External Hard Drives Test

Tests

"Iomega eGo drive"

1 Hard Drive (approx. £80)

Issue 12/2009

On test: Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive (500 GB)

"This eGo portable drive from Iomega is a great compact option to back-up your files. ..." Review details: Single Test → Test results

"Imation Apollo Pro UX 1TB"

1 Hard Drive (approx. £160)

Published on 9/2009

On test: Imation Apollo Pro UX (1TB)

"Imation's Apollo Pro UX 1TB external hard disk is attractive thanks to its glossy white front panel, which illuminates when turned on. The plastic case feels a bit creaky, but it's otherwise well designed. It can be placed either horizontally or vertically on your desk, with pop-out feet to keep it steady when oriented vertically." Review details: Single Test → Test results

"Freecom ToughDrive Sport 250GB review"

1 Hard Drive (approx. £90)

Published on 7/2009

On test: Freecom Tough Drive Sport 250 GB

Tough enough to come with a carabiner, Freecom's ToughDrive Sport 250GB USB drive boasts stormy weather abilities also. The USB cable tethered to the drive body is sheathed in nylon weave, resembling climbing cord. Review details: Single Test. One external USB hard drive was reviewed and rated on build quality, features and value. → Test results

"D-Link DNS-343"

1 NAS Hard Drive (approx. £360)

Published on 6/2009

On test: D-Link DNS 343

With four bays and JBOD, Raid 0,1,5 support, D-Link’s DNS-343 NAS appliance is set up to be both reliable and perform well. Limited though by lack of expansion, backup options and other common NAS features, it might not be so appealing for business environments. Review details: Single Test. One NAS appliance was reviewed and rated on features, performance and value. → Test results

External Hard Drives

The hard drive of a computer is used for saving all non volatile, that is to say, all permanent information such as documents, the operating system, programs and all other data. Most hard drives are found inside the computer case itself, but an external hard drive can be used to add storage space and also to help when sharing large amounts of data between computers or for keeping a secure backup of important data.

These drives are either specially made or are a normal internal hard disk mounted in an enclosure with an IDE to USB or FireWire adaptor. There are also no-called Network Attached Storage devices, these are connected to a local area network and can be accessed by any connected computer.

Because the basic drive is the same, external hard drives are available in the same sizes and speeds as a normal drive, ie. up to 500GB with speeds of 5400 or 720RPM. External hard drives are now much cheaper and more efficient, some smaller drives can even be powered by the USB bus itself, although for backing up sensitive information this is generally not recommended.

Prices have also dropped significantly with basic 300GB drives costing under one hundred pounds. A more expensive drive could however offer some interesting features that may be of use to those living in today's digital age. These include the ability to connect the drive directly to a television or hi-fi system, copy from memory cards or act as an automatic redundant backup device for the connected PC.

This category contains tests on External Hard Disk, External Hard Disks.

External Hard Drives

Tests

Notification on a new review

External Hard Drives