{"id":135032,"date":"2019-06-07T15:04:53","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T12:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/seagates-compact-budget-hard-drives-are-perfect-for-backups-on-the-go\/"},"modified":"2019-06-07T15:04:53","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T12:04:53","slug":"seagates-compact-budget-hard-drives-are-perfect-for-backups-on-the-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hameed.nwar.uk\/sa\/seagates-compact-budget-hard-drives-are-perfect-for-backups-on-the-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Seagate\u2019s compact, budget hard drives are perfect for backups on the go"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you need to back up your data for work, school, or play, there are loads of hard drives out there waiting to be filled to the brim with your precious files. And I\u2019ve got some good news for you: they\u2019re getting cheaper and smaller \u2013 like Seagate\u2019s offerings for 2019.<\/p>\n

The new Backup Plus Slim<\/a> is compact enough to fit into the front pocket of a men\u2019s shirt, store 2TB of data, and comes in at just $60. Its slightly heftier sibling, the $110 Backup Plus<\/a> that the company sent me, is thicker and weighs a bit more \u2013 but manages a whopping 5TB in its relatively diminutive form factor. And they both work with Windows or Mac right out of the box.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

But like I said, there are several options out there, and it\u2019s worth knowing a bit more about what you\u2019re paying for. Let\u2019s get into it.<\/p>\n

Features<\/h2>\n

For starters, these are mechanical disk drives which run at 5,400RPM and connect to your computer via USB 3.0. They use the exFAT file system<\/a>, which makes them good for using on both Windows and macOS, so if you share files across platforms, these are a good way to go. Just don\u2019t expect to use Apple\u2019s Time Machine feature with them, as that requires drives to be formatted with the HFS+ system.<\/p>\n

\"The
Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption>
<\/a>The 5TB model (left) is unfortunately far slower with write speeds than the slim 2TB model (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So these aren\u2019t the fastest portable drives out there. If you\u2019re looking for speed, you\u2019ll want to check out SSD-based options like Samsung\u2019s T5 ($328 for the 2TB model<\/a>) \u2013 and shell out many more dollars per GB.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019re still awfully compact, don\u2019t require an external power source like some larger and faster drives, and they\u2019re cheap enough for you to affordably get into the habit of backing up your stuff. The 2TB model is especially pocketable, at just 125g and a thickness of 11mm (most phones are about 7-8mm thick).<\/p>\n

\"The
Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption>
<\/a>The 2TB model shown here is slim enough to slip into your pocket; the 5TB model is thicker, but otherwise still fairly compact<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These drives come with short USB 3.0 cables, which means you\u2019ll need a full-size USB port on your computer to use them out of the box. I\u2019d have liked a USB-C option for modern laptops, but as a user of larger machines myself, I didn\u2019t miss this much.<\/p>\n

Seagate\u2019s drives come with the company\u2019s free Toolkit software that\u2019s easy to use for configuring regular backups. You can set your drive to back up files with just a couple of clicks, or even choose which folders you want backed up when you plug the device in. Plus, you\u2019ll get a free two-month subscription to Adobe\u2019s Creative Cloud (granting access to Photoshop and Lightroom), as well as a year of free photo storage on Mylio<\/a> (after which it\u2019ll cost you $50 per year).<\/p>\n

Performance<\/h2>\n

The 2TB Backup Plus Slim features an aluminum body with a brushed metal finish (there are other neat colorways available, including a cloth-covered one), and is the quicker of the two drives. It maxed out at a read speed of 123MB\/s, and had similar write speeds.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not bad at all \u2013 but you should know that SSDs like the Samsung T5 manage 212MBps<\/a>, and some other mechanical disk-based options, like Western Digital\u2019s $65 My Passport<\/a>, reportedly runs at speeds of 174 MBps read, and 168 MBps write.<\/p>\n

\"The
Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption>
<\/a>The 5TB model (left) is unfortunately far slower with write speeds than the slim 2TB model (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The larger Backup Plus didn\u2019t perform quite as well. Read speeds were just over 120MBps, but write speeds were around a disappointing 45MBps. It\u2019s not quick, but it\u2019s among a small number of drives that can fit 5TB of files in an enclosure this small \u2013 and it\u2019s almost certainly the cheapest of its kind.<\/p>\n

Who are these drives for?<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re looking for an affordable local backup solution for your home or work computers, this is a great way to get started. They\u2019re cheap, look cool, and should fit easily in your backpack \u2013 and in the 2TB Slim\u2019s case, in your laptop sleeve\u2019s pocket too.<\/p>\n

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Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re on the road a lot, you might want a more rugged option that can handle being bumped around and dropped without risking the fidelity of your data. This $80 option from Adata<\/a> looks like it can take a bit more roughhousing, and this $70 one from Silicon Power<\/a> stores its own cable \u2013 but you\u2019ll need to reformat it before using in order to store files larger than 4GB.<\/p>\n

And if you work with a lot of high-resolution photographs, video, 3D models, and audio, you\u2019ll likely want something faster and more reliable \u2013 at which point these SSD-based drives from Samsung (the $328 T5 we mentioned<\/a>, and this rugged model for $340<\/a>) and Western Digital ($343)<\/a> are good ways to go.<\/p>\n

Find the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB<\/a> and Backup Plus 5TB<\/a> on Amazon US.<\/p>\n\n

This post includes affiliate links to products that you can buy online. If you purchase them through our links, we get a small cut of the revenue.<\/em><\/p>\n

For more gear, gadget, and hardware news and reviews, follow Plugged on
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\n Published June 7, 2019 \u2014 11:29 UTC\n <\/p>\n

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\n Price<\/span>
\n $
\n 59.99 <\/span>
\n Product<\/span>Backup Plus Slim 2TB by Seagate<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n