But the battle now is not about the capacity of the storage device. It is, rather, about the speed. We are well into the USB 2.0 era, and probably nearing the end of it as well. Enter USB 3.0- supposed to be faster than the predecessor.
Packaging and Contents
The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex hard drive comes along with a USB 2.0 cable. The drive does not come with any case, but to be fair, neither do any of it's rivals.
First Impression
It's too glossy! That is the very first reaction any scratch hating fingerprint detesting gadget lover like me!
The GoFlex is dressed in a completely glossy black body, which looks good probably on Mars, but on Planet Earth, the dust completely ruins the look in less than 5 minutes of the un-boxing.
The size of this drive, 500GB in capacity, is similar to the new WD MyPassport range, if only a little thicker. There is the proprietary connector which plugs into the drive, and it is through this connector that the USB cable connects to the drive.
Performance
The drive comes pre-formatted in the NTFS format. Plug it in, and you are ready to drop files into it. The GoFlex also comes with the Seagate Dashboard software, which needs to be installed on the PC- optionally. This software can be used to sync files and folders between the PC and hard drive whenever the drive is connected.
The data transfer speeds of the drive is what matters in the end. This hard drive is the 5200rpm one (there is the GoFlex Pro which is a 7200rpm one). I transferred 1GB data (folder with a mixture of files- video, audio and text documents) to and from the hard drive.
The time it took to transfer this folder from the hard drive to the PC took just 19 seconds in the USB 2.0 mode. The reverse transfer from PC to the GoFlex took just over a minute.
In the USB 3.0 mode, the GoFlex to PC transfer took 16 seconds only! The PC to GoFlex transfer was completed in 45 seconds. Quite quick! Remember, the USB 3.0 mode only works with the compatible USB 3.0 cable.
Verdict
To get the speed boost of the USB 3.0, you will need to shell out about Rs 6500 for the 500GB GoFlex. There is the 320GB one available too, for Rs 5200, but then again, how long will 320GB last?!
Also, apart from the hard drive, you will need to also buy the USB 3.0 Upgrade Kit, which costs about Rs 6000.
The idea of a very fast hard drive seems nice, but at the moment is quite expensive. If you still want to take the jump to the next big thing, this hard drive will not disappoint you.
Price- Rs 6500 (500GB)
Specs:
Portable Hard drives 500GB
5200rpm speed
USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 capable
USB 3.0 Upgrade Kit is separate
Available in multiple colors
Seagate Dashboard software
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