I’ve got a thing for storage. I own more flash drives and portable hard drives than any human being should be allowed to – yet I still can’t resist trying out new storage devices that I hear about! My most recent test subject has impressed me more than most: The Seagate GoFlex Slim!
There generally isn’t a huge amount of difference between various portable hard drives – especially among drives costing less than $100. The GoFlex Slim, however’ is very much an exception. Not only is the GoFlex Slim incredibly thin (as thin as an iPhone 4S!), and encased in durable aluminum – it’s also one of the fastest portable drives I’ve seen, thanks to its high-performance 7200RPM internal drive and built-in USB 3 support.
Aside from its slender built and quick performance, the drive works with both Macs and Windows machines, and even comes with NTFS drivers for the Mac, which can come in handy if you frequently share files between Macs and Windows PCs. It also comes pre-installed with backup software for both Windows and OS X.
The very first thing I noticed about the GoFlex Slim after removing it from its package was its sleek anodized aluminum chassis. The metal casing gives the drive an extremely solid feel, and the smoothness of the anodized finish is a pleasure on the hands (although it does tend to attract fingerprints). Of course, the casing also serves as an excellent protective casing for the drive – especially considering that many drive use plastic casings.
Aside from its sleek aluminum enclosure, the drive is also extremely thin – in fact, according to Seagate, it’s currently the thinest portable hard drive on the market, measuring in at just 9.5mm in height. I don’t dispute that claim – 9.5mm is as thin as most internal portable hard drives without casings of any kind!
Another thing that impressed my about this drive is its versatility. This is no ordinary portable drive. Like all of Seagate’s GoFlex series, the drive can also be used with a variety of available adapters that hook directly (and discretely) to the drive’s chassis. Simply pulling off the included USB 3 adapter, and swapping it for an eSata, FireWire, or even a Thunderbolt adapter will allow you to use the drive over practically any type of connection you can imagine. Taking the the adapter all the way off reveals a standard SATA port, allowing you to use the drive in most external drive docks as well.
The GoFlex Slim looks and feels like a premium product, and that’s something that never ceases to impress me. I also appreciate that I can stick this drive in just about any bag – or even into a jeans pocket if necessary! Quality and attention to detail are important, and Seagate nailed it with the GoFlex Slim.
As attractive and slender as the GoFlex Slim is, it’s more than just a pretty face. The drive’s performance doesn’t disappoint. I benchmarked the GoFlex Slim using several different tools, measuring its peak read and write speeds over both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, then recorded the average of those benchmarks.
The results speak for themselves. I was able to achieve read speeds of up to 36 MB/S and write speeds of up to 32.5MB/s over USB 2. Switching to USB 3 yielded equally impressive results, with read speeds of up to 123MB/s and write speeds of up to 120.5MB/S. These are serious speeds for any portable drive, and especially for a drive so compact.
Just as impressive as its data transfer speeds are its noise level and temperature. This drive is practically silent. I had to walk into a completely silent room and listen rather carefully to hear any sound at all coming from this drive. It’s also extremely cool temperature-wise. It barely gets warm at all, even after its been chomping on data for an extended amount of time.
Despite its slimmer than usual size, and uncommonly durable build, the GoFlex Slim also provides a solid value for the money. A brief search on Amazon revealed that 500GB USB 3 portable hard drives tend to range from between $70 and $100 in actual point-of-sale costs, with a few higher-end drives well exceeding the $100 mark. The GoFlex Slim comes in at $99.99 (at least at the time of this writing).
While the drive does cost slightly more than its competitors, it’s not a big difference – and the extra money gets you a sleek and professional aluminum enclosure, a much slimmer drive, and the ability to buy an adapter and switch cable interfaces if necessary. It may cost a bit more, but this is a premium product.
The Seagate GoFlex Slim is a fantastic drive. It’s professional, it’s durable, it’s incredibly thin, and it performs very well in terms of speed, temperature, and operating noise. Due to its ability to swap interfaces, it’s also extremely versatile. About the only fault I can find with the GoFlex Slim is that it’s likely less shock resistant than certain other drives due to its remarkable thinness. I highly recommend it.
For more information, visit Seagate’s GoFlex product page on the web. The GoFlex Slim is available in both 320GB and 500GB capacities, which, oddly enough, are both available for $99 at Amazon (320GB/500GB).
Update: Seagate has now rebranded these drives as Seagate Slim.