As of late Seagate has been busy infusing the market with an assortment of new technologies. Amongst these is the GoFlex external hard drive lineup which includes the Seagate Momentus XT incorporating a SSD to boost performance.

Today we will be going hands on with the Seagate GoFlex 1TB external hard drive along with a few upgrade cables. This line provides the average user with the ability to easily and cheaply upgrade their external hard drive when necessary as well as other upgrades and docks which allow automatic back up etc.

Specifications

Seagate GoFlex 1TB (STAA1000100)

Dimensions 4.71“ x 3.51“ x 087“ (L x W x H)
Weight: 0.62 lb (280g)
Material: Plastic
External Interface: USB 2.0 (480 MB/s max)
Color: Black (Blue / Red / Silver available for other sizes)

Form Factor: 2.5”
Spindle Speed: N/A
Supported OS: Windows & OSX
Warranty Length: 2 Years

Price: $125

USB 3.0 / Firewire 800 / eSATA Upgrade Cables

Internal Interface: SATA
External Interface: USB 3.0, Firewire 800, eSATA

Price: $20 – $40

A Closer Look

Having reviewed Seagate products in the past, we knew what to expect. Each box’s design coordinated well: the box containing the external hard drive was graced with images, and the upgrade cables were displayed through a “window” in each of their boxes. The inside of each box was well organized while it included only the bare minimum.

The GoFlex hard drive as well as the three cables came with a simple to read and well-illustrated instruction manual; however. it would have been more satisfying if Seagate provided a microfiber case to protect the drive after the plastic protection was removed.

Once removed from the packaging we were able to get a better idea of the hard drive’s scale. At first glance it appears to be enormous but upon further inspection it is actually similar to many of its competitors. In general it is wider and thicker than the average external hard drive but it is similar and in some cases even shorter in length.

From a visual standpoint the smooth curves and glossy finish of the GoFlex hard drive coincide with the current trend amongst consumer notebooks. Not only does the glossy plastic ensure that it does not appear out of place but aids in keeping the general weight of the product low.

The downsides of the plastic build are the usual: small scratches and fingerprints appear quickly. Moreover, the overall strength is weakened. In this case the external hard drive is weakest on its largest surfaces, the top and the bottom. Both can be pushed in unison deep enough to reach the actual hard drive inside.

Though, in the end its appearance is great and looks like a chiclet but it does have its drawbacks. A clever design feature of the HDD is its base, though weak due to its slimness, Seagate finished it with hi grade “regular” plastic-. By regular we mean flat and non-glossy which equates to a hard to scratch surface.

Upgrades and Setup

By default the GoFlex hard drive comes with a USB connection. Unlike its faster upgrades, the cable itself is detachable from the connection bar. Connecting either the upgraded interfaces or stock interface is simple. The hard drive has inverted bevel which opens up to the SATA adapter of the hard disk, simply slide the interface adapter until there is a click and it is ready to use.

Each of the adapters has a crisp white LED power indicator light that specifies whether it is connected to a computer or not.

The adapter which caught our eye the most was the eSATA interface adapter because it is a USB/eSATA combo cable. Most eSATA drives and cables do not support power over eSATA but in this case it does by drawing power from the USB port. Therefore, if you have a USB/eSATA combination port you don’t need to hook up the drive to a USB to DC adapter.

After plugging in the hard disk you can install the optional software included by Seagate: Seagate Dashboard. It utilizes Memeo Backup which can automatically back up your data.

The software is simple to operate though designed for beginner or intermediate users. Advanced users may want to use alternative software to get the best out of their Seagate GoFlex external hard drive.

Performance

Thanks to Seagate we are able to provide you with precise performance figures. We were able to benchmark the hard drive with four different transfer methods: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA and FireWire 800.

EVERY NUMERICAL VALUE IN THE GRAPH BELOW IS REPRESENTED IN MB/s (Read/Write Performance)

Conclusion

Seagate claims the GoFlex lineup is the most versatile external hard drive lineup on the market and we found no reason to disagree. Its upgrade possibilities are abundant but simple at the same time. Our main concerns were with the built-quality but throughout our testing phase we only got slight scratching and a moderate quantity of fingerprints and smudges. On the whole, our impression of the Seagate GoFlex hard drive is positive and we recommend it to any user hoping to maximize their external storage potential.