Seagate Expansion 2 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive STBV2000100

This Seagate Expansion 2 TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive STBV2000100 measures 4-5/8" X 7-1/16" X 1-3/8" thick - big in physical size by today's standard, and it weighs a hefty 1.5 lb. Furthermore, it comes with a corded transformer. A 100-240V 50/60 Hz AC outlet is required. It is definitely not for the travelers. However, its generous capacity of 2 TB makes it ideal for desktop storage. It runs on USB 3.0, which is a major improvement over the older 2.0 version, with transfer speed up to 5 Gigabits/sec, versus 480 Megabits/sec of USB 2.0. Computers with USB 3.0 are still relatively rare, but this Seagate Expansion Hard Drive is backward-compatible to USB 2.0, which is what I got in my HP desktop. This hard drive is plug-N-play. Within seconds after I plugged it in, it was up and running. A USB 3.0 cable is included. It is different in construction from USB 2.0 cables. A tiny blue LED lights up when the connection is made. The actual read/write speed of a hard drive is not the same as the USB transfer speed. I tested this hard drive with a software called DiskBench. The write speed of this Seagate Expansion drive ranges from 103 to 162 Megabytes/second and the read speed from 511 to 616 Megabytes/second, which are decent. I don't have USB 3.0, but I can see the logic of buying a USB 3.0 drive for a computer with USB 2.0, because USB 3.0 will be the standard in a few years. I can't speak to the drive's reliability, but I own two Seagate external hard drives and they have been very reliable.

Basic back up hard drive. Works as such.
I reformatted it for mac backups. I drive checked it, no errors. I am only using it at 2.0 usb speeds but it maxes the throughput allowed at 2.0 so its still quite speedy.

The item's packaging is well designed. The clear shrink wrap protects the tightly packed paper box from water or moisture damage. Inside, plastic wrap further protects external hard drive. Also included are one 100-240V 50/60 Hz AC power supply for a North American wall outlet, and one USB 3.0 cable. The item was shipped in Amazon's standard corrugate brown box with paper cushion, which provides adequate protection and privacy.

Once plugged in, the notebook computer, running Windows XP, takes about 5 seconds to recognize the drive. The usb 3.0 cable is compatible with my USB 2.0 outlet on the computer. A gentle click indicates the drive starts. A little blue light means it's on. The noise level is almost undetectable, even when my notebook is off. Very little heat come from the drive. After 8 hours of continuous running, it feels comfortably warm to the touch on the top surface. The drive is quiet and fast, certainly compared to my Maxtor 200 GB external drive and slightly to the Iomega 1TB external drive both connected to my desktop, running Windows Vista. I am quite happy with this purchase. For moderate home data and media backup purpose, this drive is plenty. It does what it's supposed to. No surprise, good or bad. I give it 4 stars out of 5.