Conclusion:
The BlackArmor PS110 500GB drive is
Seagate's first entry into the new world of USB 3.0 hard drives. And considering that it may be the typical consumers first USB 3.0 product, they have put together a great bundle to make the transition as easy as possible. You get not only the 500GB drive, but everything else you might need to use this with a laptop computer.
Two things to keep in mind. First, when I was copying files to the drive in Windows 7, it was registering around 45 - 55MB/s on the Windows 7 file copy screen. This is faster than USB 2.0, but slower than I was expecting after looking at the benchmarks. Second, you have to connect the drive to a USB 2.0 connection to get to the drivers to install the Express Card. Including a CD with the drivers would have been more user friendly.
The Seagate website lists the PS110 BlackArmor Performance Kit with a retail price of $179.99 (US). Doing some
comparison shopping shows that this is about the going rate at popular online retailers. For a first generation drive, with a bundle of accessories that will get you up and running on an laptop with an Express Card slot, that is not unreasonable. If you don't have the need for speed that can only be satisfied by USB 3.0, that kind of price for 500GB of external storage may seem rather steep.
As much as I would like to give the Seagate PS110 BlackArmor USB 3.0 drive the "Highly Recommended" award, I am giving it the "Recommended" award. It is hard to say how this drive would compare to other USB 3.0 drives, as this is the first USB 3.0 drive I have had the opportunity to look at. The convenience of the
"Performance Kit" bundle helps to earn it the Bigbruin.com "Great Idea" award, as well.
Pros:
» Backwards compatible to USB 2.0
» Fast!
» Very portable
» Everything needed to use on a laptop with an Express Card slot
» Acronis backup software included
Cons:
» Expensive for 500GB
» Currently only available in 500GB
» No desktop card included
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