Tech Olive

When it comes to storage, you really can’t go wrong with external hard drives. They allow you to add more disk space without having to crack open your computer case and you can take the extra disk space with you wherever you go, which is totally a plus. Seagate recently came out with some honkin’ 2TB versions of the FreeAgent Desk and FreeAgent XTreme and we decided to check them out for ourselves.

The FreeAgent Desk is Seagate’s entry level external drive line and the FreeAgent XTreme is Seagate’s higher-end external drive line. The Desk comes in Silver and  supports USB 2.0 while the XTreme sports a sleek black finish and has USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and eSATA capabilities.

Upon first glances, the drives looked simply sweet. Despite the almost weird shape of the enclosure, the LED status lights put on quite a show that puts the FreeAgent Go to shame. Both of the FreeAgent drives come with a stand, which can be put on either end of the drive depending on where you want the front of the drive facing. If you prefer to lay down the drive, Seagate included four small rubber feet to attach. I also noticed that the company went all black with their XTreme by providing black power and transfer cables instead of white, which was how it used to be.

One last interesting thing I noticed was the USB interface on the FreeAgent drives were Mini B instead of Type B, like most externals are. This isn’t a disappointment by any means, but just an interesting observation.

As far as performance, these FreeAgent drives are up to par with any other external storage solution. Performance is obviously limited depending on the type of data transfer interface you choose to use. USB 2.0 boasted an average 24.8MB/s write speed and 37.6MB/s read speed, while eSATA had a decent 99.6MB/s write speed and 110.3MB/s read speed average. The 2TB FreeAgent drives also sport the Barracuda LP drives, which are known for their ultra low power consumption.

The drives also come with Seagate Manager preloaded on them. I must say it is quite useful. Features include automatic backup, encryption, synchronization and several settings to control your external drive such as power management, status lights and error checking.

As with any product, I must mention some downfalls of the FreeAgent Desk and XTreme drives. First off, there is no power button/switch. Instead you can shut the drives off via the Seagate Manager or just simply unplug the data cable after safely removing it. Not a huge inconvenience, but could be for some people. Also, like I mentioned, the FreeAgent XTreme has eSATA capabilities. The odd part about this is that the drive comes with a USB and FireWire cable, but no eSATA cable. I had to purchase one separately.

All things aside, the FreeAgent series from Seagate has come a long way and is definitely one of the best choices for basic external storage. I still can’t stop looking at the beautiful status light design on the front.

You can purchase the 2TB FreeAgent Desk and XTreme off of Seagate’s website for $300 and $330, respectively. (You can also snag the 2TB FreeAgent Desk off of Newegg for $280)

* Below: The Coke Can Comparison with the 2TB FreeAgent XTreme.*

Scores

- Price: 7
Just a tad more expensive than other 2TB external drives.

- Setup/Install: 9
Aside from the fact that 3.5″ external drives can be a pain to setup, Seagate definitely doesn’t make it any harder than it’s worth.

- Ease of Use: 9
The Seagate Manager works great and makes the drives even more easier to use.

- Performance: 8
Expected speeds and the Barracuda LP internal drive equals goodness.

- Features: 7
The only thing I’m disappointed about is that eSATA cables aren’t included and there was no power switch.

Overall: 8 Olives