Packaging and Accessories:

The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk hard drive is packaged in a retail-style box. It matches other Seagate packaging with a large picture and a brief overview of the hard drive found inside.



While we will be checking out a 3TB unit, this drive is available in three sizes; 1TB, 2TB, and 3TB. The hard drive includes a USB 2.0 connection, however it can easily be upgraded to Firewire 800 or USB 3.0. Seagate included the USB 3.0 connection for the review, which will be covered later. The back of the box (below right picture) goes into much more detail on what this hard drive has to offer.



One side of the box (below left picture) gives a quick look at what is included in the box and the typical system requirements. The other side (not pictured) shows the front of the hard drive and points out the illuminated capacity indicator.



The hard drive itself is packaged between two cardboard forms which keep it from being beaten up during shipment (above right picture). Seagate also encloses the hard drive in a plastic bag to keep any moisture away from the drive.

The GoFlex system allows Seagate to create new adapters for future technology. This is especially helpful when new systems are just on the horizon; such as USB 3.0. However, you don't have to wait for USB 3.0 to be in your system to use Seagate's USB 3.0 GoFlex kit. In the kit is a USB 3.0 PCI-E 1x card which should work fine with most modern desktop systems (just not in laptops).

For laptops though, Seagate has an Express card adapter which is available separately. The Seagate USB 3.0 Express card was previously looked at in the Seagate USB 3.0 BlackArmor review.

In addition to USB 3.0, Seagate has a Firewire 800 adapter available. This will be beneficial to the Mac community where Firewire is more popular. This leads to the inclusion of software to use the GoFlex Desk on Macs, as well as on PCs. While I do not have a Mac to test this, this should be the same software that is included on other GoFlex drives, as reviewed here.