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Top 10 External Hard Drives

While compact models are shrinking in physical size, desktop units are growing in capacity.

Narasu Rebbapragada

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GIGAVAULT 40GB Port Hard Disk w/ USB2 Adapter (Sony-RHK40U2) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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40GB NetDisk-Mini Ethernet & USB 2.0 Portable Ultra-Sleek NDAS HDD PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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ComboGB 40GB PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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40GB Portable External Hard Drive PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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Combo Ion Drive 2.5in. PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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OneTouch External 300GB Hard Drive PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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Media Center External 250GB Hard Drive PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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SimpleDrive Deluxe 400GB PCW Rating: 73.1PCW Rating: 73.1PCW Rating: 73.1

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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.

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Velocity SATA Automatic Backup System 400GB PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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.

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9W2874500 External 200GB Hard Drive PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

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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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To test performance, we copy a 2.6GB folder (containing 155 folders and 715 files) and a single large 2.6GB .zip file to the Windows Desktop, scan a 4GB folder with McAfee Virus Scan 7, and search the files on the drive for a text string. All tests are performed on a Micro Express MicroFlex 3600A configured with a 3.4-GHz Pentium 4 processor and Windows XP. Data based on tests designed and conducted by the PC World Test Center. All rights reserved.

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