Added to that, WD offers its aged Data Lifeguard tools that date back to 2006 and which don’t list support for Vista. There’s a choice of Windows, DOS on CD, or DOS on floppy, but when we gave the bootable CD image a go it didn’t work.
Terabyte set (clockwise from top left): Hitachi, Samsung, Seagate and WD
Add that little lot together and it’s hard to see why you’d choose the WD over the cheaper Seagate as the tiny amount of power you save won’t pay you back until some time in the distant future.
Verdict
All four Terabyte drives in this round-up offer a colossal amount of storage at a very reasonable price. The Hitachi is showing its age but still delivers decent performance, but we were less convinced by the green power saving features of the Western digital. If you want high performance – and who doesn’t? - it’s a straight fight between the Seagate and Samsung, and on balance we favour the Sammy despite its higher price.
Hard Facts
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000
The Hitachi set a decent benchmark for performance as a standalone drive.
Suggested Price: £159
More Info: Hitachi's 7K1000 page
Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103UJ
It’s a straight fight between the Seagate and Samsung, and on balance we favour the Sammy despite its higher price.
Suggested Price: £194
More Info: Samsung's F1 page
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340NS
The Seagate delivers sterling performance with the minimum of fuss, yet it is the cheapest of the drives on test.
Suggested Price: £149
More Info: Seagate's Barracuda 7200.11 page
Western Digital WD1000FYPS RE2-GP
We’re all in favour of reducing our dependence on electricity but the RE2-GP lagged behind in every one of our tests.
Suggested Price: £159
More Info: Western Digital's RE2-GP page
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