Seagate FreeAgent XTreme 1000 GB Review

Seagate FreeAgent XTreme 1000 GB Review
Page content

Introduction

Our everlasting hunger of extra hard disk space will never fade. There was a time when I had a 60 GB portable hard drive along with a 120 GB internal, and it seemed to be more than enough. But things have changed now, all my drives are full of data and I could do with some extra storage space, so I decided to look for a hard drive that is huge in data storage and rich in features and ended up buying a Seagate FreeAgent XTreme 1000 GB, one of the most stylish drives to see the light of the day with 1 TB of storage space.

Build Quality (4 out of 5)

The FreeAgent XTreme 1000 GB is 175 mm long, 172 mm wide, 33.7 mm high and weighs about 1.39 Kgs, making it fair­ly large but thinner than its predecessors. It has black body and the front panel is a blend of black with a slight touch of while. The drive stands on a thin support platform vertically, making it very easy to pack and carry along with you.

FreeAgent XTreme

Ease of use (4 out of 5)

Setting up the drive is very easy and simple as it is a plug and play device and is compatible with interfaces like ­USB, Firewire 400 and eSATA.

Features and performance (4 out of 5)

While I tried and tested the FreeAgent XTreme, I found out that its performance isn’t that ratty after all. Testing it on SiSoft Sandra recorded a drive index of 33 MBps and a random access time of 13ms. HDTach recorded a higher average read speed of 36 MBps. Then I tried to copy a 4 GB data file (a single file having 4 GB data) and then some smaller files to the drive and then copied them back to the source. A 4 GB file could be written in two minutes thirty four seconds to the drive and copied back in one minute twenty four sec­onds. Comparatively writing and reading of smaller files took more time than the 4 GB files. Data transfer is better than other external drives but nowhere close to internal desktop drives. When I tried to connect the drive through Firewire, the data transfer speed only increased by two to three percent. One added feature of this drive is that it has in-built software for security (data protection from virus etc.) and for synchronization of data with other drives or another system. A feature that is missing is network connectivity

Value for money (3 out of 5)

The drive is also called a terabyte monster looking at its capacity and performance, but one has to be willing to shell out a good amount of money to buy it. It is priced at USD 182.99(excluding taxes), which is a lot more than a traditional internal hard drive of same capacity. The high price tag would have been justified if the drive could connect to the network.

Conclusion (4 out of 5)

If you need a large capacity (now I think that 1 TB is more than enough, but I know it won’t last too long) and portable drive with some sense of style and good features, then FreeAgent XTreme is the right choice for you.

This post is part of the series: New Hardware on the Block

A brief review and verdict for newly launched hardware products and technology gadgets. I try to find hardware that gives full value for money and also scores high in Features and Performance. Overall, it’s a guide for all those people who want to know what to buy, how to buy, and where to buy.

  1. Connect Your Hard Drive to Your Television and Much More
  2. The Best Affordable Multimedia Player
  3. A Review of Buffalo MicroStation 32 GB: Storage in Motion
  4. HP P1007 Review: An Excellent Monochrome LaserJet Printer You Can Afford
  5. Review: Creative Inspire T6060 - Best Affordable 5.1 Surround Speaker System for Your PC?
  6. A review of D’link DIR-615 Wireless Router; The most Affordable 802.11 Draft N router
  7. A Review of BlueLounge Sanctuary: the All in one Charging Hub
  8. A Review of Chillblast Fusion Gemini Gaming PC: The Gamers Delight
  9. Dell XPS M1730 Gaming Laptop: Gaming On The Move
  10. A Review of ANTEC 1200 PC Case: A Performer All the Way
  11. A Review of Cowon Q5W: The Heavy Duty Pocket Entertainer
  12. A Review of Seagate FreeAgent XTreme 1000 GB: The TeraByte monster
  13. A Review of Altec Lansing FX3022: Two Beauties on Your Desktop
  14. A Review of Corsair Voyager GT 16GB: Speed and Storage at its Best
  15. HP TouchSmart IQ508d: A Touch of Technology is All You Need
  16. Logitech Pure-Fi Mobile: BlueTooth and Wireless Speaker System for your Cell Phone
  17. Zotac Nitro GPU Clocking Controller: GPU Over-Clocking Made Easy
  18. Tagan TG1300-BZ: Sheer Power Up Your Sleeves
  19. Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse: Best That Money Can Buy