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Buffalo DriveSation Duo 2TB USB 3.0 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £168
inc VAT

It’s very fast and supports RAID for data protection, but a NAS would be a better alternative for anyone with more than one computer.

Specifications

1TB+1TB hard disk, USB3, 127x86x204mm

http://www.lambda-tek.com

External hard disks are great for expanding the capacity of any PC or laptop, but if it fails you will lose all your data. Buffalo’s DriveStation Duo aims to solve this problem by including a second 3.5in drive bay and RAID support, ensuring your documents remain safe even if one of the disks fails. File transfers should also be fairly rapid thanks to USB3 connectivity, assuming you have matching ports on your PC.

Buffalo DriveSation Duo 2TB USB 3.0

The two pre-installed 1TB hard disks aren’t hot-swappable, but can be replaced easily in the event of a disk failure. To exchange one or both disks you simply need to remove the front panel and slot a new one in its place. Power and status LEDs indicate whether a disk is working correctly or if there is a problem. It’s relatively straightforward to configure the two disks in either RAID 1 mode for data redundancy or RAID 0 for increased performance using the included software.

A fairly comprehensive application suite is supplied with the unit; the highlight is Buffalo Backup, a simple utility that can create copies of all your hard disks with just a few clicks. The SecureLock program can encrypt any content saved to the DriveStation, but we would hardly consider it essential for everyday use. We were also surprised to find a RAMdisk utility on the disc – it could be useful if you edit high definition video thanks to its lightning fast transfer speeds.

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Basic Specifications

Rating ***

Storage

Hard disk Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.C
Capacity 1TB+1TB
Formatted capacity 931GB+931GB
Price per gigabyte £0.08
Disk size 3.5in
Interface USB3
Power connector external
Spindle speed 7,200rpm
Cache 32MB
Seek time 8.5ms
Weight 2.0kg
Size 127x86x204mm
Power consumption idle 11W
Power consumption active 16W

Buying Information

Backup software included Buffalo Backup
Price £168
Warranty one year RTB
Supplier http://www.lambda-tek.com
Details www.buffalo-technology.com

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