This is the review of the Seagate GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0 (STAA1500301) Ultra Portable External Storage Drive Review. Goodness of the USB 3.0, 3 years warranty, Seagate Dashboard software and powering up the storage brick from a single Connector: Let's see how the fat lady sings...
1.5TB drive measure 22mm in thickness with the usual GoFlex goodness. Powered by a single USB 3.0 connector, lets see how this storage bulk performs.
Thanks to the new USB 3.0 specifications, not only USB 3.0 is faster with better energy efficiency but also can give out more power. Theoretically and according to the USB 3.0 standards, unrecognized devices can get upto 150mA whereas devices properly configured for USB 3.0 ports can give upto 900 mA.
But seeing from a price point, it demands a certain premium. While products have "certain" reasons to keep a premium over USB 2.0 devices, motherboard with onboard USB 3.0 support do not command a premium. Unfortunately, that cannot be said for PCI USB 3.0 cards.
Even a decent enough motherboard worth about Rs. 5,000/- Rs. 6,000/- comes with x2 usb 3.0 ports, PCIE cards with USB 3.0 demand a laughable premium that goes upto Rs. 1,500- Rs. 2,000 (even those with 2x USB 3.0 cards). Not everybody will ditch a motherboard simply to get USB 3.0, so the only way to make and sell more USB 3.0 devices to be sold is either to keep a reasonable price for USB 3.0 PCIE cards or if manufacturers bundle a USB 3.0 card with the drive and not command a special premium at the same time.
Etron Technology stepped in the USB 3.0 controller business with EJ168 USB 3.0 controller and NEC doubled the USB 3.0 controller production, all the more reason that PCI expansion cards should not command such premium in the first place. A lot of consumers
(even keeping power users aside
) using 1TB+ storage space and hence they is a huge demand for 1TB+ external storage space. The transfer speed on USB 2.0 is extremely annoying even when transferring huge data. Once these controllers are available at a reasonable price, a lot of people will embrace such cards and once this happens prices for USB 3.0 devices should be reasonably priced
(assuming those who decide the price for a product sees that way
).
(
Note: Not all boards with Rs. 5,000/- min. price tag with USB 3.0 are of overall decent built, as many of the manufacturers skipping the necessary basics such as not putting required numbers of surface mount polyfuse that gives over-current protection, especially during improper removal of such devices
).
Packaging, Specs and First Impressions
The 1.5TB drive is the biggest capacity hard drive I've seen so far that is powered by a single USB 3.0 connector. The drive comes with 3 years manufacturer's warranty.
This drive did not have Seagate Dashboard however you can check out the software impressions from
Seagate GoFlex Slim that I've reviewed earlier.
As we've seen on the previews GoFlex Series review, the packaging and contents are pretty straightforward- manual, the drive and the USB 3.0 cable.
The GoFlex connector is of the standard size. That being said, the 22mm drive is bigger than the connector itself.
Test Setup and Benchmarks
Thanks to Gigabyte, Kingston and Western Digital for providing the hardware for our standard test system.
...
1.34GB Assorted Photos transfer Test
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11.34GB ISO Transfer Test
...
AS SSD Benchmark
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CrystalDisk Benchmark
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ATTO Benchmark
...
HD Tune Benchmark
Conclusion
Big storage space with decent enough transfer speeds. The drive does not get hot nor there's much vibration on smooth surfaces like glasses or aluminium.
During CES 2011, Anandtech wrote about
Antec showed a case with a 5.25inch GoFlex Dock bay. It does has some usefulness but it would be nice to have an aftermarket 5.25inch bay with a spring eject mechanism. This way, whether one has a USB 2.0 GoFlex drive, he can take the full advantage of the drive via the SATA II interface. I wouldn't be too confident if people will buy such cases just because it happens to have a Dock interface.
As far as Retailing goes, there are 2 1.5TB USB 3.0 drives from Seagate: STAA1500100 with 2 years warranty and STAA1500301 with 3 years warranty. As far as what Seagate's
PR told me there is no STAA1500100 in India. Besides, GoFlex labels their warranty period on top of the package itself so its no biggie. STAA1500100
I wasn't able to find the price (All 3 of them) for the 301 version and newegg listed 100 as deactivated Item. Once I get the required information, I'll add the price table. However, newegg is selling
STAC2000103 for $99.99 with 2 years warranty but with 1.5TB (STAA1500100) that is bundled with Dashboard software priced for
$145.45 via AMAZON.
But STAC2000103 comes with an external power adapter unlike STAA1500100/103 GoFlex drives. I haven't seen/heard/received any similar drives from the competitors (yet).
Major advantage of this drive is the form factor and ability to take power from a single USB hub, even connected to a USB 2.0 port. There are those who will need more space on an external drive no matter what and there are those who need certain convenience: bundled softwares+ more than 2 years warranty and good enough space. I will always appreciate more warranty period as long as the hardware comes with decent (if not good) numbers. Once I get the retail pricing from Seagate India, I'll keep you posted.
Seagate GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0 (STAA1500301) Ultra Portable External Storage Drive Revi
Linear Mode
