Photo: Iomega

The slow, steady rollout of USB 3.0 devices continues with the Iomega eGo 500GB USB 3.0 external drive and while we’re all but ready to embrace faster transfer feeds, Iomega makes a silly omission that limits the full acceleration capabilities of the drive.

Specs

As the name suggests, the Iomega eGo has a drive capacity of 500GB and is USB 3.0 compliant. The bizarre design decision is that the drive spins at a limiting 5400rpm, which reduces the maximum transfer of data.

Design

Photo: Iomega

This external USB drive has a high gloss attractive finish. In many ways, it looks like a slightly miniaturised contemporary notebook, with its glossy black finish and counters. We would have preferred it were a smidgen smaller, bringing it in line with the Samsung G2 500GB external drive, but that’s just us nitpicking. Four rubber studs are added to the base of the drive so as to stop it from slipping off slippery surfaces, which is a neat touch. From a design point of view, there’s little not to like here, though we worry the glossy finish is crying to be scratched up through extended use.

Performance

The Iomega eGo 500GB external drive has very good but limited transfer speeds. When plugged into USB 2.0 slots, transfer speeds hover just below 30mb/s. When plugged into USB 3.0 slots, the average transfer rate is between 64mb/s and 65mb/s due to the favouring of a 5400rpm drive over a 7200rpm drive. While that may sound great, it’s slow when compared to the transfer speed on the equivalent Lacie Rugged 500GB USB 3.0 drive, which averaged over 80mb/s transfer rate.

The final say

We won’t lie and say we don’t like this 500GB external drive. It’s well built, and looks very elegant. Where the Iomega eGo 500GB USB 3.0 drive starts dropping the ball is in its unusual opting for the 5400rpm drive, which puts a limiter on the potential transfer speed on the drive. But the price is agreeable and Iomega is reputable.

Photo: Samsung

As the lines between traditional consumer electronics manufacturers and specialist PC hardware manufacturers get more and more blurred, we’re seeing companies like Samsung encroaching in territory previously dominated by the likes of Lacie and Western Digital. We took the Samsung G2 500GB USB external hard drive for a spin to see how it compares, and you can read our thoughts below.

Stats attack

The Samsung G2 500GB USB external hard drive, as its name suggests, has a 500GB capacity. It runs at an okay 5400rpm and is whisper quiet. The disk is 2.5-inches in size, meaning it doesn’t need an external power source, so all you need is a sole USB cable for transferring data and plugging it in. Even when we tried very hard to listen out for it, we couldn’t hear so much as a fizz. To this effect, Samsung has included a clever blue LED light that remains solid when the drive is plugged in but inactive, and flashes on and off when data is being read off or written to it.

Aesthetics

The drives come in four colour varieties, namely cobalt black, silver white, cobalt blue and olive green. The top of the drive is studded – think almost of how lego blocks have those little connectors – that makes the drive shimmer when light bounces off of it. Sure, it makes no difference to performance, but it’s a pretty effect (and Twilight fans will certainly appreciate it).

Added features

Photo: Samsung

The hard drive comes with Windows only (sorry Mac fans) password protection and backup features. While Time Machine should suffice for backing up a Mac, the file hiding and password protection of sensitive files would have been nice to have. Samsung also has faith in its manufacturing quality, selling the external hard drive with a healthy three-year warranty, which is always a good sign.

Performance

These drives are aimed squarely at consumers, and perform competently when held to that mantle. Professional users who need high 7200rpm disk speeds, or Firewire 800 or USB 3.0, which bring significantly improved transfer speeds, this drive is not for you.

Verdict

The Samsung G2 500GB USB external hard drive has grown on us the more we’ve used in. Its tiny, almost pocket book size makes it great for carrying with you pretty much everywhere you go and with its clever diminutive design, it won’t look out of place with your slightly flashier electronics. The omission of 7200 rpm and USB 3.0 may be a big deal for some, and if that’s the case, look elsewhere. Also the lack of Mac love in this day and age is somewhat bemusing. Nonetheless, if these things don’t deter you and you like smart design, it’s very difficult to say no to a product that comes with a three-year warranty.