Cheap Seagate 1 TB USB 2.0 External Desktop Hard Drive Sale (11/27/2009)

Seagate 1 TB USB 2.0 External Desktop Hard Drive ST310005EXA101-RK (Black)

Price: $79.99

Technical Details
Plug n¿ play with no software to install
Simply drag-and-drop to save files
7200 RPM performance, 1TB
Built-in power management ensures energy-efficient operation
USB 2.0 Interface

Product Details
Item Weight: 3 pounds
Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
ASIN: B001UI49XA
Item model number: ST310005EXA101-RK

Seagate® External Desktop Drive

From the Manufacturer
Simple, reliable desktop storage expansion

With Seagate® External Desktop drives, you can easily and instantly add more storage space to your system. There’s no software to install—they’re automatically recognized by Windows Vista and Windows XP. Simply drag and drop to save files. Fast USB 2.0 performance makes saving and transferring large music and video collections quick and painless. Seagate External Desktop drives make “going green” easy too, with built-in power management that ensures energy-efficient operation. And they’re backed by a 2-year limited warranty for peace of mind.

Highlights:

Plug and play—no software to install
Simply drag and drop to save files
USB 2.0
Built-in power management ensures energy-efficient operation
2-year limited warranty

Reviews:
Last week, I purchased a Seagate Expansion 1.5TB drive. I had read the product reviews on Amazon, however it seemed respectable enough. Last Friday, the drive arrived. Upon initial set-up, I noticed that it seemed extremely loud. After copying some data to it as a test, it began to make a very loud clicking sound. I have worked with many hard drives, and the sound was out of the ordinary (and, dare I say, reminiscent of the old Iomega click of death).

Upon calling Seagate, the technician warned me that the drive was probably in its death throes and to make sure I had a backup of anything on it. I put the product back in its box, and sent it back to Amazon, who issued a replacement.

When the replacement arrived, all seemed well at first. It formatted just fine, and seemed quiet and elegant. Once I connected it to my primary machine and began to copy data, however, it began making a similar noise to the prior model. Though it showed no signs of failure, the drive was so loud that I became annoyed with it quickly and called Seagate again. A representative, who was very helpful, had me run the SeaTools diagnostic tool, which passed. After I held the phone to the drive, however, he understood why it was so bothersome to me but couldn't explain what the noise was. He did state that the 1.5TB drives are often louder than other drives due to the additional platters required in the drive, but not to the extent I experienced.

Needless to say, I called Amazon this past afternoon, and the representative I spoke with was very understanding. When I detailed the issue and he heard the drive, he was glad to create an RMA, citing on the ticket that the drive "sounds like a jet engine revving up."

Though I've been very negative about this product, it does have its merit. When operational, it was quick to copy data (~15-20MB/s). It also has a very elegant profile, which looked wonderful on my desk; the small green LED on the front was a wonderfully unobtrusive drive activity indicator. Finally, it was preformatted as NTFS and included no unnecessary software, which was a refreshing change from many other external hard drives.

In short, this drive (at least the 1.5TB model) is worth consideration if noise is not a factor, however I have doubts to its longevity.