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External Hard Drives: Ratings of Sources
Total of 33 Sources
1. Register Hardware.co.uk
As of Oct. 2009
Latest Reviews: Storage
by Editors of Register Hardware
Our Assessment

Reviews at this U.K. website are refreshingly cynical about marketing hype and fluffy features. The site frequently reviews a variety of consumer and small-business external storage devices, including hard drives, biometric hard drives and network-attached storage boxes. Testing is competent and appropriate. Reviews would benefit from more direct comparisons, but all products are carefully positioned, and the range of ratings is broad. Ratings are consistent with reviewer comments, and reviewer biases toward a product are clearly not factored into ratings.

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2. TomsHardware.com
As of Oct. 2009
External Storage: Articles & Reviews
by Editors of TomsHardware.com
Our Assessment TomsHardware.com regularly reviews a variety of external storage options. Testing and evaluation are very thorough, and hard drives are often tested head-to-head. Review conclusions weigh all important pros and cons. Reviewers don't award numeric ratings to the drives, but they sometimes pick favorites within a review.
3. XBitLabs.com
As of Oct. 2009
Storage
by Aleksey Meyev
Our Assessment

X-bit Labs is a prolific reviewer of external hard drives. Testing is comprehensive but overly focused on speed. Aleksey Meyev reports that USB 2.0 and FireWire are limiting bottlenecks that decrease the maximum throughput speeds between computers and external hard drives. As a result, he measures few performance differences. The reviews are balanced and decisive, but products aren't rated or ranked. Still, Meyev often manages to pick winners in head-to-head roundups of multiple drives.

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4. ConsumerReports.org
Not Dated
Backup Systems
by Editors of ConsumerReports.org
Our Assessment In this 2009 report, ConsumerReports.org explains the pros and cons of different types of computer backup, including external hard drives, USB flash drives and online backup services. Editors briefly evaluate a few examples of each type and recommend the best choices. This is a great plain-English review for the nontech savvy.
5. Which? magazine
Not Dated
Hard Drive Reviews
by Editors of Which? magazine
Our Assessment

Which? magazine is a U.K. publication similar to ConsumerReports.org. Editors test 21 commonly available external hard drives in this review. Testers time the drives' upload and download speeds and judge their ease of use, noise, heat generation, power consumption and -- for portable drives -- their portability and ruggedness. Brief write-ups summarize results for each drive. Five models are named Best Buys.

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6. Government Computer News
June 13, 2008
Medium-Range Backup
by Greg Crowe
Our Assessment

Government Computer News tests 11 desktop external hard drives from 11 major companies. Each gets an individual write-up that's easy to understand and covers all of the major buying considerations, plus letter grades for performance, ease of use, features and value. One current drive -- the SimpleTech ProDrive -- gets straight As and the Reviewers Choice award. A later review of the LaCie d2 Quadra says it's as good as the top performers here.

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7. Government Computer News
Aug. 31, 2009
NAS Appliances Cover the Middle Ground of Extra Storage
by Greg Crowe
Our Assessment

This test compares five network-attached storage drives. It's similar to Government Computer News' test of smaller external drives (above). Each drive gets a concise but thorough write-up, with letter grades for performance, ease of use, features and value. Tester Greg Crowe says they're all good and easy to use, and they all get similar letter grades. The Buffalo TeraStation III slightly outperforms the others on a file-transfer test, but it's pricey.

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8. Macworld
As of Oct. 2009
Browse Storage Reviews
by Editors of Macworld
Our Assessment Macworld reviews dozens of external hard drives. All are Windows and Macintosh compatible, but the reviews always state which drives are preformatted for the Mac OS. The testing process and published results are very good, and each product gets a rating of one to five. Despite the Mac-centric point of view, these reviews are useful for any prospective buyers.
9. Techgage.com
As of Oct. 2009
External Storage
by Editors of Techgage.com
Our Assessment

Techgage.com reviews several current external and network hard drives, although none since 2008. This source would rank higher if it offered more reviews. The range of ratings is the best we found; it matches the balance in the reviews. Reasoning is excellent and credible. Comparisons are good, but we'd like to see more benchmarks. Lists of pros and cons are exceptionally substantive. All buying considerations are addressed. Reviews are easy to understand.

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10. DigitalTrends.com
As of Oct. 2009
External Hard Drive Reviews
by Josh Norem, Jason Tomczak
Our Assessment

In many categories, Digital Trends' reviews are cursory, and they focus on sounding hip. However, hard drive reviews are much more substantive. Testing is still shallower than some other sources -- speed is not formally measured or really addressed -- but DigitalTrends.com does report heat and noise observations, which makes it a fine source in conjunction with the majority of reviews that take an opposite approach. Screenshots of bundled software are very helpful. Reviews are objectively balanced.

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11. BigBruin.com
As of Oct. 2009
Storage Category
by Editors of BigBruin.com
Our Assessment

This tech news and reviews website primarily focuses on external hard drive enclosures. Any hard drive(s) can be put into an enclosure to create an external device. The site also occasionally reviews external hard drives. Reviews are very good in most regards, but comparisons are mostly limited to benchmark performance tests. Every external hard drive reviewed within the past year gets a "recommended" rating, but testers do point out pros and cons of different products. BigBruin.com reviewers often evaluate heat and noise, two major concerns that are inadequately covered in most other reviews.

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12. PCMag.com
As of Oct. 2009
Hard Drives
by Joel Santo Domingo
Our Assessment

PCMag.com regularly tests individual hard drives, rates all of them and awards the best ones an Editor's Choice badge. Testing and evaluation are competent but far less comprehensive than some other reviewers. Reviews address some key buying considerations (such as cost and speed) but not others (such as noise and heat/projected reliability). Tests aren't head-to-head, but reviews often mention how a unit stacks up against other models. Reviews are easy for the nontech savvy to understand.

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13. ExtremeTech.com
As of Oct. 2009
Reviews: Hard Drives and Storage Devices
by Editors of ExtremeTech.com
Our Assessment ExtremeTech is the sister publication of PCMag.com, and its reviews are outstanding in all regards. Testers haven't tackled many external hard drives lately, which is why the site is not rated higher, but when they do, tests are thorough and ratings are appropriate. ExtremeTech also reviews other closely related types of drives, including NAS boxes.
14. ThinkComputers.org
As of Oct. 2009
Storage Reviews
by Editors of ThinkComputers.org
Our Assessment For hard drives, ThinkComputers offers some variation in ratings and some generic comparisons. Testing is very similar to PCMag.com's but better documented. These reviews are of average usefulness; readers likely will need another source before making a fully informed buying decision.
15. Laptop Magazine
As of Oct. 2009
Storage Reviews
by Editors of Laptop Magazine
Our Assessment Laptop Magazine regularly tests external hard drives, awarding each a star rating and naming the best ones Editors' Choice. Reviews are complete but not extremely technical. The drives tested here tend to be the most popular ones on the market.
16. CNET
April 1, 2009
Roundup: Our Favorite External Hard Drives
by Justin Yu
Our Assessment

CNET regularly tests external hard drives, giving each a star rating, a short written review and often a short video review. CNET tests the drives' performance, tries to scratch the cases and compares each drive to a few major competitors in terms of cost, features and speed -- but test results are summarized in only a general way. This roundup singles out six portable drives as favorites, but some higher-rated drives get left out. The Seagate FreeAgent Go is the Editors' Choice listed here, but a later review of the Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition awards it an Editors' Choice rating as well.

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17. CNET
April 6, 2009
Store More With Our Top Scoring Network Attached Storage (NAS) Drives
by Justin Yu
Our Assessment As in the above review, CNET singles out six top picks in the category -- this time, network-attached storage devices. Each gets a star rating and a written review. The Editors' Choice, the Synology Disk Station DS107+, is a NAS enclosure; it does not include a hard disk.
18. PC World
Oct. 1, 2009
Top 10 Network-Attached Storage Devices
by Melissa J. Perenson
Our Assessment

PC World ranks 10 network-attached drives. The reviews are limited to a one-sentence summary and one or two pros and cons, though the results of speed testing are also reported. Documentation is minimal. Scores, which aren't easy to decipher, provide the only basis for comparison. Once you've determined which product meets your needs, PC World's opinions and test results are worth checking, but the article is too uninformative to be a primary review source.

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19. PC World
Oct. 1, 2009
Top 10 External Hard Drives
by Melissa J. Peterson
Our Assessment This chart ranks 10 external hard drives. As with the NAS drive rankings (above), PC World offers only skeleton ratings for each drive, along with a line of description, a short list of pros and cons and the results of speed testing.
20. The Wall Street Journal
As of Oct. 2009
Personal Technology
by Walter S. Mossberg
Our Assessment

Walter Mossberg reviews a variety of tech devices for The Wall Street Journal -- usually the big-news products or unusually good things he has tried. In the latter category, Mossberg finds two external hard drives: the Clickfree portable backup drive and the network-attached Western Digital My Book World Edition. Mossberg also reviews the Apple Time Capsule, which he says is primarily useful for Mac laptop users running the included Time Machine backup software.

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21. NewEgg.com
As of Oct. 2009
External Hard Drives
by Contributors to Newegg.com
Our Assessment This retail site allows users to review products. Because Newegg.com sells to computer builders, reviewers are more knowledgeable than on many other sites. The Western Digital My Passport Essential portable hard drive dominates in terms of customer satisfaction, with versions garnering more than 250 total reviews from customers -- 90 percent of whom rate it excellent or good.
22. BenchmarkReviews.com
As of Oct. 2009
BmR Reviews
by Editors of BenchmarkReviews.com
Our Assessment

BenchmarkReviews.com both evaluates products and links to other reviews. Site navigation is very awkward, but when you can find the in-house reviews, they are worth reading. Reviews incorporate solid testing, a balanced approach and good context. They conclude with pro/con lists and overall ratings, as well as subcategory ratings for presentation, appearance, construction, functionality and value. We'd like to see more reviews and an easier way to find them, however.

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23. MaximumPC.com
As of Oct. 2009
Backup Drives
by David Murphy
Our Assessment MaximumPC.com reviewer David Murphy tested a couple of desktop drives in 2008 that are still current. The short -- but substantive -- reviews are exceptionally well-balanced and adequately address the appropriate buying considerations and concerns. The Maxtor OneTouch 4 rates one point higher (nine out of 10) than the Buffalo DriveStation Combo 4.
24. TomsHardware.com
Aug. 17, 2007
500 GB External Drives Tested
by Patrick Schmid
Our Assessment

In this older roundup review, TomsHardware.com compares four 500 GB external hard drives: two from Western Digital, and one each from LaCie and WiebeTech. Testing and evaluation are superb; the four drives are benchmarked against 20 competitors. The conclusion decisively asserts that you should only consider drives with eSATA interfaces. However, the reviewer is wishy-washy about which drive to choose. The report weighs the pros and cons of each, and expresses a slight preference for the LaCie d2 Quadra.

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4 New Portable Hard Drives: Abusive Lab Test (With Video)
by Seth Porges
Our Assessment Popular Mechanics loads four portable hard drives with files and then drops them. A couple die after falling several feet onto carpet, but a rugged Iomega eGo still runs after being dropped 15 feet onto concrete and run over by a Chevy Tahoe. A video review shows the action, but Popular Mechanics doesn't evaluate other important things about the drives, including performance.
26. Bit-tech.net
As of Oct. 2009
Hardware
by Richard Swinburne
Our Assessment

Bit-tech.net's reviews are superb. They are balanced and comparative, and they fully document and illustrate detailed testing. Some reviews conclude with overall ratings and subcategory ratings for features, performance, build quality, software and value, but other reviews do not. Reviewers carefully weigh considerations to give readers an excellent idea of whether each product fits their needs. Bit-tech.net has reviewed several solid-state drives recently but only two external hard drives since 2007 -- the QNAP TS-209 II Turbo NAS and QNAP TS-409 Pro Turbo NAS -- and they are not highly recommended.

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27. HardwareZone.com
As of Oct. 2009
Channels: Storage
by Editors of HardwareZone.com
Our Assessment Asian computer hardware website HardwareZone.com does not regularly review external hard drives, but it augments its periodic reviews with a roundup review of four 750 GB drives in December 2007. A follow-up review added the Western Digital My Book 750 GB Home Edition. The testing process is solid but undistinguished.
28. Small Business Computing.com
As of Oct. 2009
Special Report on Storage Basics
by Editors of SmallBusinessComputing.com
Our Assessment

SmallBusinessComputing.com reviews external storage solutions regularly. Review quality is hit-or-miss -- most do a good job judging the hard drives, but some are little more than a list of features. The latest review, for the Clickfree Traveler, includes numeric ratings for performance, features, value and overall, but earlier reviews don't. For that reason - and because reviewers seem to like most of the external hard drives equally -- it's hard to tell which models are the best. A 2009 readers' choice awards feature names winners and runners-up in the external hard drive and NAS drive categories, but there is very little explanation.

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29. Consumer magazine
Jan. 18, 2008
Untitled
by Editors of Consumer magazine
Our Assessment

Consumer magazine, a New Zealand testing authority similar to Consumer Reports, tests seven external and NAS hard drives in the Australian Consumers' Association laboratory. Scores are based 80 percent on performance (how fast the drives transfer data) and 20 percent on ease of use. Each drive is tested and scored separately with a Mac and a PC, and sometimes there's a big difference between the two. Three desktop drives and one NAS drive are recommended. However, some of the drives in this test are discontinued, and others are improved, and the results can be misleading.

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30. Choice magazine
Jan. 2008
Untitled
by Editors of Choice magazine
Our Assessment This Australian version of Consumer Reports runs the same test as New Zealand's Consumer magazine (above), but with a few different models. Test results are presented in more detail here, and Choice magazine makes different recommendations for Mac and PC owners.
31. IT Reviews.com
As of Oct. 2009
Disk Drive Reviews
by Editors of IT Reviews
Our Assessment IT Reviews conducts minimal testing and doesn't always document it. However, reviews are balanced and occasionally cover factors not addressed in other reviews. Two external hard drives earn recommended awards -- the Freecom Mobile Drive XXS and Clickfree portable hard drive.
32. Wired.com
As of Oct. 2009
Product Reviews: Desktops and Accessories
by Editors of Wired
Our Assessment Wired lists a few external hard drive reviews: five single-product tests and one head-to-head test between the Clickfree portable hard drive and the Seagate Replica (the Seagate wins). Reviews are easy to read but too short to be very useful.
33. Amazon.com
As of Oct. 2009
External Hard Drives
by Contributors to Amazon.com
Our Assessment Few owners who post reviews at Amazon.com have much experience with external hard drives, and user reviews are primarily useful for identifying common problems. All drives with significant numbers of reviews receive complaints, mainly for drive failure. You'll find NAS drives in their own category, but none gets overwhelmingly positive reviews.

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