Just a few years ago, the main criteria in choosing a hard drive are its volume and speed, while other parameters were considered unimportant and often not taken into account. Now the situation has changed, and as a pioneer was the company Western Digital, offer users a “color-differentiation” of their products. The result was that pretty girl phrase “I want that one over there, little red” no longer seems strange, even in a computer store

Now all the stores are divided into types, each model has its purpose. Red and blue, black and green – according to the manufacturers, each of these discs should work in a particular system. And if in one case, the manufacturer is focusing on achieving maximum productivity, while in other situations it may be just the opposite – the speed is reduced for greater reliability and energy efficiency.

Let’s look at a few of these drives and try to figure out what is the advantage of various models of drives.

Seagate Desktop SSHD

Not so long ago in the line of drives from Seagate drives were a new type – SSHD (Solid State Hybrid Drive). These drives are a hybrid of a conventional hard drive, and a small solid state drive, which with the help of special software combines high speed and large capacity SSD classic hard drives.

The model considered ST4000DX001 belongs to the third generation of hybrid devices company Seagate, the first being a 4-terabyte SSHD-disc issued in the form factor of 3.5 inches.

The model carries a four-plate capacity of 1TB each, and also has a built-in SSD 8GB. When this rotation speed is 5900 r / min, and the interface connection – SATA III technology NCQ.

However, the main secret of the device – its solid-state part. With Seagate Adaptive Memory technology hybrid drive automatically determines the most frequently used data and records them on the built-in SSD. As a result of the application requested and the system itself is loaded considerably faster than when using the conventional disc. Thus, in the popular test applications drive Seagate ST4000DX001 demonstrated very good performance speed – about 170 Mbit / s read and 180 MB / s when writing.

Seagate NAS HDD

A series of hard drives Seagate NAS HDD, intended for use as part of network drives, includes models with a range of capacities from 2 to 4 TB.

Provided for testing model ST4000VN000 has four plate capacity of 1000 GB, rotating at a speed of 5900 rev / min, 64 MB buffer and SATA-3 interface.

The main difference from conventional disks is the presence of four special operating modes for optimal network drives. In the first two of these parks the recording heads off and stopping the engine, whereas in the next two, these functions are involved.

In performance tests the device showed very good results, it is appropriate to its price category, so that the drive can be safely recommend to buy, not only for the systems of NAS, but also to work as part of a standard PC.

Western Digital

Western Digital, offers the user several Russian rulers drives with different performance and recommended usage. Series WD Blue provides basic performance for mainstream applications, WD Green includes quiet and “cold” model of large capacity, WD Black allows you to get the maximum performance for demanding applications, WD Red is designed for installation in network drives and WD Purple, according to the manufacturers should maintain smooth operation in the surveillance.

Most popular among home users ruler Green, presented in our review 4-terabyte model WD40EZRX, has a relatively low cost of storage, low power consumption and heat dissipation, and low noise. The price for this is the low productivity, and, interestingly, the exact speed of rotation of the hard disk platters in this series in the official documentation is not specified.

In contrast to the “green” brother, WD Black WD4003FZEX of 4-TB demonstrates excellent performance due to high speed rotation of the plates and 64 MB of cache memory, which controls the dual microprocessor.

“Red” WD40EFRX disk capacity 4TB is designed to work around the clock to provide uninterrupted small home server or NAS. Its size is 64 MB buffer, but the spindle speed modestly silent for designation IntelliPower. Connection interface – SATA-III, and the data rate is estimated at 150 MB / s.

Finally, we considered “purple” brother index WD40PURX – a tireless workaholic, designed to capture a video of various ages intruders. The drive support JavaScript AllFrame, which reduces the number of errors, because of which can decay images or dropped frames during video recording, which sometimes happens in the case of conventional HDD. In addition, this series of drives technology is implemented TLER, allowing to minimize the likelihood of downtime RAID-array when an error occurs in one of the drives. In this case, the necessary correction is postponed for the time when the system is idle, allowing uninterrupted data record.

Of course, when special drives are used for their intended purpose, one of the main parameters is reliability. Alas, evaluate it in the laboratory is not possible, so we have seen from the data provided by the manufacturer. So, for WD Red indicates the number of parking spaces equal to 600,000, MTBF estimated one million hours and the warranty is three years. However, there is one point – in Russia warranty engaged in the final sellers. Consequently, there may be situations in which the customer will be given a shorter period than the manufacturer says.

Results

Summarizing the results of our testing, we should say that we have considered all the drives are really able to provide secure storage and rapid movement of the user data.

As for specialization, it is necessary to recognize that it is indeed feasible. New models acquire the qualities needed to work in the RAID-arrays, video equipment, servers and cloud storage. Of course, they can be used in conventional computers, only here does it make sense? Speed indicators such drives a little worse, and the price of storage is the same or even slightly higher than the desktop counterparts.

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It is no secret that today very popular cloud storage. Such a method of storing files is extremely convenient, because access to their documents, you can from anywhere. Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive – dozens of services offered to users of its cloud services. Free, you can count on a few tens of gigabytes, want more – you pay. And welcome gigabytes you do not buy and rent. HDD manufacturers could not pay attention to the latest trends in file storage, so release their vision of the cloud. But, unlike many “drives” and “disk”, a cloud will remain with you forever, his work will control you, and it will be placed in your apartment. Hero of this review – NAS Seagate Central.

Seagate Central presents models with the size of the disk storage from 2 to 4 terabytes. Agree inspiring volume. Home Media Library and files fit in Seagate Central entirely. This device can share files with smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs. All that is required of you – to connect Seagate Central to the outlet and the Internet.

Set

In the box you will find a device itself, power cable, warranty, quick start guide and power supply adapter for UK sockets. This adapter is attached in the same way as in the Seagate Wireless Plus – putting on the power supply. Seemingly set a poor but for more comfortable work and is not necessary. Quick start guide is useful to you, really useful instruction.

Appearance

Looks Seagate Central, in my opinion, gorgeous. He organically fit into any modern interior, will be a good companion for your TV or monitor. On the device is located just three connectors (USB 2.0, Ethernet, Power) and a recessed button Reset. On the upper face – only the green LED, which reports the correct operation of the repository.

Work

Another advantage of online storage on cloud services – functionality. Backing up your computer files and social networking rassharivanie everything and everywhere – are common problem for this device.

Copying materials. Seagate Central  has web interface is integrated into the “Explorer”. This will allow you to share files, not only within the local network, but also worldwide. Knowing the username and password from the network storage, which is located in Kiev, anyone from the United States, for example, can absolutely still work with all the files that are stored on it.

Create a backup. After installing Seagate Dashboard Seagate Central will create a backup of your computer. If your PC or laptop for something to happen, you can easily recover your important files and documents.

Integration with social networks. You can connect your account Facebook. This is to ensure that all the photos and videos that you share with your friends be automatically uploaded to the hard disk device.

Home medianet. Seagate Central supports DLNA, so easy to find a common language with modern TVs. In addition, the Samsung App Store application is available Seagate, which allows you to unlock the full potential of the repository. 

Working with mobile devices. In the Apple AppStore, Google Play and Amazon Appstore, you can find the application Seagate Media. This program is designed to ensure that you have access to your personal “cloud” from your smartphone or tablet from anywhere in the world. The good news is that working with Seagate Central can and using third-party applications.

Output

Quick access to your files anywhere and home media network organization – basic tasks Seagate Central, and he copes with them perfectly. Seagate have managed to create a device for a wide range of people. Easy setup with which to handle even a child, a stable job and a stylish look – what else is needed to mainstream consumers? However, this device is at a disadvantage – for some unknown reason, the manufacturer decided to install an outdated USB 2.0. Depending on the amount of memory for Seagate Central you give from $ 150 to $ 230. Expensive for the hard disk, but do not forget that Seagate Central – is a network storage, which is more than fulfills spent on its purchase money.

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Come up with something new with external drives today is quite difficult, so companies have started to pay attention to the design of such devices. In Seagate decided to support the trend and release a series of external HDD Slim in a compact package. Let’s see whether the rate was the design.

Design

Seagate Slim looks really nice, the device is formed in the body thickness of only 9.6 mm and length of 113.5 mm and a width of 76 mm.

This is one of the most compact external hard drives available today.

For its size it is far away from smartphones and fits easily even in a jeans pocket, not that jacket.

The entire top panel of the drive is made of brushed aluminum, it is located on the Seagate logo and slot indicator light.

The lower part of Slim plastic, while the sides somehow made glossy and bottom – matte. 

Proceedings of the device well withstand scratches, so it’s not scary to throw in your pocket with keys.

Operation

At the core is ultra-thin Slim single-platter 2.5-inch hard disk capacity of 500 GB with a speed of 5400 rev / min, and a 16 MB cache. This compact drive, Seagate has developed specifically for Ultrabooks. The speed of this hard drive is very good, if you connect via a USB 3.0 port it demonstrates the speed record at 108.3 MB / s read and 105.2 MB / s.

DiskSpeedTest

This is a good result for such a compact drive. Seagate Slim works quietly and almost no heat. Included with the device is software Seagate Dashboard, which can be used to back up files from your computer, as well as from social networks, but they do not necessarily enjoy.

As a result,

It turned out nice Seagate external portable storage device that is well suited for use with the ultrabook. Very often they come with a 128 GB SSD, and the cost versions with 256 GB overstated.

Like:

+ Design
+ Size and weight
+ The speed of the

Did not like:

-No

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If you do not have a network storage system (NAS), then you are depriving yourself of a couple of pleasant moments. First, it is the easiest way to back up data from a connected PC, secondly, NAS can broadcast any information stored there, on the other PC and audio devices in the network. You can also arrange to stream on your TV or home theater.

Network attached storage (NAS) allows to gain remote access to information from any device from anywhere you have Internet access. And it does not require imposing costs. However, one must keep in mind – if you are going to store the information that fail to recreate and can not afford to lose – it is better to make a backup.

Test samples

Dismantle the mid-range (up to 7 thousand rubles.) That can hold at least 1 TB of data, support remote access to the Internet and work with media servers that are certified iTunes and DLNA.

Consider the NAS four manufacturers – Buffalo Technology (LinkStation Live), LaCie (CloudBox), Seagate (Central) and Western Digital (My Book Live).

The configuration of these devices are quite similar – all 3.5-inch hard drive, 1-Gbps Ethernet and power adapter. They differ mostly for its software.

Buffalo LinkStation Live

Among the considered our NAS device is a 6 th. with the possibility of streaming offers the best feature set. Weak as it places – low speed data copying and slow user interface, besides not being intuitive to use and configure.

Buffalo’s LinkStation Live – full of functionality

LinkStation Live 2 TB (model with 1 terabyte of disk costs a little more than 4 thousand rubles.) Allows you to create shared folders, user accounts, workgroups and domains, which provide access to the files by FTP or AFTP, supports multimedia servers (iTunes and DLNA).

There is also a BitTorrent to download torrent files and built-in service Eye-Fi, allows you to copy images from the camera to the NAS via Wi-Fi. It also supports integration with Flickr, a full-featured utility NovaBackup to backup from PC to NAS, the ability to perform backups on other devices and remote access via BuffaloNAS.com.

This unit occupies the second place in the test speed. When data is transferred 10GB (not included in the files and folders) write speed was 17.5 MB / s read speed – 29.9 MB / s. But a single large file of 10 GB showed the best results: 22.7 MB / s – write and 49.1 MB / s – for reading. Streaming NAS performs well, the video at 1080p with a rate of 40 MB / s is no problem.

It is considered one of our NAS, converting video on the fly for viewing in Windows Media Player via DLNA.

As for the installation and configuration, LinkStation Live showed the worst results. But this does not negate the advantages in terms of functionality.

LaCie CloudBox

The device of LaCie is a white rectangle, designed by Neil Poulton. Its not so easy to configure for remote access, but in 7 th. (Disk capacity – 2TB), it offers quite a good performance and functionality.

Lacie’s CloudBox – the most beautiful in the NAS review

Powered NAS operating system Dashboard. In addition to features such as shared folders and user folders, working groups and FTP, you get the BitTorrent, and a full file manager (browser-). In addition to being offered various backup functions – in conjunction with the company’s My Book Live Western Digital, with Genie Timeline for PC and Intego for Mac, plus to this – copying from device to device using Rsync.

In tests CloudBox proved himself well. Working with DLNA and ITunes is ideal, the device is easily coped with streaming video (40 MB / s) on three PCs at a time. The speed of reading and writing data array ClousBox takes first place: reading array of files and folders – 33.7 MB / s, Write – 16.5 MB / s. A single file is 10GB – 31.6 and 63.5 MB / s (read and write, respectively).

For remote access, LaCie offers a special application for iOS and Android (for Windows Phone 7/8 is not here yet). Applications are not as concise as Dashboard OS from Seagate, but they do their job. And the user will receive a free one-year subscription to Wuala – Online Storage Services.

If you add to the listed advantages of client BitTorrent, good design and excellent performance, the device looks quite attractive.

Seagate Central

This is the simplest NAS. To configure remote access you only need to go to the settings page and create an account by entering your desired username, email and password. The selected username will be the name of your network, and the mailbox – login for remote access.

Passive cooling makes Seagate’s Central Silent

To access the settings page, you can use the built-in Dashboard or manually enter the desired URL. Remote access can be managed by SeagateMedia applications for iOS, Android and Kindle or using the site Tappin.

Due to the design having a thin perforated bottom and a lid without a special cooling device is a fan. With such a cooling system it runs smoothly, allowing you to place it near the product (if it retrodizayn NAS fit into the interior).

The device costs a little more than 5 thousand rubles. (2 TB) and is the only one presented in the review of the owner of the port USB, for which a Seagate developed a special interface. There is a special feature that allows you to save all photos to the device from your account Facebook. However, there is a drawback – you can easily make a backup of the data from the PC to the device, but that means backing up data from the NAS to another device Dashboard does not provide.

With tests Central coped well: streaming video (40 MB / s) on three PCs went without problems. This is the only NAS, sending a stream in Ogg Theora.

With the transfer of these problems have arisen. Thus, the write speed of the array of information (multiple files and folders) 10GB 16.9 MB / s and read – 20.1 MB / s. Recording a single large file of 10 GB equals 40.3 MB / s read – 75.2 MB / s.

Quiet and easy to set up Seagate Central is well suited for A / V-systems. But I would like to have added support to the Seagate Backup data from the device, BitTorrent and a bunch with a large number of social networks.

Western Digital My Book Live

Like other NAS, device My Book Live is available on the network without additional configuration – just plug it in to the router, and all. Of useful properties have public shared folders and sub-folders, you can use to share photos, videos and music. There are convenient backup features (including work with TimeMachine Backup and proprietary WD – SmartWare). Secured and backed up the contents of the NAS via a special function, creating a “safe point of recovery.”

My Book Live supports most video codecs (except for Ogg Theora). This is the only NAS of four case that converts FLAC format files for playback on a PC via iTunes.

The device has experienced some complications when reading an array of 10 GB (multiple files and folders) – reading speed was only 16.4 MB / s. But the same writing speed array has more than three previous NAS, – 26,9 Mb / s. Indicators for a single large file size of 10 GB: record – 32.4 MB / s read – 77.1 MB / s.

WD My Book Live has the best set of applications, having a version of its media player WD2go for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 7.

As a result

Thus, the device Seagate Central – absolutely silent, high-speed USB and availability make it an excellent choice for use with A / V-systems. But here it would look more modern. Buffalo LinkStation Live performs well as a tape drive, but folds up to speed and ease of customization. CloudBox from LaCie – solidly made product with useful features at an affordable price. However, it is Western Digital My Book Live has the best combination of price, performance, functionality, and ease of customization. All this and brings him first place in the survey.

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