Quantcast
Subscribe to magazine

Single-PC Backup Savvy

The Iomega drive won our performance tests, but the Seagate and our Best Buy, the Western Digital, have better designs.

Melissa J. Perenson

Compare ProductsCheck boxes to
Dual-option Media Center External 320GB Hard Drive (USB 2.0/Firewire, 7,200 RPM, 8MB) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

1. Western Digital Dual-option Media Center External 320GB Hard Drive (USB 2.0/Firewire, 7,200 RPM, 8MB)

320GB, USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 interface, EMC Dantz Retrospect Express 6.5, Price when ranked: $280

Bottom Line: This reasonably priced model has less capacity and is slower than competitors; but with media card slots and a two-port USB 2.0 hub, it's more than just a storage drive.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Check Latest Prices
External 400GB Hard Drive (USB 2.0/FireWire, 7200 RPM, 8MB) PCW Rating: 73.0PCW Rating: 73.0PCW Rating: 73.0

Last Rated:

2. Seagate External 400GB Hard Drive (USB 2.0/FireWire, 7200 RPM, 8MB)

400GB, USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 interface, CMS BounceBack Express 6, Price when ranked: $330

Bottom Line: Unit has great design and documentation. It's a little slow when using its limited bundled backup software, but competitively fast when simply copying files.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Check Latest Prices
33126 External 400GB Hard Drive (Firewire/USB 2.0, 7200 RPM, 2MB) PCW Rating: 78.7PCW Rating: 78.7PCW Rating: 78.7

Last Rated:

3. Iomega 33126 External 400GB Hard Drive (Firewire/USB 2.0, 7200 RPM, 2MB)

400GB, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800 interface, Iomega Automatic Backup Professional 3.2, Price when ranked: $380

Bottom Line: Noticeably swifter at system backups than the other drives here. Its included PC software can automatically back up changed files; its Mac software is Retrospect Express.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Check Latest Prices
400GB Hammer External 3.5 PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

4. Bell Microproducts 400GB Hammer External 3.5

400GB, USB 2.0, EMC Dantz Retrospect Express 6.5, Price when ranked: $330

Bottom Line: This model was fastest at our drag-and-drop copying, in part because it was the only drive preformatted with NTFS. USB-only, but otherwise a good value for the money.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Check Latest Prices
OneTouch 2 E01H300 External 300GB Hard Drive (USB 2.0, 7200 RPM, 16MB) PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

5. Maxtor OneTouch 2 E01H300 External 300GB Hard Drive (USB 2.0, 7200 RPM, 16MB)

300GB, USB 2.0 and FireWire 400 interface, EMC Dantz Retrospect Express HD, Price when ranked: $260

Bottom Line: Its moderate capacity, price, and performance (when formatted as FAT32) are pluses; but Maxtor hobbles this drive with oversimplified Retrospect Express HD software.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Check Latest Prices
ABSplus Desktop Backup System PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

6. CMS Products ABSplus Desktop Backup System

400GB, USB 2.0, CMS BounceBack Professional 6, Price when ranked: $500

Bottom Line: A little pricey for the capacity, and it comes in a generic, buttonless, USB 2.0-only drive enclosure (FireWire and external SATA versions are available separately). The included software isn't pretty, but it is capable.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices
ION Tri-Select Storage PCW Rating: PCW Rating: PCW Rating:

Last Rated:

7. IOGEAR ION Tri-Select Storage

250GB, USB 2.0, EMC Dantz Retrospect Express 6.5, Price when ranked: $290

Bottom Line: Each of the three buttons on the front of this drive's case can launch a different backup routine. But it has a somewhat unstable vertical stand and an aggravating manual.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices
  • Recommend this story?
  • 0 Yes
    0 No

Today's Special Offers