Top 10 External Hard Drives

1. Sony GIGAVAULT 40GB Port Hard Disk w/ USB2 Adapter (Sony-RHK40U2)

40GB, USB 2.0 interface, 5400 rpm, 2MB buffer, Price when ranked: $240 ($6.00 per GB) Bottom Line: Drive neatly balances performance, features, and support, and can run on battery power rather than on bus power. No backup software included. Retested this month.

2. Ximeta 40GB NetDisk-Mini Ethernet & USB 2.0 Portable Ultra-Sleek NDAS HDD

40GB, USB 2.0, ethernet interfaces, 5400 rpm, 2MB buffer, Price when ranked: $230 ($5.75 per GB) 

Bottom Line: Portable drive can connect to a network and comes with a limited version of Norton Internet Security 2003, as well as with rudimentary backup and syncing software.

3. WiebeTech ComboGB 40GB

40GB, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800 interfaces, 5400 rpm, 8MB buffer, Price when ranked: $230 ($5.75 per GB) 

Bottom Line: Triple-interface pocket drive is one of the first to support FireWire 800. Comes with ample cables and PDF documentation, but no extra software.

4. Seagate 40GB Portable External Hard Drive

40GB, USB 2.0 interface, 5400 rpm, 2MB buffer, Price when ranked: $169 ($4.23 per GB) Bottom Line: Well-priced but average performer is attractive and comes with a limited yet useful disk utility for running diagnostics and for partitioning the drive.

5. IOGEAR Combo Ion Drive 2.5in.

40GB, USB 2.0, FireWire 400 interfaces, 4200 rpm, 2MB buffer, Price when ranked: $280 ($7.00 per GB) 

Bottom Line: This expensive drive turned in average speed and it lacks software. A $60 increase in price caused a drop in ranking for this former Best Buy. Retested this month.

6. Maxtor OneTouch External 300GB Hard Drive

300GB, USB 2.0, FireWire 400 interfaces, 5400 rpm, 2MB buffer, Price when ranked: $296 ($0.99 per GB) 

Bottom Line: Stylish model with backup button has the best cost per gigabyte here. Maxtor plans to issue a faster version by the time you read this. Retested this month. 

 

7. Western Digital Media Center External 250GB Hard Drive

250GB, USB 2.0, FireWire 400 interfaces, 7200 rpm, 8MB buffer, Price when ranked: $330 ($1.32 per GB) 

Bottom Line: Two backup buttons and a flexible media card reader make up for this drive's plain looks.

 

8. SimpleTech SimpleDrive Deluxe 400GB

400GB, USB 2.0 interface, 7200 rpm, 8MB buffer, Price when ranked: $469 ($1.17 per GB) Bottom Line: Large capacity, high speed, easy-to-use backup software, and comprehensive support compensate for this model's sparse feature set and for its lack of printed documentation.

9. CMS Products Velocity SATA Automatic Backup System 400GB

400GB, External SATA interface, 7200 rpm, 8MB buffer, Price when ranked: $586 ($1.47 per GB) Bottom Line: High-capacity external SATA drive is lightning fast and can serve as a bootable backup drive. Model plugs into an internal SATA port, which limits portability.

10. Seagate 9W2874500 External 200GB Hard Drive

200GB, USB 2.0, FireWire 400 interfaces, 7200 rpm, 8MB buffer, Price when ranked: $230 ($1.15 per GB) Bottom Line: Inexpensive, almost square drive has a backup button. The light version of the backup software lacks disaster recovery and other advanced restore features of the full version.

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