Mega Storage to Go

Really Pack It Away

Flash memory is optimal for quick, small file transfers, and optical storage is ideal for midsize tasks. But if you need to back up a hard drive or transport really large files, an external hard drive is your best option for the job.

The $300 SmartDisk FireLite Portable FireWire Hard Drive and the $260 Storix Fusion 40GB HDD are lightweight and will fit in your hand. Other models, such as the $340 LaCie D2 U&I Hard Drive, are about the size of a hardcover novel. Regardless of their physical size, the five units we scrutinized are simply internal hard drives in a fancy shell. And although those shells usually contain some sort of shock protection, one jarring drop could spell doom for your data. Still, if handled with proper care, these drives are great for backing up gigabytes of files: Two units we looked at--from Maxtor and Storix--even include Dantz's Retrospect Express software to facilitate backups.

For tasks that require high-end performance, you'll want a model that contains a faster, higher-capacity, 3.5-inch desktop drive--such as the LaCie, the Maxtor Personal Storage 5000DV (our Best Buy), or the WiebeTech UltraGB-120HS.

Pocket-size external hard disks typically use 2.5-inch notebook drives, as the SmartDisk and Storix models do. Accordingly, these drives have a lower capacity (topping out at 60GB) and run at a slower rate (measured in revolutions per minute) than their desktop siblings. Our test results reflect this: The Storix trailed the leader in this category, the LaCie, by about 40 percent in our write test; the SmartDisk trailed the LaCie by about 65 percent, making it the slowest drive at writing data. The smaller drives cost more, too: For example, the svelte, dual-interface Storix costs only $40 less than the Maxtor, but the latter has four times the capacity.

Maxtor's $300 5000DV comes preformatted, and supports both FireWire 400 and USB 2.0. A solid performer (it ranked second on our write test), its greatest asset is its one-step approach to backup: Simply push a button on the front bezel of the drive to launch the included backup utility. Getting Retrospect Express running properly takes a bit of fiddling; but once you've fine-tuned it, the 5000DV is terrific for backups or everyday storage needs.

LaCie's D2 U&I is a big 200GB drive; it was the heaviest external model we reviewed. Though the D2 supports FireWire 800 and was easily the fastest drive in this category, we didn't see a dramatic performance boost in our tests between FireWire 400 and 800--the drive was just 35 seconds (5 percent) faster on our write test using FireWire 800. The minor performance difference is attributable to the fact that current hard drives can't feed data through the FireWire 800 interface swiftly enough to produce a significant improvement. The drive comes unformatted, and installation is awkward: Windows 98 users must install an included third-party application; XP and 2000 users are directed to the arcana of the Administrative Tools control panel.

The $330 WiebeTech UltraGB-120HS requires similar hoop-jumping to configure. We obtained mixed results when trying to format the 120GB disk: One drive we tested worked flawlessly the first time through, while another required three tries. The inadequate manual was of little help in resolving our issues. However, depending upon your PC's configuration, the drive can run from the system's bus power when connected to the FireWire 400 port, eliminating the need for a power adapter. Though this feature is common with lower-power 2.5-inch drives such as the Storix and SmartDisk, it is unusual with 3.5-inch models.