Seagate STAY1000202 1TB Expansion 3.5 inch Hard Drive

Nicely designed, competitively priced
This is a landmark drive for me as it is my first USB 3.0 compatible drive. When I upgraded my laptop last year one of my key requirements was that it have USB3 ports (yes, you do need your computer to be USB3.0 compatible to get the increased speed). I am so sick of USB 2's sluggish transfer speeds and this was finally the test to see what the difference would actually be. The hype loves the `10x faster' claims, but these refer to theoretical maximum transfer rates, which nobody ever actually gets.

The result is actually quite pleasing quick, not instantaneous and not gobsmacking, but a definite improvement. Just guessing I'd say loading times for large (1GB+) files is around 3, maybe 4 times faster than via USB2 which really does make a difference.

So, USB 3.0 is a "good thing". What about the rest?

I have to say I really like what Seagate have done with this drive. The look is basic yet attractive, with a metal (probably aluminium) rack underneath...

Seagate STAY1000202 1TB Expansion 3.5 inch Hard Drive

Buy it from PC World, it's cheaper than any of the vendors on Amazon
Just use the Item model number "STAY3000202" when searching for this drive on the PC world website. This drive is fast, but has a clicking noise that makes you worry. So far no issues with the drive itself. Another reviewer indicated he experienced issues with making partitions with this drive. I have used Parted Magic (Open source) in the past with no problems. This could be a free option for those looking to partition their drives, especially now that Partition Magic is no longer available since Symantec killed the product.

Seagate STAY1000202 1TB Expansion 3.5 inch Hard Drive

Seagate 2TB Hard Drive
This hard drive is an excellent product and offers great value for money at less than