Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST905003FGA2E1-RK (Silver)
by Seagate
Our Price: $159.99
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: SeagateFormat: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: ST905003FGA2E1-RK
Color: Silver
Product features:
- 5,400 RPM Spin Speed, 8 MB Cache Buffer
- USB 2.0: up to 480 Mb/s
- Sync and back up quickly at your desktop without having to search for cables.
- Guard the privacy of important files and folders.
- Get your storage solution up and running quickly.
- Windows Live OneCare 2.0 (Up to 3 Users)
- Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard [OLD VERSION]
- Kroo CNDSZNP2-HD Western Digital My Passport Portable Hard Drive EVA Case (Hot Pink)
- Caselogic Neoprene LHDC-1 Portable Hard Drive Case (Purple)
- Nero 8 Ultra Edition [OLD VERSION]
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST905003FGA2E1-RK (Silver)
Customer Review: Stylish product, dockable, beats my WD Passport drives
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm a professional photographer who fills up two portable drives a year (I swap the onsite and offsite copies after each shoot). The Western Digital (WD) Passport portables I've been using, at 320 GB each, are full to the brim with all my 2008 'raw' work. Wanting to preserve the data on them, I went shopping for two more portable drives, and came across the Seagate 500 GB GO models.
You can't really go wrong with either drive (both companies offer a great five-year warranty), but I like the form factor of the Seagates a bit better (they're a fraction of an inch smaller in all dimensions but LOOK even more svelte than they are). Also, an Amazon promotion currently offers a free dock with the Seagate drives, much like an iPod dock -- just slide the device onto the connector and it mounts on your desktop. Handy and elegant. The WD drives don't have this option.
The downside to using the Seagate dock (and this is why I give this setup 4 stars, not 5) is that, for reasons I don't comprehend, it takes up TWO USB ports on your computer. Those have to be powered ports, so you can't use a non-powered USB hub (at least that doesn't work with my one-year-old iMac and my el-cheapo hub -- your mileage may vary). The alternative is buying a powered hub, OR just not using the dock, instead connecting the drive directly to a single USB port on the computer with the supplied cable.
Speaking of USB connections: Apart from the dock, another advantage of the Seagate drive over the WD Passport is that it seems more power-efficient. At least, I can use the Seagate with my aging Powerbook and a single (supplied) cable, no problems. The WD drives, on the other hand, won't mount on my Powerbook's desktop unless I purchase a special three-plug "power booster" USB cable that (again) takes up two of the machine's ports. This may be a small thing, but it's meaningful to me. With the Seagates, I can finally just slide a capacious drive into a shirt pocket or any other available small space, and use the device on the road, nothing else necessary beyond a standard mini-to-regular USB cable (supplied) -- no booster cable, no power supply.
There is also a Mac version of the Seagate drive. I inadvertently purchased the PC version but it makes zero difference, I believe: the thing works fine, no drivers needed. The Mac version contains platform-specific backup software and maybe a couple of other goodies that I don't need or won't miss.
Due to the idiosyncracies of file systems and how bits and bytes are counted in the computer industry, the usable capacity of the 500GB Seagate drive is actually just 465Gb. That 'shortcoming' goes for every drive on the market, though -- no big deal, just something to keep in mind.
The Seagate's speed is fine: on my Mac, it took just under 4 minutes to copy 5 gigs' worth of smallish files. So it's neither a speed demon nor a slowpoke.
One more thing about the dock: It comes with a nice enough black leatherette padded sleeve for the drive. That bonus really should have been packaged with the drive instead of the dock, but I'm not complaining. The Passport drives come without a case or sleeve, and I paid another 30 bucks for two Case Logic soft-side cases at the time. I will continue to use the Case Logic cases for the Seagate GO drives, because the Seagates, outfitted with their own leatherette sleeves, fit snugly inside the Case Logic clamshell design -- double protection and peace of mind.
More Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST905003FGA2E1-RK (Silver) reviews:
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Description of Seagate FreeAgent Go 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive ST905003FGA2E1-RK (Silver)
Take your desktop environment and all of your files to go. The FreeAgent Go portable hard drive can run more than 100 free and pay-to-use applications on any PC without installing or storing programs on the host computer. Carry your browser, favorites, passwords, IM client and contacts, email client, cookies, settings and files; so whether you're using a computer at work, school, a business center, an Internet cafe, or a library, you have your desktop environment there when you need it. FreeAgent Go software lets you carry lots of great programs and all your browser favorites and passwords without having to haul around your computer. Your FreeAgent Go Portable Hard Drive saves all of your private information on itself, not on the computer you're using. That means there's no trace of your last session to tempt the next person on a borrowed computer. It also provides strong file encryption to protect your content, and lets you sync your files from several PCs. It's all about having your desktop environment and latest files with you, whenever and wherever you need them. Designed for mobility, the sleek compact design easily fits into your shirt pocket, briefcase or backpack. Plug in the USB 2.0 cable to a PC and your personal desktop environment launches automatically. Leave no trace of your last session on a borrowed computer Operating System - Windows XP Home, Professional Edition, or Vista Dimensions - Height 0.7 x Width 4.8 x Depth 3.9 (17.7x121.9x99mm) Weight - 6.4 ounces (184 kg)Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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