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Top 10 External Hard Drives

External hard drives aren't as fast as internal models, but they are great for backups and are easy to install. Ratings and rankings can change due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info.

Edited by Melissa J. Perenson

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PCW Rating: 85.8PCW Rating: 85.8PCW Rating: 85.8

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

 BEST BUY!

1. SimpleTech Duo Pro Drive

Drive size (GB): 1000GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.3,

Bottom Line: Terrific design, speedy performance, and versatile backup software make this drive a strong choice.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $299 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 81.8PCW Rating: 81.8PCW Rating: 81.8

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

2. Apricorn EZ Bus Desktop SATA

Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 8, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.34,

Bottom Line: This fast, cheap drive comes with three basic backup, file-copy, and encryption utilities.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $169 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 81.3PCW Rating: 81.3PCW Rating: 81.3

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

3. LaCie d2 Quadra

Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-150, USB 2.0, FireWire 800/400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.4,

Bottom Line: For a slight price premium, you get the flexibility of USB, SATA, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800 data interfaces.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $200 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 79.3PCW Rating: 79.3PCW Rating: 79.3

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

4. Seagate FreeAgent Pro

Drive size (GB): 750GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.31,

Bottom Line: An eye catching design coupled with a useful and well-rounded software help differentiate the FreeAgent Pro.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $230 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 78.8PCW Rating: 78.8PCW Rating: 78.8

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

5. Western Digital My Book Home Edition

Drive size (GB): 1000GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.3,

Bottom Line: Reasonably priced for a single 1TB drive, this model lacks the performance oomph of some of its competitors.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $300 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 75.9PCW Rating: 75.9PCW Rating: 75.9

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

6. Onetouch III Turbo Edition

Drive size (GB): 1500GB, Supported Interface(s): USB 2.0, FireWire 800/400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.37,

Bottom Line: This model's performance and backup software are impressive, but its drives are not readily accessible.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $550 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 75.6PCW Rating: 75.6PCW Rating: 75.6

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

7. WiebeTech ToughTech FS

Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.41,

Bottom Line: Fast drive comes in a sleek, accessible (via tools) chassis, but lacks bundled software.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $206 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 75.5PCW Rating: 75.5PCW Rating: 75.5

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

8. 1TB Velocity2 Series Backup System

Drive size (GB): 1000GB, Supported Interface(s): External SATA-300, USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.71,

Bottom Line: This top-flight performer provides a software/hardware combination for creating a bootable backup drive.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $711 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 70.9PCW Rating: 70.9PCW Rating: 70.9

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

9. SimpleTech reDrive

Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): USB 2.0, Speed (RPM): 5400, Buffer Size (MB): 8, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.32,

Bottom Line: Elegant, original, and ecologically-friendly design inside and out highlight this external hard drive.

Test Report 		Price When Reviewed: $160 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 70.6PCW Rating: 70.6PCW Rating: 70.6

Last Rated: July 31, 2008

10. Seagate Maxtor One-Touch IV Plus

Drive size (GB): 500GB, Supported Interface(s): USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Speed (RPM): 7200, Buffer Size (MB): 16, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.35,

Bottom Line: Slow performer lacks an eSATA interface; its integrated backup software makes one-touch backups easy.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $175 Check Latest Prices
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