Product Listing

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro - Versatile Portable Storage

By Vijay Anand - 8 Jul 2010
Launch SRP: S$189

More on the GoFlex Pro 500GB External Portable Drive

The GoFlex Pro 500GB External Portable Drive

The GoFlex series of drives achieve their versatility by sticking to basics. In this case, Seagate used the 2.5-inch drive's native SATA 3Gbps interface as the basis of all connectivity for their GoFlex storage system and the expanded ecosystem. By using a superior interface as the base, Seagate was able to offer a plethora of external connectivity options and ensuring the drive's capabilities are best utilized as per the individual users' needs. The GoFlex series of portable drives are very compact, besting those we've seen in our last roundup which represented the best of last year. As you'll soon see, this compactness is achieved partly because Seagate moved almost all other electronics on the add-on adapters while the drive itself is just encased in a plastic shell.

The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro 500GB is among the most compact 2.5-inch external portable drives in the market, definitely besting last year's rivals.

The base of the drive is given a rough plastic finish for better grip in your hand or on the desk.

Note the 'GoFlex' connectivity of the drive is basically a SATA interface. Here you can see both SATA power and data connections. And yes, given the right type of cables without protrusions, you can even hook it up to your motherboard directly. And this is why we are confidently saying so...

… because the drive within is a standard notebook hard drive that's just encased in a plastic shell. There are no other electronics within, so the drive's SATA 3Gbps interface is directly interfacing with the real world with the various GoFlex cables acting as your interface converters. Note that the drive model used in this FreeAgent GoFlex Pro is a Seagate Momentus 7200.4, ST9500420AS 500GB 7200rpm drive.

As mentioned earlier, the GoFlex Pro, such as the device in review here comes bundled with Memeo software for backup and synchronization, a GoFlex USB 2.0 interface cable and a desktop dock. In terms of hardware specs, the Pro version is equipped with a speedier 7200rpm drive. The standard GoFlex drives use normal 5400rpm laptop drives and forgoes the dock as well as the more comprehensive software options.

While the default GoFlex interface cable can be swapped out with other higher-end options, the desktop dock is however a USB 2.0 only device. So while we applaud the dock being included in the premium model, its interface should have been made modular as well if users want to pair their drive with a faster interface, just like the GoFlex cables that connect to the drive directly.

The versatility of the GoFlex series of hard drives lie with these GoFlex cables that connect to the drive, thus detaching them from the usual boundaries.

The provided dock however, is old-school and is hardwired for USB 2.0 connectivity only. Had it been given the GoFlex cable treatment, it would have been more valuable.


 

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
8.5
  • Design 9
  • Performance 8
  • Features 9
  • Value 8
The Good
Upgradable Interface Options
Decent Performance
The Bad
Short GoFlex cables
Dock supports only USB 2.0
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.