Freecom Hard Drive 3.5in 250GB USB-2 review

External hard disks are very easy to install, making them a convenient way of backing up your files or transporting large amounts of data between PCs.

Freecom is a well-known and long-established manufacturer of external hard disks, but it hasn't been noted for its attractive designs. Freecom's latest disk promises to reverse this trend with its sleek and attractive metal enclosure.

The hard disk plugs into a USB2 port and a cable is included in the box. It will also work with USB 1.1 ports, but it will be significantly slower when reading and writing files, so we wouldn't recommend using it like this. Unlike some external hard disks, this model can't be powered by the USB port, so you'll need to use the included power adapter.

In our tests, we found the Freecom Hard Drive to be consistently quick at reading and writing files. We were able to write large files at 23.8MB/s and read them at 27.4MB/s. We were able to write small files at 9.6MB/s and read them at 10.9MB/s. Although there are faster hard disks available, this is still one of the quickest models we've seen at this price.

Freecom has included a suite of backup software, but we weren't impressed by it. The interface is quirky and doesn't always work as you would expect. It's also very tedious to use, as you have to manually choose every file type you wish to back up. We'd recommend investing in more capable backup software, such as Symantec's Norton Ghost or EMC's Retrospect.

Freecom's 250GB Hard Drive is excellent value for money at only 35p per gigabyte. Its sleek and modern enclosure is also whisper quiet unlike some models that have noisy and distracting cooling fans. Our only wish is that the backup software was better designed.

Author: AL