in the power supply, then plug in the included USB cable into your computer. The drive is automatically recognized by your Windows operating system; there's no software to install and nothing to configure. Drag and drop to save files to the Expansion External drive. Built-in power management automatically ensures energy-efficient operation.
Trusted Seagate Quality and Support
Seagate has delivered proven, reliable storage solutions for more than 30 years. With more than one billion hard drives shipped, Seagate continues to stand behind its quality. Additionally, Seagate support is always available should you have questions or need assistance using your Expansion External hard drive.
What's in the Box?
Seagate Expansion External hard drive, USB 3.0 cable, power adapter, quick start guide, warranty.
System Requirements
Compatible operating systems are Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP3 (32-bit and 64-bit).
There's An Easy-to-use Seagate Expansion Drive Anytime You Need Simple Add-on Storage | |
 |  |
| Expansion Portable Drive | Expansion Desktop Drive |
|---|---|
| Take along add-on storage. Capacities up to 1TB make is simple to transport loads of movies, photos, music and more. | The big easy. Quickly add on massive amounts of easy-to-use storage with capacities up to 3TB. |
Product Description
The Seagate Expansion desktop drive provides extra storage for your ever-growing collection of files. Instantly add space for more files, consolidate all of your files to a single location, or free up space on your computer’s internal drive to help improve performance. Setup is straightforward; simply plug in the included power supply and USB cable, and you are ready to go. It is automatically recognized by the Windows operating system, so there is no software to install and nothing to configure. Saving files is easy too—just drag-and-drop. Take advantage of the fast data transfer speeds with the USB 3.0 interface by connecting to a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 for additional system compatibility. Software Requirements: Works with Windows Vista and Windows XP.Sustained Data Transfer Rate: USB 3.0 4.8Gbps. System Requirements: Compatible operating systems are Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP3 (32-bit and 64-bit). Inside the Box: External desktop hard drive, USB cable, Quick start guide, Power adapter, 1-year limited warranty.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1,224 of 1,260 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Similar to adding an internal drive. Worry about heat. Product info needs to be more than just "It just works"
June 29, 2012
Size Name:2 TB|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
NOTE: Amazon has combined the reviews for the 1TB, 2TB and 3TB versions of this product, with the 3TB version dominating the negative reviews (as of 2012-11-24), so pay attention to which version is being reviewed.
The target market of the Seagate Expansion Desktop line seems to be people who want to add a performance drive, but don't want to, or cannot, install an additional internal drive, that is, this is a drive they won't be moving, at least not frequently. For example, a laptop where the extra storage can happily stay behind in the office. Or a small-form-factor PC (mini-PC, HTPC, "nettop") that doesn't have space. There are other lines of external drives from Seagate (and others) targeting more transient/mobile uses.
For a range of potential buyers of this drive, the product information provided may be too sketchy. The focus of this review is to fill in some of the missing info, and it is structured to facilitate your skipping details that don't interest you. Note: At the time of this review, the product information here at Amazon is more than you will find elsewhere, including Seagate's website (no spec sheets, ...).
TRANSFER SPEED:
The drive in the enclosure is the same model used for internal drives in performance desktops (details below).
With USB 3.0, transfers to this drive are slightly faster than the same transfers between the (older) internal SATA drives in my current computer (details below).
The drive has the performance needed to benefit from USB 3.0: In my experiments, USB 3.0 transfers are 60-200% faster than USB 2.0 (details below).
COOLING:
Heat is the enemy and can shorten the lifespan of drives. For a drive that seems intended to be always on, I would have expected cooling to be a significant design feature. The enclosure is passively cooled with holes in the bottom and back. However, this doesn't seem to be enough to enable real/effective convection cooling (using rising heat to pull cooler air across the radiator). The enclosure is thin plastic (metal would be been a better conductor of heat).
Part of the basic drive is a metal plate that serves as a radiator, and the typical installation positions the drive with the plate on top or to the side to facilitate heat rising off it. Here, the drive is positioned with the metal plate on the bottom to have it close to the vent holes in the enclosure. However, the enclosure's feet are absurdly thin -- the equivalent of 12 sheets of paper thick. Not only does this restrict air flow to the drive through those holes, it also turns the surface that the enclosure sits on into a heat reservoir, further inhibiting cooling. I strongly recommend increasing this gap. For example, I am using the (optional, unused) thick feet that came with another enclosure. And I recommend positioning it where it will benefit from the existing airflow in the room (and avoiding dead spots). Putting the drive on a sheet of aluminum, or other highly conductive material, negates the heat reservoir effect of typical furniture. Aluminum foil also worked, although I wouldn't recommend it as a longer term measure because the inevitable crinkles will inhibit air-flow.
As an experiment, after powering down the drive and allowing it to physically spin down, I flipped the enclosure upside-down -- ventilation holes above the drive's radiator plate -- and the temperature dropped quickly (no surprise). Recognize that there aren't holes on the top of the enclosure for good reason -- to protect the drive from spills and to reduce dust reaching it -- so you should consider doing this only if you are going to remember to flip it back in a timely fashion.
STATUS LIGHT has poor sightlines:
There is a small blue LED that is lit when the drive is ready to use. There is a slight delay between the drive being powered on and it being spun-up and ready to use. This light is located on the top of the enclosure at the back. I would have much preferred it being on the front of the enclosure -- where it is on most similar products -- because it would be much less likely to be obscured. I put the disk next to my monitor stand and my sightline to that light is obscured by the monitor.
NOISE:
Caution: I am 60 years old -- younger ears will be more sensitive. In the evening in a typical residential setting during large-scale file transfers, I can hear the drive when my ears are about a foot away, but at two feet, I don't hear it even when I am listening for it. The whir of the drive tends to blend into the fan noise of most computers. The only time I have been aware of the drive has been when using it with my super-quiet computer in very quiet environments, such as after midnight, and even then it was only vague awareness.
SPIN-UP?:
The drive automatically controls power usage (see APM below). User control seems to be solely through the USB connection: The drive powers up when the USB connection is established and powers down when the connection is broken, either by physically disconnecting the cable, by a software "Safely Remove Hardware" operation. There doesn't seem to be a way to re-connect other than power-cycling or physically "cycling" the USB cable connection (neither of which I find attractive). When the attached computer is powered up/down (including sleep or hibernate), the USB connection is established and broken, so the drive is automatically powered up/down, as expected and desired.
CAUTION: Unintended Spin-up during Sleep & Shutdown:
Even when the computer the drive is connected to is in Sleep (ACPI S3) or Shutdown (ACPI S5), the drive _can_ spin/power up, and thus heat up, if you plug it in (power cycle, but not if you simply leave it plugged in). On _my_ computer, this occurred regardless of the BIOS "Power Management Setting" for "USB Wake Up from S3"--I had expected that "Disabled" would make the USB port appear disconnected. However in S5 with "ErP Support" ("<1W in S5") enabled, this spin-up did not occur. This spinning up can be easily missed because it does not generate an event that wakes the computer -- the only warning is the small blue LED that is easily missed because of its position at the back of the enclosure (above).
ADVICE: (1) Plug this enclosure into a socket that you won't be tempted to "borrow" - when my computer is in Sleep/Shutdown (S3/S5), I am long habituated to such borrowing being harmless. Failing that, label it (Being paranoid, I did both). (2) Consider enabling ErP Support in the BIOS (after checking what this disables). This is trivial: The warnings to less experienced users against modifying the BIOS is because once they start, some just can't resist fiddling with settings they don't understand, and that can get them into lots of trouble.
CABLE:
The connector on the enclosure takes the USB 3.0 Micro-B connector, so although the other end of the provided cable plugs into USB 2.0 ports (it is a Standard-A connector), you cannot use your generic USB 2.0 A-B cable should you misplace this one. Not a serious problem because this cable configuration is increasingly common and seems destined to be the "normal" cable.
PROBLEM with SeaTools for Windows (v1.2.0.6 = current):
The information reported by "Drive Information" is unreliable: Most of the time it reports values of zero (displayed as "0", "False", "Unsupported",...), but occasionally it reports non-zero values. The problem seems to be with SeaTools, not the drive -- CrystalDiskInfo and PassMark's DiskCheckup (free for personal use) gave me credible (and extensive) output. Be aware that not all third-party utilities for reading S.M.A.R.T. data handle USB-attached drives.
RELIABILITY:
Can't comment: I have had this only for a few days. If you haven't bought a drive recently (since the floods in Thailand), you may be surprised by the widespread decrease in warranty periods (this model's is only 1 year) and the increased reports of early failures of many models.
AUTORUN
When you first mount the drive, the Autorun (if enabled) is a program to help register the product. I see no evidence that it does anything else. There is no other software included.
SN confusion: The registration software reports the serial number in reverse order ("12345678" is displayed as "87654321") from what is printed on the enclosure, the outer packaging, and what is reported by SeaTools.
NO SECURITY CABLE SLOT
for a Kensington-type Cable (example). Mentioned for those few customers for which this is relevant.
FIRMWARE UPDATE??
One review here mentions a firmware update to CC9H (2012-June-15 by "RandomGibberish"), but I couldn't find mention of it on the web except in copies, and apparent extracts, of that review on other sites. Details below.
WINDOWS UPDATE (added 2012-11-24):
From other reviews here (see 1- and 2-star sections), unpatched Windows 7 Backup doesn't work with the 3TB version. Seagate's response is given in the comments to those reviews and seems to be that a standard Microsoft patch should fix this problem. That patch is KB982018 of March 2012 and I had already installed it as part of normal Windows-Update. However, it was listed as a "Recommended" (vs "Important" or "Optional") patch, so some may not have installed it. For more information, see those reviews and Seagate's responses (in the comment sections). Since I don't have the 3TB version, I cannot confirm that info.
======= DETAILS ========
TRANSFER TESTS:
I transferred several mixes of files from one internal drive to another, and then from that internal drive to this external drive.
1. 9GB of photos: 37MB/s between internal drives; 40MB/s via USB 3. Read more ›
The target market of the Seagate Expansion Desktop line seems to be people who want to add a performance drive, but don't want to, or cannot, install an additional internal drive, that is, this is a drive they won't be moving, at least not frequently. For example, a laptop where the extra storage can happily stay behind in the office. Or a small-form-factor PC (mini-PC, HTPC, "nettop") that doesn't have space. There are other lines of external drives from Seagate (and others) targeting more transient/mobile uses.
For a range of potential buyers of this drive, the product information provided may be too sketchy. The focus of this review is to fill in some of the missing info, and it is structured to facilitate your skipping details that don't interest you. Note: At the time of this review, the product information here at Amazon is more than you will find elsewhere, including Seagate's website (no spec sheets, ...).
TRANSFER SPEED:
The drive in the enclosure is the same model used for internal drives in performance desktops (details below).
With USB 3.0, transfers to this drive are slightly faster than the same transfers between the (older) internal SATA drives in my current computer (details below).
The drive has the performance needed to benefit from USB 3.0: In my experiments, USB 3.0 transfers are 60-200% faster than USB 2.0 (details below).
COOLING:
Heat is the enemy and can shorten the lifespan of drives. For a drive that seems intended to be always on, I would have expected cooling to be a significant design feature. The enclosure is passively cooled with holes in the bottom and back. However, this doesn't seem to be enough to enable real/effective convection cooling (using rising heat to pull cooler air across the radiator). The enclosure is thin plastic (metal would be been a better conductor of heat).
Part of the basic drive is a metal plate that serves as a radiator, and the typical installation positions the drive with the plate on top or to the side to facilitate heat rising off it. Here, the drive is positioned with the metal plate on the bottom to have it close to the vent holes in the enclosure. However, the enclosure's feet are absurdly thin -- the equivalent of 12 sheets of paper thick. Not only does this restrict air flow to the drive through those holes, it also turns the surface that the enclosure sits on into a heat reservoir, further inhibiting cooling. I strongly recommend increasing this gap. For example, I am using the (optional, unused) thick feet that came with another enclosure. And I recommend positioning it where it will benefit from the existing airflow in the room (and avoiding dead spots). Putting the drive on a sheet of aluminum, or other highly conductive material, negates the heat reservoir effect of typical furniture. Aluminum foil also worked, although I wouldn't recommend it as a longer term measure because the inevitable crinkles will inhibit air-flow.
As an experiment, after powering down the drive and allowing it to physically spin down, I flipped the enclosure upside-down -- ventilation holes above the drive's radiator plate -- and the temperature dropped quickly (no surprise). Recognize that there aren't holes on the top of the enclosure for good reason -- to protect the drive from spills and to reduce dust reaching it -- so you should consider doing this only if you are going to remember to flip it back in a timely fashion.
STATUS LIGHT has poor sightlines:
There is a small blue LED that is lit when the drive is ready to use. There is a slight delay between the drive being powered on and it being spun-up and ready to use. This light is located on the top of the enclosure at the back. I would have much preferred it being on the front of the enclosure -- where it is on most similar products -- because it would be much less likely to be obscured. I put the disk next to my monitor stand and my sightline to that light is obscured by the monitor.
NOISE:
Caution: I am 60 years old -- younger ears will be more sensitive. In the evening in a typical residential setting during large-scale file transfers, I can hear the drive when my ears are about a foot away, but at two feet, I don't hear it even when I am listening for it. The whir of the drive tends to blend into the fan noise of most computers. The only time I have been aware of the drive has been when using it with my super-quiet computer in very quiet environments, such as after midnight, and even then it was only vague awareness.
SPIN-UP?:
The drive automatically controls power usage (see APM below). User control seems to be solely through the USB connection: The drive powers up when the USB connection is established and powers down when the connection is broken, either by physically disconnecting the cable, by a software "Safely Remove Hardware" operation. There doesn't seem to be a way to re-connect other than power-cycling or physically "cycling" the USB cable connection (neither of which I find attractive). When the attached computer is powered up/down (including sleep or hibernate), the USB connection is established and broken, so the drive is automatically powered up/down, as expected and desired.
CAUTION: Unintended Spin-up during Sleep & Shutdown:
Even when the computer the drive is connected to is in Sleep (ACPI S3) or Shutdown (ACPI S5), the drive _can_ spin/power up, and thus heat up, if you plug it in (power cycle, but not if you simply leave it plugged in). On _my_ computer, this occurred regardless of the BIOS "Power Management Setting" for "USB Wake Up from S3"--I had expected that "Disabled" would make the USB port appear disconnected. However in S5 with "ErP Support" ("<1W in S5") enabled, this spin-up did not occur. This spinning up can be easily missed because it does not generate an event that wakes the computer -- the only warning is the small blue LED that is easily missed because of its position at the back of the enclosure (above).
ADVICE: (1) Plug this enclosure into a socket that you won't be tempted to "borrow" - when my computer is in Sleep/Shutdown (S3/S5), I am long habituated to such borrowing being harmless. Failing that, label it (Being paranoid, I did both). (2) Consider enabling ErP Support in the BIOS (after checking what this disables). This is trivial: The warnings to less experienced users against modifying the BIOS is because once they start, some just can't resist fiddling with settings they don't understand, and that can get them into lots of trouble.
CABLE:
The connector on the enclosure takes the USB 3.0 Micro-B connector, so although the other end of the provided cable plugs into USB 2.0 ports (it is a Standard-A connector), you cannot use your generic USB 2.0 A-B cable should you misplace this one. Not a serious problem because this cable configuration is increasingly common and seems destined to be the "normal" cable.
PROBLEM with SeaTools for Windows (v1.2.0.6 = current):
The information reported by "Drive Information" is unreliable: Most of the time it reports values of zero (displayed as "0", "False", "Unsupported",...), but occasionally it reports non-zero values. The problem seems to be with SeaTools, not the drive -- CrystalDiskInfo and PassMark's DiskCheckup (free for personal use) gave me credible (and extensive) output. Be aware that not all third-party utilities for reading S.M.A.R.T. data handle USB-attached drives.
RELIABILITY:
Can't comment: I have had this only for a few days. If you haven't bought a drive recently (since the floods in Thailand), you may be surprised by the widespread decrease in warranty periods (this model's is only 1 year) and the increased reports of early failures of many models.
AUTORUN
When you first mount the drive, the Autorun (if enabled) is a program to help register the product. I see no evidence that it does anything else. There is no other software included.
SN confusion: The registration software reports the serial number in reverse order ("12345678" is displayed as "87654321") from what is printed on the enclosure, the outer packaging, and what is reported by SeaTools.
NO SECURITY CABLE SLOT
for a Kensington-type Cable (example). Mentioned for those few customers for which this is relevant.
FIRMWARE UPDATE??
One review here mentions a firmware update to CC9H (2012-June-15 by "RandomGibberish"), but I couldn't find mention of it on the web except in copies, and apparent extracts, of that review on other sites. Details below.
WINDOWS UPDATE (added 2012-11-24):
From other reviews here (see 1- and 2-star sections), unpatched Windows 7 Backup doesn't work with the 3TB version. Seagate's response is given in the comments to those reviews and seems to be that a standard Microsoft patch should fix this problem. That patch is KB982018 of March 2012 and I had already installed it as part of normal Windows-Update. However, it was listed as a "Recommended" (vs "Important" or "Optional") patch, so some may not have installed it. For more information, see those reviews and Seagate's responses (in the comment sections). Since I don't have the 3TB version, I cannot confirm that info.
======= DETAILS ========
TRANSFER TESTS:
I transferred several mixes of files from one internal drive to another, and then from that internal drive to this external drive.
1. 9GB of photos: 37MB/s between internal drives; 40MB/s via USB 3. Read more ›
199 of 213 people found the following review helpful
Size Name:3 TB|Amazon Verified Purchase
Summary
* Same internal drive as the old version
* Runs just as hot as the old external drive (in my testing)
* APM is now turned off by default - this might be huge, people online have blamed this feature for the grinding noises and premature death of some seagate drives
* Firmware update from CC9D to CC9E (CC9H firmware is available online)
* Looks a little better
* Not worth more than the old version imo
Edit #2: When I used the Serial Number from Crystaldiskinfo to check the warranty (google "Seagate Warranty Checker") it showed that my drive was under warranty until the end of August 2013. That's almost 14 months, which still isn't long, but make sure you check online and do not just assume your warranty is dead after 12 months exact.
I needed another 3tb drive and decided to go out on a limb and spend the extra $10 on this "new version" of the seagate drive.
I will admit that at least the case looks different - its rectangular on the front instead of being rounded off, it has a matte finish instead of the old shiny black look, and the activity light is now blue instead of green. I think it does look marginally better but who buys these things for the looks?
Crystal Disk info tells me that inside lives the exact same drive I found in the "old" model of the seagate 3tb external - a ST3000DM001-9YN166 (in fact some people have pulled even better drives out of the "old" version externals so ymmv)
The firmware on this new drive is version CC9E while the old version did have firmware CC9D.
This case does have small holes drilled on the top of the back panel to act as a "vent" - However
I ran a full stress test on the external and it reached temps of 56*C, a mere 2 degree lowers than the old model I got a few weeks ago, so I do not find that any significant improvement has been made in regards to the heat trap issue of the "old" model.
In conclusion - Nothing has changed on the inside. If you think it looks better than the old one or if you want the new firmware and are too lazy to do it yourself - Only then is it worth a price premium over the old version.
EDIT: APM is now turned off by default, in contrast to the old version of this drive, which could be a huge benefit to some
* Same internal drive as the old version
* Runs just as hot as the old external drive (in my testing)
* APM is now turned off by default - this might be huge, people online have blamed this feature for the grinding noises and premature death of some seagate drives
* Firmware update from CC9D to CC9E (CC9H firmware is available online)
* Looks a little better
* Not worth more than the old version imo
Edit #2: When I used the Serial Number from Crystaldiskinfo to check the warranty (google "Seagate Warranty Checker") it showed that my drive was under warranty until the end of August 2013. That's almost 14 months, which still isn't long, but make sure you check online and do not just assume your warranty is dead after 12 months exact.
I needed another 3tb drive and decided to go out on a limb and spend the extra $10 on this "new version" of the seagate drive.
I will admit that at least the case looks different - its rectangular on the front instead of being rounded off, it has a matte finish instead of the old shiny black look, and the activity light is now blue instead of green. I think it does look marginally better but who buys these things for the looks?
Crystal Disk info tells me that inside lives the exact same drive I found in the "old" model of the seagate 3tb external - a ST3000DM001-9YN166 (in fact some people have pulled even better drives out of the "old" version externals so ymmv)
The firmware on this new drive is version CC9E while the old version did have firmware CC9D.
This case does have small holes drilled on the top of the back panel to act as a "vent" - However
I ran a full stress test on the external and it reached temps of 56*C, a mere 2 degree lowers than the old model I got a few weeks ago, so I do not find that any significant improvement has been made in regards to the heat trap issue of the "old" model.
In conclusion - Nothing has changed on the inside. If you think it looks better than the old one or if you want the new firmware and are too lazy to do it yourself - Only then is it worth a price premium over the old version.
EDIT: APM is now turned off by default, in contrast to the old version of this drive, which could be a huge benefit to some
186 of 200 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
(3.5 stars) Back-up your files, now! A good option for backup or other intermittent use
July 17, 2012
Size Name:2 TB|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
THE QUICK TAKE: The Seagate Expansion 2TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive STBV2000100 is a good option as a backup drive, or as an expansion drive that isn't used intensively. It may also serve well as a working drive that's used more intensively but for temporary or replaceable files - such as a scratch drive or a media server.
This drive is large enough and priced low enough that you can backup multiple computers for not a lot of money.
However, if you're looking for an expansion drive - a second drive to augment a laptop or desktop - that you will use intensively, consider options with cooling and perhaps backup, especially if you will use the drive for your only copy of files.
A DESKTOP DRIVE: This is a desktop drive, not a truly portable drive. You could use it to backup multiple computers around a home or office, but you're not going to enjoy carrying the drive and the power supply.
A FAST CONNECTION: USB 3.0 really is fun to use, if you have the right port on your computer to use it. No more sitting around watching file transfers - the speeds are similar to those of a built in drive.
KEEP A BACKUP: One of the keys to happiness in modern life is to keep at least two copies of every computer file you need. If you have anything you would rather not have vanish tomorrow, get a hard drive - any hard drive - and make a copy. Right now. Err on the side of caution.
ALL HARD DRIVES FAIL - SO REPLACE THEM BEFORE THEY DO: Hard drives are complex mechanical devices. They will absolutely, inevitably fail. So manage them accordingly.
I replace all my drives after about three to four years (if they survive that long). It's much easier to replace a drive before it fails - it's very easy to copy a readable drive. It's much harder to recreate a drive, especially a boot drive, after it fails - you need to reinstall all the software and settings, and maybe reconstruct the folder structure.
And hard drives are cheap enough to make it not worth the risk to keep drives around longer than that. I can usually get a bigger, faster drive for much less money than the original drive.
Once you start to accept the reality that hard drives will fail, and manage your drives and data appropriately, you can drastically reduce the disruption that hard drive failures cause.
BUY A GOOD MODEL OF DRIVE, THEN KEEP A CURRENT BACKUP: As much as people like to claim that particular brands are better or worse, statistics don't really seem to back that up. Buy a good model from one of the top brands - Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, Samsung - and then manage them as described above.
That being said - some drives (or the firmware they are shipped with) have turned out to be real lemons. Most of the big manufacturers make good drive models, and they have made bad drive models. So much like your uncle, who never bought a new model car until they'd worked the bugs out of it - let someone else be at the bleeding edge of hard drives. Buy models that have been tested by other users.
It's a little soon to tell for the drive installed in this particular model, and some of the early feedback is mixed.
COOLING QUESTIONS: I can't really figure out why the cooling is so unconvincing on almost all external drives (like this one). A tight-fitting plastic case, with no effective ventilation? Really? While drive temperature isn't perhaps quite as big an issue as some would make it out to be - that level of cooling just doesn't seem adequate for a drive that's running more than a fraction of the time. If your needs fit that description - that is, if you need a back up drive, or an intermittently used expansion drive - then this Seagate external drive may be a good match
FOR AN INTENSIVELY USED EXPANSION DRIVE, CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS: If you need more space in an expansion drive, and plan to use the drive intensively, consider other options. Perhaps a NAS (network attached storage) or a drive enclosure with more effective cooling, and possibly something with multiple drives and built in backup.
WATCH HOW YOUR DRIVES ARE SHIPPED: One of the key factors in whether a drive will last is how it's handled and shipped. External drives such as this one are usually packaged somewhat well, although online vendors still don't seem to really get the concept of filling the shipping box so the product inside doesn't bounce around on its way to you.
This drive is large enough and priced low enough that you can backup multiple computers for not a lot of money.
However, if you're looking for an expansion drive - a second drive to augment a laptop or desktop - that you will use intensively, consider options with cooling and perhaps backup, especially if you will use the drive for your only copy of files.
A DESKTOP DRIVE: This is a desktop drive, not a truly portable drive. You could use it to backup multiple computers around a home or office, but you're not going to enjoy carrying the drive and the power supply.
A FAST CONNECTION: USB 3.0 really is fun to use, if you have the right port on your computer to use it. No more sitting around watching file transfers - the speeds are similar to those of a built in drive.
KEEP A BACKUP: One of the keys to happiness in modern life is to keep at least two copies of every computer file you need. If you have anything you would rather not have vanish tomorrow, get a hard drive - any hard drive - and make a copy. Right now. Err on the side of caution.
ALL HARD DRIVES FAIL - SO REPLACE THEM BEFORE THEY DO: Hard drives are complex mechanical devices. They will absolutely, inevitably fail. So manage them accordingly.
I replace all my drives after about three to four years (if they survive that long). It's much easier to replace a drive before it fails - it's very easy to copy a readable drive. It's much harder to recreate a drive, especially a boot drive, after it fails - you need to reinstall all the software and settings, and maybe reconstruct the folder structure.
And hard drives are cheap enough to make it not worth the risk to keep drives around longer than that. I can usually get a bigger, faster drive for much less money than the original drive.
Once you start to accept the reality that hard drives will fail, and manage your drives and data appropriately, you can drastically reduce the disruption that hard drive failures cause.
BUY A GOOD MODEL OF DRIVE, THEN KEEP A CURRENT BACKUP: As much as people like to claim that particular brands are better or worse, statistics don't really seem to back that up. Buy a good model from one of the top brands - Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, Samsung - and then manage them as described above.
That being said - some drives (or the firmware they are shipped with) have turned out to be real lemons. Most of the big manufacturers make good drive models, and they have made bad drive models. So much like your uncle, who never bought a new model car until they'd worked the bugs out of it - let someone else be at the bleeding edge of hard drives. Buy models that have been tested by other users.
It's a little soon to tell for the drive installed in this particular model, and some of the early feedback is mixed.
COOLING QUESTIONS: I can't really figure out why the cooling is so unconvincing on almost all external drives (like this one). A tight-fitting plastic case, with no effective ventilation? Really? While drive temperature isn't perhaps quite as big an issue as some would make it out to be - that level of cooling just doesn't seem adequate for a drive that's running more than a fraction of the time. If your needs fit that description - that is, if you need a back up drive, or an intermittently used expansion drive - then this Seagate external drive may be a good match
FOR AN INTENSIVELY USED EXPANSION DRIVE, CONSIDER OTHER OPTIONS: If you need more space in an expansion drive, and plan to use the drive intensively, consider other options. Perhaps a NAS (network attached storage) or a drive enclosure with more effective cooling, and possibly something with multiple drives and built in backup.
WATCH HOW YOUR DRIVES ARE SHIPPED: One of the key factors in whether a drive will last is how it's handled and shipped. External drives such as this one are usually packaged somewhat well, although online vendors still don't seem to really get the concept of filling the shipping box so the product inside doesn't bounce around on its way to you.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
so far works as described
USB3 connection, get easyly disconnected and reconnected, price could be less. Quiet and has smal blue lead light showin its working
Published 33 minutes ago by G. Pinter
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Is The One You Want!
This was a snap to install and use. I have it sitting on top of my tower, so it's inconspicuous. I HIGHLY recommend it!!!!!!
Published 5 hours ago by Happy Camper
5.0 out of 5 stars
great product!!
nice Product. easy to handle. good speed. please doing business with you. I will recommend this product on high ratings.
Published 5 hours ago by ABHISHEK PATHAK
5.0 out of 5 stars
great external hd
Great fast dependable hard drive. Hooked right up to Win 7 with no problems. Great deal and product. Would buy again.
Published 20 hours ago by Gary A. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product
Product works great. It was easy to start using and runs incredibly smooth and quiet. I would recommend this product.
Published 1 day ago by Slanson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good drive for me!
I bought this drive to give more storage on my Mac running Mountain Lion. It is fast over USB3.0 and has a lot of storage capacity for the price. Read more
Published 3 days ago by harry
4.0 out of 5 stars
web purchase
I like the purchase made of my Seagate external hard drive.... it was easy to find, and is doing almost everything I expected. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Marley
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great bakup drive.
I use it as the backup drive for the server in our hotel system. It is great!
Wish I had five of them.
Wish I had five of them.
Published 3 days ago by Steven T King
5.0 out of 5 stars
SEAGATE EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE 2 TB
I've always been a big fan of Seagate hard drives.
This is the first external drive that I've purchased
and it is amazingly fast when plugged into a 3.0
USB port. Read more
This is the first external drive that I've purchased
and it is amazingly fast when plugged into a 3.0
USB port. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Judith Ford
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good price and good quality
These were good quality and I got them for a decent price. I bought four of them and all worked as expected.
Published 4 days ago by D. Andrade
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