Just In! Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB External HDD Review - TONS OF PICS!

By Dave Montez (garetjax)


Seagate FreeAgent Go 320GB with Docking System Review


Reasons for reviewing:

This external hard drive was sent to me by a represenative from Seagate as a review sample. I was asked to review this external HDD and submit a write-up on it. This is a mini-review, therefore a lot of the "meat" of the review has been omitted. Questions and comments are always welcome!




Storage needs are about as diverse as the companies that manufacture and market them. In this case, Seagate revives their venerable FreeAgent Go line by offering an alternative to the hum-drum offerings currently on the market today. Slim, petite, and sexy, Seagate's new line of ultra-portable external hard drive solutions are making waves both where aesthetics and perhaps more importantly, the wallet, are concerned. Coupled with an optional docking system, the FreeAgent Go blends convenience and functionality into an attractive package.

Specifications

Brand & Series: Seagate FreeAgent Go
Model Number: ST903203FLA2E1-RK
Material: Plastic and aluminum
Color: Sky Blue
Storage Factor: 320GB 2.5" HDD
Hard Drive Spindle Speed: 5,400RPM
Hard Drive Cache: 8MB
Supported OS: Windows XP/Vista and Max OS X
External Interface: USB 2.0 (480Mbps max)
Dimensions: 3.15" x 0.49" x 5.12" (W x H x L)
Weight: 5.64 ounces (net weight)



Accessory bundle...



Front and back...



Data connection interface...



Docking system...



Front of dock...



Underside of dock...



Travel pouch...



External HDD installed in dock...



External HDD installed in dock side view...


Testing

During my testing, I used an HP dv.6500t SE notebook as my test bed and ran HDTune v2.55 as the benchmark. I elected not to perform raw speed or performance testing, as I feel these types of tests can be extremely subjective where USB powered external hard drives are concerned.

Additionally, due to the fact that USB is the sole data/power interface for this product, I feel that this is a limiting factor when it comes to perceived benefits of one external HDD being compared against a similar spec'd device, ie., capacity, cache, spindle speed, etc.

My aim during testing was two fold. The first was to determine if there was a deterimental effect in performance if the external HDD was used with or without the docking system. The second was to ensure that the external HDD had comparable performance with similar products where USB connectivity was concerned.

With testing completed, I experienced no detrimental hard drive performance using either the FreeAgent Go by itself (top), or installed in the docking system (below).



Benchmark - External HDD without dock...



Benchmark - External HDD with dock...


As the test results reveal, using the latest version of HDTune, the performance differences between the two configurations are virtually identical.

Overall performance of the FreeAgent Go is fairly standard; after all, this is a USB powered storage device, not a RAID-0 configuration. Nevertheless, the FreeAgent Go offers respectable performance, and while the final benchmarks are not outrageously spectacular, they are well within acceptable benchmark parameters where comparable USB-powered, 2.5" external storage devices are concerned.



External HDD inside travel pouch...



External HDD and travel pouch money shot...


Conclusion

The idea of designing an effective external storage solution is not an easy one. The device must be convenient, it must be portable, it must be easy-to-use, and most importantly, it must be affordable. This last consideration can be the most difficult challenge of all, as manufacturers are prone to throwing everything but the kitchen sink into a product if they thought it would sell more units. At least, that was the case until now.

With the Seagate FreeAgent Go, enthusiasts and professionals alike are treated to a no-nonsense approach when it comes to an external, portable storage device. Yet, the frills are still there, in the form of an attractive brushed aluminum exterior and quality construction, and it also extends to the software as well. Admittedly, the pre-loaded utilities will be a bit diluted for some power users, but for the majority of users that purchase this product, it is a welcome addition.

Even with the few shortcomings that the Go exhibits, such as the rather short length of the USB cable, and the carrying case offered with the dock and not the external hard drive, I find the FreeAgent Go to be a terrific product. Lack of sheer HDD performance comes at the price that the convenience of USB connectivity affords, and so I cannot fault Seagate for this. Overall, I am very pleased with the Seagate FreeAgent Go, and I highly recommend it.


Pros:
- Fantastic warranty and support
- Pre-installed software bundle adds significant value
- Aluminum construction; attractive accents
- Device is well built; no vibration or rattling

Cons:
- Provided USB cable is rather short
- Carrying case should be offered with HDD, not the dock
- Software may be too watered down for some power users

Comments and questions are always welcome. =)
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Nice Review!

+19rep.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment on the review!

 

Thanks

What exactly is aluminum ? And the HDD is enclosed in plastic which in turn has Al around it ?
I was hoping for just an Al casing for better heat dissipation.

Also, is the two pronged USB connector permanently fixed to the dock ? Or can we use that cable with the HDD by itself ?

 

Wowsa! What a very detailed review you did! Very nice, great photos also!

Kudos!

Cin

 

Are the drives 3 platter drives or 2 platter ones ?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=328818

 

Thanks! =)

Good question! Unfortunately, I don't have the answer and going to have to look into that one.

 

I meant for the 500GB ones, the 320 GB should be two platter

 

Ive ordered a 500gb freeagent go recently, waiting for the delivery.
hope it lives up to the expectations
and thanks for the detailed review.

 

I have this model HDD, and I am currently in the market for a laptop, what OS and version were you using when you ran your test? I have heard this (free agent go's) HDD is not completely compatable with vista. Do you have any record of this?

 

I have several of the FreeAgent Go 500GB External portables and really like them. Frys usually has them on sale for 109.99 (even though, often, the 320GB is more expensive...go figure...strange pricing0.

I was able to score a deal at Best Buy a few weeks ago where I got the 500GB for 109.99 and they threw in the dock. I don't use the dock or the case. Somehow the dock seems to be more trouble than it is worth.

Seems to do a good job of dissipating heat, and the lights indicate when the drive is working...they pulsate slightly.

I recommend this drive, FWIW. Plus the 5 year warranty isn't too shabby.

 

If you purchase some of the older stock of this drive out in the field, you will find it comes with a Y-USB cable, to accomodate some laptops which are unable to power the drive through the single USB port.

Later stock uses a single, good quality standard USB cable and the drive has no problem being powered through a single USB port on any of my computers.

The USB cable, while short, is far higher quality than the inferior cable which comes with Toshiba portable hard drive. I have not had the problems with drives going off line when using the Seagate provided USB cables. I cannot say the same for the Toshiba provided cables.

 

Sounds absurd, where did you get this from?

Theres no reason why it wouldnt work on Vista.

 

You are right, flip. It works perfectly with Vista.

 

very nice.

I'm on the eSATA bandwagon now, though. I need eSATA on any external solution I get now.

 

I bought a 250GB version a few months back. It's a great drive overall. The exterior feels like plastic to me, so I'm not sure where the aluminum actually is. I like the short USB cable and most laptop users will appreciate this feature. The pulsating light sure is nifty.

 

will the HDD be sufficiently powered with only one USB port?
regardless of where i plug it in? laptop/desktop, front/back of the case.

 

The Seagate Forums spacifically... Many people have posted that the Free Agent Go's dont work... I guess I should say not fully compatable, as opposed to "not work"... with Vista64 in particular... but if that is not the case, then that is great news to hear!

 

any follow up? Can anyone explain a bit more why it would be so absurd?

 

Can any tell me if it's ok to run this drive while it's inside the leather case thing that came with the dock? I like to plug it in while it's still inside the case, but it does get kinda warm. Should I be worried?

 

I used Windows XP Home Edition 32-bit OS for my testing of the product. As Flipfire mentioned, I don't see why any flavor of Vista would not successfully run it.

Yes.

I've run the hard drive while in its protective leather case and have seen HDD temperatures rise no more than 6 degrees by doing so. You should be fine.

 

It's so absurd because a hard drive is just a hard drive, no specific drivers are ever needed for hard drives. So why people say it's not fully compatible is just because they don't know what they are talking about.

Some may say it doesnt work because they didn't change the filsystem on the hard drive or changed it to something that wouldn't work with vista. It should work flawlessly and fully like any other hard drive aslong as you format it correctly.

 

thank you - i am currently still running the same OS

May I ask if you have had a chance to run this particular drive on vista? I am just trying to get some other personal accounts, from what I have read it seems to be a hit or miss issue.

 

well no one has posted in here in a while, but I just wanted to say I have had a chance to test things out, as I have finally gotten a laptop running Vista-64... The main issue is the software itself. It only works on 32-bit machines. The software is what is not compatable, the HDD is still accessable, and you can drag and drop at will, but IMO it kind of defeats the purpose of saying it's vista compatible, when the majority of machines offered are in 64-bit versions. and the provided software doesnt work...

 

I think this may have more to do with the fact that a relatively low amount of people have 64-bit operating systems installed in their systems, compared to 32-bit users. Of course, this still does not explain why Seagate did not make the software to be compatible with 64-bit systems. =(

 

In most devices, USB ports only allow 500mA in high power mode and a high inrush current can actually cause the overload to trip and knock down the USB port offline until the computer is rebooted.

I have a 160GB plastic case FreeAgent Go and it has came with a double connector cord. One mini-B for the hard-drive end and two standard As for the computer end, one marked "Power" and one "power + data".

I wonder if the newer single computer connector version of FreeAgent is programmed in it's firmware to back off on the rate of platter acceleration to keep within USB specs.

 

I'd be curious to know that as well... how would you go about testing that though?