...
Once received, you can see that the product is very well packaged ( which is something I am very keen on, it shows that the product will be well protected during transport - not very good for us Eco-Friendly people, but the majority of packaging was cardboard containers, so its all recyclable ... Read review
Store all your photos, music, videos, and documents with the powerful yet simple Seagate ... more
FreeAgent Desk storage solution.The FreeAgent Desk storage solution includes easy-to-use software that helps keep your information safe and private with
Postage & Packaging: see site for shipping costs Availability: 3-7 days
Easily store and automatically copy your content for quick and easy access, in this secure ... more
external hard drive. Vast capacity in a footprint smaller than a stapler. USB 2.0 connection. Compatible with all Windows based operating systems and Mac OSx10.4.6 or later. 500GB capacity
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:Available
FreeAgent desktop drive
USB 2.0 cable
AC power adapter
Quick start guide
The drive comes in 3 capacities - but obviously, as per this review, I opted for the 500GB drive.
One reason for choosing the Seagate drive, is that they are one of the best producers of HardDrives on the market, that along with their 5 year warranty on the drive is a definate plus for me.
...you dont need to be a techy to get this drive going. Under Windows XP ( which most people would be running these days ) its literally plug and play.
Connect the power cable, and power on.
Connect the USB2 cable, then connect the USB lead to your PC.
This drive is USB2 ( also known as high speed USB ) however, if you dont have USB2 ports on your PC, then no problem, as the drive is backward compatible, in that ... more
Hey Hey Hey !!! The techy geek is back ^^
Well, in our digital world today, storage is one of the main things that people need. I only upgraded my PC last year, including the hard drives that I use.
However, as most people with interests similar to my own, music, video and other digital media take up space. So much space in fact, that I needed some additional storage capacity.
Initially I thought about just getting another internal SATA drive, and upgrade the PC with additional storage capacity. As I was searching on the world wide web, I noticed an offer with DABS on this drive. Now initially I wasnt looking for an external drive, but the more I looked at the offer, the more I became interested in it, and I actually thought that yeah, why not - it makes a little more sense. Its literally just plug and play, and it will be very easy to have the drive run from a different PC if I wanted to.
The offer with DABS was actually very good, in that the cost of the drive was going to be less than that for an internal 500GB SATAII drive, bargain !
I placed the order ( and I have to say, was very happy with the ordering / delivery process ) and I received the drive within 2 days.
Once received, you can see that the product is very well packaged ( which is something I am very keen on, it shows that the product will be well protected during transport - not very good for us Eco-Friendly people, but the majority of packaging was cardboard containers, so its all recyclable - which is a plus )
Once you open up the box, (which also has a security seal on to show whether its been tampered with - which is also good ) you see the following
FreeAgent desktop drive USB 2.0 cable AC power adapter Quick start guide
The drive comes in 3 capacities - but obviously, as per this review, I opted for the 500GB drive.
One reason for choosing the Seagate drive, is that they are one of the best producers of HardDrives on the market, that along with their 5 year warranty on the drive is a definate plus for me.
Getting it set up is very quick and easy, you dont need to be a techy to get this drive going. Under Windows XP ( which most people would be running these days ) its literally plug and play.
Connect the power cable, and power on. Connect the USB2 cable, then connect the USB lead to your PC.
This drive is USB2 ( also known as high speed USB ) however, if you dont have USB2 ports on your PC, then no problem, as the drive is backward compatible, in that you can connect it to your standard USB1.1 port, and it will still run. Im not too sure what speeds will be obtained on a USB1.1 port, but running on USB this drive achieves 480 MB/sec, which is a good amount of an external HDD. The drive has a spindle speed of 7200rpm, again good for an external HDD, and a cache of 8MB ( sorry, geeky bits over ^^ )
The drive is already formatted to NTFS standard, so literally as soon as you power it up, and connect it to your USB port, your PC will automatically detect the drive, and also know that this is a storage device.
Any MAC users out there you will have to reformat for Mac using Disk Utility.
For me, once set up, detected under Windows XP, and also Vista immediately, the drive is good to go. I transfered a load of digital content to the drive, and the transfer rate was very good.
Another thing that I like about this drive, is that it basically 'idle's' as in its not constantly spinning up, unless you are trying to access that drive ( and when you are accessing the disk, the orange strip on the left hand side glows, so you can see its in use ) which is pretty cool, especially at night.
I would definately recommend this external drive to anyone looking to increase their digital storage capacity.
There is only 1 thing that let this drive down for me, nothing to do with performance, just he look / design of it really.
For me, when I initially looked at the drive online, it did appear to be black, with the orange strip on the side, that lights up when the drive is in use. However, when I received it, the black, is actually more a real dark brown... not really the best colour out there, and the pictures online were a little deceiving. Doesnt put me off though really.
If your out to get some more storage, I would definately recommend this drive to one to be added to your list that you are looking at !!!!
Advantages: cheap - all that it is Disadvantages: poor structure, prone to overheating, not reliable
...external hard drive the Seagate FreeAgent Desktop caught my eye. It looked appealing with a massive 500GBs and 5 year limited warrenty as standard. I thought it was great value for money.
The dimensions are (WxDxH) 4 cm x 16.2 cm x 19 cm and it is 0.9kg in weight.
This product is black in colour with a yellow strip of light which is constantly on, though it isn't too bright so i had no problems there. It's Interface Type is Hi-Speed USB and has ... ...Spindle Speed of 7200 rpm.
These are also compatible with the following -
OS Required Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Apple MacOS X 10.3.9 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista, Apple MacOS X 10.4.6 or later This all sounded promising.
After getting home i eagerly unpacked to see my latest purchase. However i was dissappointed as i noticed it was strangely built to stand on its' side wth ...
vikki-adam 05.04.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of FreeAgent Desktop 500 GB
Advantages: Hi-Speed, Sturdyness, Look, Performace, Reliability, Silent Disadvantages: None in General. When being specific no On/Off Button
==Seagate FreeAgent 500GB USB2.0 External Storage Drive==
Bought this as a backup drive for my data and to play hi-definition movies using PS3 and it serves its purpose very well.
Fully compatible with Hi-Speed USB( USB 2.0) with speed of 480 Mbps. I was able to transfer 7.95 GB Blu-Ray movie in just 6 minutes.
It also has 8MB Cache for fast data transfer
A 7200 RPM Hard-disk is used and is completely noiseless. Front Light ( Long Bar shaped, ... ...compared with WD.
Freeagent 500GB /// Transcend 500GB /// WD500GB
===Speed ( In Mbps Approx. )===
479.6 /// 475.7 /// 474.0
===Time Taken to write ( per Minute ) (7.95 GB File)===
6.02 /// 7.01 /// 7.48
===Write Speed for 7.95 GB File ( per Minute ).===
1.32 GB /// 1.13 GB /// 1.06 GB
Also Hi-Definition movie playback is also very good and no lag is experienced and also the movie did not stuck even for a single time.
But this was not the ...
nishanthl21111987 01.11.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of FreeAgent Desktop 500 GB
Advantages: Not damaged by drops; fast transfer of data; Disadvantages: US to UK plug adapter
Another great product by Seagate. When I read initial reviews I was extremely sceptical however decided to go with gut instinct and bought one. I am extremely happy with it, the transfer rate between computer and hard drive is fast and it runs extremely quietly. Despite several times where it has been dropped from a reasonable height (accidently) it stills works perfectly and there has been no loss of data at all. The only problem that I have is ... ...is the adapter that converts the American plug to a UK one. This is quite large and means that you could have trouble plugging it or may have to take up 2 plugs by plugging it in.
Overall an excellent product and I would have no hesitation in buying one. ...
JetPilot 02.09.2008
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of FreeAgent Desktop 500 GB
Advantages: Looks good and easy to use Disadvantages: None really - transfer speed could be better but could be down to my computer as much as anything
I have never had any major problems with this hard drive reliabilitty wise it's very good - the transfer speed isn't excellant but it does the job, and i generally use it it for bulk storage/ backup and i normally have it set it off copying in the background so i don't notice it too much anyway, and it's quite too which helps.
In my opinion for a desktop external hard drive it has a very good design, and is smaller than some with the same disk space.
...
feelhow1 20.10.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of FreeAgent Desktop 500 GB
Software and devices that carry the Works with Windows Vista logo have been tested for baseline compatibility with PC's running.
Package Type
Retail
Compatible with Windows 7
Software and devices that carry the Compatible with Windows 7 logo have the Microsoft assurance these products have passed tests for compatibility and reliability with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7.
Included Accessories
Vertical stand
Power
Power Source
Included AC adapter
Power Device
Power adapter
Software / system requirements
Software Included
Drivers & Utilities
OS Required
Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Apple MacOS X 10.3.9 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista, Apple MacOS X 10.4.6 or later, Apple MacOS X 10.4.9 or later
System Requirements Details
MacOS X 10.4.9 or later - RAM 256 MB
Manufacturer warranty
Service & Support
5 years warranty
Service & Support Details
Limited warranty - 5 years
Manufacturer's product description
Ideal for allowing your digital content room to breathe, FreeAgent Desktop Drive features a vast capacity with the footprint no bigger than a stapler - just plug it in and you're ready to go!
