Capacity: 1 TBColor: PlatinumChange
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on April 17, 2016
I only bought this one because I wanted to see if it was faster than my two Seagates and WD.
It was practically identical in my tests, the seagates dominated in large files and the Touro wins in small files. I like the look of my brushed aluminum seagate better but I think the HGST has more aluminum because you can feel how cold it is when you first pick it up.
This drive like all the others will be placed on a server running 24/7 doing backups 3x a week or more, i'll let you know if there are any problems with it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.4 x64 (C) 2007-2015 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : (...)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 97.921 MB/s
Sequential Write : 94.219 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 51.183 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 58.831 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.951 MB/s [ 232.2 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 1.365 MB/s [ 333.3 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.891 MB/s [ 217.5 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 1.306 MB/s [ 318.9 IOPS]
Test : 50 MB [G: 0.0% (0.1/931.5 GB)] (x2)
Date : 2016/04/17 15:08:16
OS : Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
It was practically identical in my tests, the seagates dominated in large files and the Touro wins in small files. I like the look of my brushed aluminum seagate better but I think the HGST has more aluminum because you can feel how cold it is when you first pick it up.
This drive like all the others will be placed on a server running 24/7 doing backups 3x a week or more, i'll let you know if there are any problems with it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.4 x64 (C) 2007-2015 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : (...)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 97.921 MB/s
Sequential Write : 94.219 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 51.183 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 58.831 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.951 MB/s [ 232.2 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 1.365 MB/s [ 333.3 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.891 MB/s [ 217.5 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 1.306 MB/s [ 318.9 IOPS]
Test : 50 MB [G: 0.0% (0.1/931.5 GB)] (x2)
Date : 2016/04/17 15:08:16
OS : Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)
on July 1, 2014
Ogiginal review on 1-Jul-2014: I bought this one to use with my Xbox One. Everything works great and already moved all games to it. No issues with performance. Recommended.
Update (19-mar-2016): Changing from 5 stars to 3 stars, for now. Long story short, the hard drive has multiple bad sectors now. I installed the HGST tool that checks the drive and it aborts after a little while due to too many bad sectors. It doesn't seem to be related to the cable problem others reported. I tried a different cable and it's still failing. I just filled their RMA form. I'll update this review after my problem is handled by their customer service.
Update (22-may-2016): My drive was replaced. I forgot to update here earlier, but the process took about a week. to complete after I sent them the drive. My only complain is the requirement they have to send the drive to them... the packaging required is not something you find easily in stores or post office.
Tip: If you have slowness loading games or freezing games, suspect of your external hard drive. Install the game on the internal hard drive and see if the problem persists. Plug the drive in your computer and run the HGST tool to check for bad sectors. It won't delete any of your Xbox data.
Update (19-mar-2016): Changing from 5 stars to 3 stars, for now. Long story short, the hard drive has multiple bad sectors now. I installed the HGST tool that checks the drive and it aborts after a little while due to too many bad sectors. It doesn't seem to be related to the cable problem others reported. I tried a different cable and it's still failing. I just filled their RMA form. I'll update this review after my problem is handled by their customer service.
Update (22-may-2016): My drive was replaced. I forgot to update here earlier, but the process took about a week. to complete after I sent them the drive. My only complain is the requirement they have to send the drive to them... the packaging required is not something you find easily in stores or post office.
Tip: If you have slowness loading games or freezing games, suspect of your external hard drive. Install the game on the internal hard drive and see if the problem persists. Plug the drive in your computer and run the HGST tool to check for bad sectors. It won't delete any of your Xbox data.
Fast and works with a tablet BUT only with external power ! (USB wall charger or power bank both work)
on October 1, 2016
20hrs.-506GB downloaded from Onedrive cloud. Never even got warm. This is my first external hard drive but that seems pretty good! This drive has a metal enclosure and looks good. Setup was frustrating but completely my fault. I got this to use with a tablet that a 2 USB 2.0 ports on the keyboard. I plugged in the HD and the install wizard never appeared. I checked in file explorer and it was not showing up. I check in setting - devices and it was there. I checked the Device Manager and it was there. I checked Disk Management which took a long time to open and it was there but "need to initialize". Nowhere was low power noted or any trouble codes. Did a web search and tried a few of the suggestions (the HGST site does say not to use keyboard USB ports but doesn't say why) All you could hear was a ticking sound (like a watch) but the light was on. Finally I plugged it directly into a USB wall charger and TA-DA I could hear it spin up. I checked how much the HD draws and it's about 650mA at 5.05V when working and about 150mA when idle. So is was the USB port not providing enough power! I went out and purchased a USB 3 adapter Y cable which allows you to use 2 USB ports and plugged into both USB Ports on the keyboard. Still NOTHING. I check the output of the keyboard USB's and they are about 120mA. I then plugged the USB 3 connector into the keyboard and the other USB into the wall charger and BINGO it spun up and when I looked in file explorer it was there. I finally was able to open the setup wizard and do the install. I also plugged it into a power bank and it works fine. So if you have a tablet it will work but you must use external power. I transferred 1GB to the devices internal storage and also to an SD card in about 30 sec and each time measured only a 8mAh drain on the power bank. So if using a power bank you could upload the files to the device's storage and then disconnect the HGST HD or leave it connected as a small power bank (2600mAh) will provide power for several hrs. of straight down/uploading, much more if you only access the HD sporadically. That way you can carry a pretty small power bank. (SEE PHOTO, the meter shown is for testing) The HGST Touro S, once I got power to it, downloaded over 500GB of movies for 20hrs. straight and never got even warm. Having to carry a battery isn't a deal breaker as it and the HD can be put into a small padded case and carried together.
on December 4, 2015
VERY nice drive for the price. Its faster than the seagate Slim drive. I decided to go on the frontier of putting this inside my ps4. Load times are fast and I will observe how well it works.
on July 9, 2016
At the recommendation of a well-known gaming website, I got this to expand the size and speed of my Xbox One hard drive space for a relatively cheap price. Apparently the normal built-in Xbox One hard drive is 5400 RPM, but since the Xbox One is USB 3.0 compatible, a hard drive that uses USB 3.0 and loads at 7200 RPM portable hard will actually load faster than the built in Xbox One hard drive! So some of you are thinking that if a 7200 RPM is slower than a Solid State Drive (SSD), then a SSD much be the best option... True, but only if you want to spend much more money for a very nominal speed increase. The article explained that the speed of the SSD doesn't pay off because the USB 3.0 transfer speeds are not fast enough to keep up with speed of an SSD and creates a "bottleneck" effect. And while the 7200 RPM drive isn't fast enough to create the same "bottleneck," it comes very close... And it's much, much cheaper than an SSD, especially at comparable sizes.
So, that's the explanation, but has that actually work? Yes. I have owned two XBox Ones - the initial 500GB version, which I later traded in for the "Elite" XBox One version (which had the "hybrid" Built-in SSD) - and this Touro 7200 RPM hard drive loads games MUCH faster than both of them! I bought the "Elite" XBox One version because I was hoping it would be faster than my Touro portable drive, but it wasn't (very disappointing, but at least I got the Elite Controller and a great trade-in value so I tell myself it was still worth it). So any games that I play regularly are installed on my Touro drive because it works flawlessly with my xbox and as I've said, it loads games much, much faster than my alternatives. My only regret is that I didn't get a bigger drive size since I'm starting having to delete older games again to make room for the new ones!
I have owned it about 2 years now and it sits quietly on top of my XBox (which is on my desk and within 2-3 feet of me when I'm playing) and its remained in great condition and working perfectly despite a handful of bumps and knocks. And while I wear a headset while gaming, I have never noticed that it makes any sounds whatsoever. And it's USB powered, so you just plug it in and it just magically works (after a formatting if I remember correctly). So for the purposes I have described, I would whole-heartedly recommend this product for anyone who wants to speed up their XBox One and get the most bang for your buck!
No one paid me to do this review. I was merely inspired to share my experience since this product has perfectly met my every expectation at a price that I thought was very fair.
So, that's the explanation, but has that actually work? Yes. I have owned two XBox Ones - the initial 500GB version, which I later traded in for the "Elite" XBox One version (which had the "hybrid" Built-in SSD) - and this Touro 7200 RPM hard drive loads games MUCH faster than both of them! I bought the "Elite" XBox One version because I was hoping it would be faster than my Touro portable drive, but it wasn't (very disappointing, but at least I got the Elite Controller and a great trade-in value so I tell myself it was still worth it). So any games that I play regularly are installed on my Touro drive because it works flawlessly with my xbox and as I've said, it loads games much, much faster than my alternatives. My only regret is that I didn't get a bigger drive size since I'm starting having to delete older games again to make room for the new ones!
I have owned it about 2 years now and it sits quietly on top of my XBox (which is on my desk and within 2-3 feet of me when I'm playing) and its remained in great condition and working perfectly despite a handful of bumps and knocks. And while I wear a headset while gaming, I have never noticed that it makes any sounds whatsoever. And it's USB powered, so you just plug it in and it just magically works (after a formatting if I remember correctly). So for the purposes I have described, I would whole-heartedly recommend this product for anyone who wants to speed up their XBox One and get the most bang for your buck!
No one paid me to do this review. I was merely inspired to share my experience since this product has perfectly met my every expectation at a price that I thought was very fair.
on August 8, 2016
I'm using this as a local network drive attached to my router and have been very impressed.
PROs
The maker of this drive is owned by WD but operated separately. I consistently obtain read/write speeds 20-30 mbs faster than my 500gb WD I previously used, so the 7200rpm hdd does make a notable difference over the normal 5400rpm used in similar portable drives. Noise and temp is on par with drives running at slower rpm.
CON
Aesthetically pleasant drive with aluminum top/back and plastic sides, but is far from a rugged build. I would not feel comfy tossing this drive in a bag without being in some kind of padded case. For my primary use being in a stationary spot its not a prob, but it would be nice to at least have some rubber pads to rest on to avoid scratching.
OVERALL:
If your looking for the fastest portable hard without SSD pricing and don't plan on being too rough with it, then look no further. Despite being faster than it's WD branded counterpart it actually cost a bit less with no disadvantages I have came across.
PROs
The maker of this drive is owned by WD but operated separately. I consistently obtain read/write speeds 20-30 mbs faster than my 500gb WD I previously used, so the 7200rpm hdd does make a notable difference over the normal 5400rpm used in similar portable drives. Noise and temp is on par with drives running at slower rpm.
CON
Aesthetically pleasant drive with aluminum top/back and plastic sides, but is far from a rugged build. I would not feel comfy tossing this drive in a bag without being in some kind of padded case. For my primary use being in a stationary spot its not a prob, but it would be nice to at least have some rubber pads to rest on to avoid scratching.
OVERALL:
If your looking for the fastest portable hard without SSD pricing and don't plan on being too rough with it, then look no further. Despite being faster than it's WD branded counterpart it actually cost a bit less with no disadvantages I have came across.
on July 7, 2014
I'm editing my review today (July 21, 2014) and upgrading my appraisal of this drive. (I'm leaving original review below for reference.)
HGST support was very helpful, and I had no problems reaching a USA-based representative by phone. They sent me a replacement USB 3.0 cable, with which the drive no longer is prone to disconnection. This would place the blame for disconnects on a faulty cable in the original package. HGST does not make the cable themselves, and maybe I was just unlucky to get a badly manufactured cable. The replacement cable is not the same 'brand' as the original cable, however.
I have not used the drive very much, but file transfers are fast with USB 3.0 connection on my Win7 system. I recommended this drive to someone for use with Apple Mac Time Machine backups, and after a quick format to Apple HFS file system, their Touro drive is working fine in that capacity. (The silver aluminum and white color also complements their Mac environment.)
The aesthetics of the drive are great, and it's impressively small but, as stated before, it would have been nice if there were rubber feet or similar material on the bottom of the drive to prevent it sliding on a smooth desktop surface, as well as protect the matte aluminum case. I added my own self-adhesive rubber pads, which I feel improves usability.
I'm upgrading my review to 4 stars from the original 2 stars. I would have no hesitation recommending this drive, although I would suggest buyers test the cable connection with slight and gentle movement of the drive/cable to verify that limited motion will not disconnect the drive from the computer.
--------------Original Review below:--------------------
I sadly confirm what other reviewers have stated: The USB connector/cable connection is flawed, and any movement of the drive, or touching the cable (even the slightest touch) causes a disconnect from the computer. To be specific, it's a vertical up/down movement, as opposed to lateral movement that causes the disconnect. It seems the defect might lie in the included cable and not completely in the drive itself: I just tried an alternate cable, (that came included with a Bytec brand external enclosure,) and the same types of movement or pressure on the cable are not disconnecting the drive, although more deliberate yet still fairly gentle pressure on the connector does still cause a disconnect. Also, with my alternate cable, lateral movement is more of a concern, as it does not seem to seat itself quite as firmly, despite having a more robust and solid connection overall. The original cable that comes with the TOURO drive is a rather stiff and short (21"from connector to connector) with a "Luxshare-ICT" manufacturer marking, a Chinese company that loudly proclaims pride in its quality and innovation, according to its website, (LOL.)
This is very disappointing, as I had rather high hopes for this little drive. The fact that it is fast, attractive, and has high storage capacity means nothing if it cannot reliably be connected to a computer. (I also echo the sentiment of other reviewers about the lack of rubberized feet or bumpers on the bottom of the drive. I have some Toshiba external drives with little rubber feet, and they are immensely practical. HGST could and should have done the same thing.)
I literally just got this drive delivered minutes ago, and immediately wanted to test it. At this time I am conflicted about whether I should keep the drive and use my alternate cable, (and contact HGST customer service,) or just return it to Amazon. My concern is that if the connector is unreliable in its brand-new state, it's only likely to worsen over time. I always liked the Hitachi brand for bare/internal hard drives in the past, I don't know if this consumer line of external drives with potentially poor manufacturing tolerances or design is a symptom of Western Digital ownership. I do wonder if the real problem lies in these standardized USB 3.0 micro connectors for portable drives, which have never seemed as secure or robust as the standard mini or micro jacks of USB 2.0 design.
HGST support was very helpful, and I had no problems reaching a USA-based representative by phone. They sent me a replacement USB 3.0 cable, with which the drive no longer is prone to disconnection. This would place the blame for disconnects on a faulty cable in the original package. HGST does not make the cable themselves, and maybe I was just unlucky to get a badly manufactured cable. The replacement cable is not the same 'brand' as the original cable, however.
I have not used the drive very much, but file transfers are fast with USB 3.0 connection on my Win7 system. I recommended this drive to someone for use with Apple Mac Time Machine backups, and after a quick format to Apple HFS file system, their Touro drive is working fine in that capacity. (The silver aluminum and white color also complements their Mac environment.)
The aesthetics of the drive are great, and it's impressively small but, as stated before, it would have been nice if there were rubber feet or similar material on the bottom of the drive to prevent it sliding on a smooth desktop surface, as well as protect the matte aluminum case. I added my own self-adhesive rubber pads, which I feel improves usability.
I'm upgrading my review to 4 stars from the original 2 stars. I would have no hesitation recommending this drive, although I would suggest buyers test the cable connection with slight and gentle movement of the drive/cable to verify that limited motion will not disconnect the drive from the computer.
--------------Original Review below:--------------------
I sadly confirm what other reviewers have stated: The USB connector/cable connection is flawed, and any movement of the drive, or touching the cable (even the slightest touch) causes a disconnect from the computer. To be specific, it's a vertical up/down movement, as opposed to lateral movement that causes the disconnect. It seems the defect might lie in the included cable and not completely in the drive itself: I just tried an alternate cable, (that came included with a Bytec brand external enclosure,) and the same types of movement or pressure on the cable are not disconnecting the drive, although more deliberate yet still fairly gentle pressure on the connector does still cause a disconnect. Also, with my alternate cable, lateral movement is more of a concern, as it does not seem to seat itself quite as firmly, despite having a more robust and solid connection overall. The original cable that comes with the TOURO drive is a rather stiff and short (21"from connector to connector) with a "Luxshare-ICT" manufacturer marking, a Chinese company that loudly proclaims pride in its quality and innovation, according to its website, (LOL.)
This is very disappointing, as I had rather high hopes for this little drive. The fact that it is fast, attractive, and has high storage capacity means nothing if it cannot reliably be connected to a computer. (I also echo the sentiment of other reviewers about the lack of rubberized feet or bumpers on the bottom of the drive. I have some Toshiba external drives with little rubber feet, and they are immensely practical. HGST could and should have done the same thing.)
I literally just got this drive delivered minutes ago, and immediately wanted to test it. At this time I am conflicted about whether I should keep the drive and use my alternate cable, (and contact HGST customer service,) or just return it to Amazon. My concern is that if the connector is unreliable in its brand-new state, it's only likely to worsen over time. I always liked the Hitachi brand for bare/internal hard drives in the past, I don't know if this consumer line of external drives with potentially poor manufacturing tolerances or design is a symptom of Western Digital ownership. I do wonder if the real problem lies in these standardized USB 3.0 micro connectors for portable drives, which have never seemed as secure or robust as the standard mini or micro jacks of USB 2.0 design.
on April 14, 2016
This review is for the Apple-heads among us. As you might know, this is already pre-formatted for PC/Windows, so you'll have to go to the website (which might be different from what the included literature will tell you) first, then scroll down to select either link for Mac only (HFS+) or Windows and Mac (exFAT), as is necessary for you. It couldn't be more simple. I'm a mobile music producer/engineer and this more than fits the bill for what I need a portable drive to do. The color match on my case and other peripherals is a nice touch as well. Buy with confidence. (5 months later...and it's still runnin' just fine.)
JUNE 2017 UPDATE: Van DAMME...It's STILL working as well as it did on Day ONE. Too bad I can't run out and replace this one with a 2TB version because of the space, as it has seemingly been discontinued, but I just wanted folks to know that, if you wanted this one when it was available, and got stuck with something that didn't work out for you...NEH-NEH, neh-NEH-NEH - SUCKS TO BE YOU!!! (Just kidding. Seriously, I'm happy this is holding up through all the sessions, all the classes, all the stuff I need it for. GREAT product.)
JUNE 2017 UPDATE: Van DAMME...It's STILL working as well as it did on Day ONE. Too bad I can't run out and replace this one with a 2TB version because of the space, as it has seemingly been discontinued, but I just wanted folks to know that, if you wanted this one when it was available, and got stuck with something that didn't work out for you...NEH-NEH, neh-NEH-NEH - SUCKS TO BE YOU!!! (Just kidding. Seriously, I'm happy this is holding up through all the sessions, all the classes, all the stuff I need it for. GREAT product.)
on August 23, 2014
I actually own a platinum (gray) and red version of this portable hard drive, and I purchased them at a sale price. Despite that, I chose this hard drive based on design, performance, and that one extra year of warranty.
=====
PROS:
- Construction: the enclosure is slim and has a nice finish.
- USB 3.0 speed: regardless of whatever is in the enclosure, USB 3.0 will dramatically increase read and write speeds.
- 7200 RPM: for that extra oomph in performance. Write speeds on the HGST Touro S averaged around 105 MB/s while a cheaper USB 3.0 5400 RPM hard drive averages at 85 MB/s. Both drives had identical content and both were half full.
- 2 year warranty: better than most portable hard drives out there, where the standard is now 1 year.
=====
CONS:
- Only a 2 year warranty; some competitors offer more, albeit at a higher price.
- Noise: understandably since this is a slim enclosure housing 7200 RPM drive, it will produce more noise than slower and cheaper portable hard drives encased in plastic. Still, it's not terribly annoying provided that the hard drive is not pressed against your ear.
- Heat: it does get warm at the top surface during heavy use.
- Price: it is a little more expensive at normal retail price, but you are paying for quality, a boost in performance, and the extra year of warranty.
=====
OTHER THOUGHTS:
- Fingerprints or body oils will show a lot more on the red version than in the platinum version.
- I'm not really interested in HGST's cloud storage offering. I already have that and more through Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
- Depending on your usage, the 7200 RPM might be a perk than an advantage.
=====
PROS:
- Construction: the enclosure is slim and has a nice finish.
- USB 3.0 speed: regardless of whatever is in the enclosure, USB 3.0 will dramatically increase read and write speeds.
- 7200 RPM: for that extra oomph in performance. Write speeds on the HGST Touro S averaged around 105 MB/s while a cheaper USB 3.0 5400 RPM hard drive averages at 85 MB/s. Both drives had identical content and both were half full.
- 2 year warranty: better than most portable hard drives out there, where the standard is now 1 year.
=====
CONS:
- Only a 2 year warranty; some competitors offer more, albeit at a higher price.
- Noise: understandably since this is a slim enclosure housing 7200 RPM drive, it will produce more noise than slower and cheaper portable hard drives encased in plastic. Still, it's not terribly annoying provided that the hard drive is not pressed against your ear.
- Heat: it does get warm at the top surface during heavy use.
- Price: it is a little more expensive at normal retail price, but you are paying for quality, a boost in performance, and the extra year of warranty.
=====
OTHER THOUGHTS:
- Fingerprints or body oils will show a lot more on the red version than in the platinum version.
- I'm not really interested in HGST's cloud storage offering. I already have that and more through Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
- Depending on your usage, the 7200 RPM might be a perk than an advantage.
