Conclusion:

If your portable storage needs insist that you have plenty of disk space, without taking up too much physical space, the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB external hard drive is worth considering. 1.5TB is definitely an ample amount of storage, and having it available in such a compact size while requiring just the one cable for both data and power is definitely convenient. While the drive is appealing enough on its own, Seagate has packed it full of extras to sweeten the deal. They have included easy to use backup software from Memeo, as well as a digital copy of the 2009 movie Star Trek.



When compared to USB 2.0, the USB 3.0 provided by the FreeAgent GoFlex is zippy and a welcome upgrade. That said, the speed is about the only (slight) disappointment with this drive. While the packaging touts USB 3.0 as "up to 10x faster than USB 2.0", that type of performance does not apply to this drive. I'd be fairly impressed if it could put up something like 4x to 5x the performance of USB 2.0, but testing showed that you will have to settle for somewhere between 2x to 3x.

Shopping around will show that most places carry the 1.5TB FreeAgent GoFlex for about $230 (US). One of the best deals I found was actually through Best Buy, where the price is just $200, and if they don't happen to have one in stock at a store near you, they do offer free shipping. While we may not be exactly comparing apples to apples, looking at 1.5TB external drives from other manufacturers show that $200 is rather high. I have found 1.5TB USB 2.0 drives from other reputable brand names for under $100 (US), and even when searching only for USB 3.0 compatible drives I have found that they can be had for around $150.

In the end, the compact size, stylish design, and USB 3.0 compatibility all help the FreeAgent GoFlex 1.5TB external hard drive earn the Bigbruin.com "Recommended" award. A bit more on the speed side of things, and a bit less on the price tag side of things and this thing would get bumped up to highly recommended.



Pros:

» Compact housing packs in 1.5TB of storage space
» Needs just one cable for data and power
» Includes simple and useful backup software
» Bundled with a "free" movie and access to many others (for a fee)
» Compatible with FreeAgent GoFlex TV HD media player

Cons:

» Transfer rates don't show what USB 3.0 can really do
» $200-$230 price tag

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