Customer Reviews

Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac 500 GB USB 2.0/FW400/FW800 Portable External Hard Drive ST905003FJA105-RK (Silver)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Just bought this HD to back up my MacBook Pro. Hooks up in seconds, Mac recognizes it immediately and you can just drag and drop files to store or backup. I use Time Machine with this to back up my whole system and it works flawlessly. I used to have Apple's Time Capsule but after a while I didn't like the slow wireless connection to back up files and it would constantly stop backups because the connections would occasionally drop. I use the Firewire 800 connection with this HD and it backed up my whole system in less than an hour. Great size also if you want to take it anywhere with you. Included cables cover all scenarios such as Firewire 800, Firewire 400 & USB. Also has a very convenient leather carrying case so the HD doesn't get all dinged or scratched up during transport. Only negative thing I could say about this product is that the docking station only works with Firewire 800 so it will be useless to use if you don't have that connection on your current system. Other than that, Seagate makes an awesome product & I would recommend this to any & everyone looking for backup options or solutions.

Not a single problem with this drive yet. This is my second Seagate. The first is still going strong. If you're a Mac user and don't need the FW800, get the PC formatted version and reformat it yourself. You'll save some money.

The Mac formatted Seagate FreeAgent drive is extremely simple to use. The directions for use are simple diagram steps for using each of the cable types for your specific arrangement. The drive, included cables and dock are all well constructed with good quality materials. With the Mac formatted edition, all the cables and dock are included. With the Windows formatted editions, cables and dock are optional and purchased separately. This is a bonus for the Mac camp. As stated in the specs for this product, all of the cable options; e.g. firewire, USB are available with this model.

The grid pattern in the front of the drive when docked light up bright white and dim like a 'heart beat' when in use. Nice touch.

The Seagate FreeAgent 5 year warranty surpasses all of the competitive brand names.

The only negative would be the inability to daisy chain via firewire 800.

Once you go Mac, you will never go back.

***I meant to give this three stars, but I can't seem to edit my rating... sorry!!***

This is a great external hard drive... it looks great, the light on the end is incredibly sleek, and it's very portable. Having said that, the "Mac ready" version is a waste of money. You pay a 50% price premium over the regular version at the same capacity, and the only difference is the addition of a firewire port and the fact that it comes pre-formatted for Macs. If you can live with just a USB connection, simply buy the regular version for much less money and format it yourself. It literally takes less than two minutes in Disk Utility....

I have only one other con to mention... it is made out of plastic, and for some reason I was naive and I expected it to be made of anodized aluminum.

Works perfectly. Looks gorgeous. My grab-it-when-the-house-starts-to-shake thing. The silver and white fits in with the rest of my Mac gear, and so easy to pull out of the cradle. A must-have Mac accessory. Couldn't be happier.

I'm frusterated with this product. It works awesome sometimes and then other times it gets fussy and seems to hang/go to sleep while being accessed. Mainly used to play music off of continually and save audio files from garage band too.

It's a shame. Great package. Maybe I got a dud. That's what the tech seems to think. I'm not chancing it on another. Returning it and probably buying an iomega or lacie.

I'm running Leopard on a MacBook Pro from summer 08.

Clicking off the "put hard disks to sleep when possible" did not keep this drive sleeping/hanging. I use the slash because I'm not exactly sure what it's doing. Funny thing is, half the time it works perfect for hours.

Just thought I would add my two cents because most people seem to love this drive.

This is a fancy little external hard drive with nice looks that coordinate well with a Mac, especially my old tank of a PowerBook. The speed of firewire backups makes this a breeze to use, and a quick one at that.

My only complaint is about the installation process, asI found it unnecessarily confusing. The instructions tell you that there's pre-installed software on the drive, but I wasn't able to find any (and I consider myself a relatively savvy user of technology). After scratching my head a bit, and searching the internet, I found that it's pretty much ready to roll without any installation software -- just drag and drop the files or folders you want from your computer, and you're on your way.

BEST SELLING POINT :: It comes with the dock (FW800 only!), an extra FW800 cable, FW800>FW400 cable, USB 2.0 cable, and USB power cable (for low-power USB ports). It also comes with a carrying case that says Seagate on it--again, nice touch!

WORST SELLING POINT :: Cables are notoriously short, but manageable. If you need a cable that reaches beyond six inches, buy one.

VALUE POINT :: It comes with *all* the cables, a dock, and a carrying case--no other 2.5 drive comes w/ all this in the box, period.

COMMENTS :: I've been delighted with this little drive and it works just beautifully for what it does. Build-quality is good but not great (mine had a teeny-tiny scuff on the edge of the metal cover), and it very solid (no rattles or loose/hanging pieces. It was put together well. Plastic, blister-packs are a pain so get a good pair of scissors! ;)

I picked this one up a few days ago and thus far it has been stellar as an iPhoto and iMovie base. I work between a Macbook Pro and an iMac for doing my video and photo editing, so there are times I would like to take my stuff w/ me and use it on the portable. This drive does an excellent job w/ no noticeable difference in speed; it is that fast.

I was using a USB 2.0 Western Digital Passport but the speed was noticeably slower than working locally on the computer's hard drive. The Passport is a great drive but USB 2.0 is a slouch when trying to edit large HD movies in iMovie, or copy 2-3GB files. If you have a Firewire 800 port on your computer and are looking for a portable HDD to use as your base for iMovie or iPhoto projects, this drive is a good pick.

The drive is absolutely silent and has a slow-glowing LED to let you know that data is passing through the drive (nice touch). I also was impressed by the fit/finish of the drive as it matches my 15" unibody Macbook Pro nicely.

This is a great hard drive. Firewire 800 makes this soo much faster than USB 2.0 or the 1st gen firewire. Has great looks (been getting compliments on it at the office.) I love that they included all of the different connection combinations. USB, miniUSB, firewire, firewire 800, it all works. Also comes with a firewire 800 docking station. Makes it really easy to mount and umount the drive.

Only negative thing I can say about this drive is that it's a little big. I have a couple others hard drives (though not firewire 800) and this one is the biggest.

Now typically, Amazon has the best prices but I actually bought this for 4 dollars cheaper at the Apple Store. Brought it home, set it on my desk, plugged it in and 5 minutes or so later I had 6-7GB of video loaded onto it with the Firewire 800, which is the only connection the docking station uses. They include multiple cords (which is really nice to see) and even a leather carrying case for it. While I won't use it for the drive, it's nice to know that I have it around.

I would recommend this drive to anyone who has a Firewire 800 connection on their computer, who wishes to simply use it as a backup or work with video editing from it. My MacBook Pro (late 2007) works with this drive flawlessly so far. If you have a USB or a Firewire 400 connection (which are pretty close to the same speeds) then you can probably find cheaper ones out there. I have a WD 250 GB drive that's about a year and a half old. The Seagate drive blows that one away. It's smaller, insanely quieter, better looking and much faster. I don't plan to go back to WD.

From the research that I did, Seagate has pretty good quality reviews. Most of the time Apple won't list a product on their website or carry it in their store if it gets bad reviews. One other thing, the dots on the bottom front light up and fluctuate between dim and light while in use. Pretty cool if you ask me.