The development of external hard drives has become much faster these days, thanks to some innovative technology that strives on fast data transfer speed and increased capacity just like the newest range of Buffalo MiniStations. A real performer, the MiniStation 1TB external hard drive from the house of Buffalo boasts the technological edge of the Japanese expertise. The Buffalo mini station consists of two series viz. the HD-PXT and HD-PET and the 1.0TB version falls under the HD-PXT series. The following review is a compilation of some of its key design and performance parameters.

Features:

The Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB External Hard Drive (product code: HD-PC1TU2/B-EU) is only bigger than a pack of cards. As for the looks, it seems that it has been well thought out by the manufacturer and is made and designed to pretty high standards. The blackish hard drive is pretty compact and small, given the capacity of 1TB and making it all the more distinct is the casing which is shock resistant, despite the light and plasticky feeling you may get with it.

The plastic border of the casing does bend when forced, but the question is why would one bend it purposely and how often? Let truth be told, we have not tested the durability of this external hard drive yet, but the sheer feel of the case suggest that it could most  definitely take a fall on the mat or even concrete, given the drive should descend from a reasonable height. The Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB version looks bigger than the Buffalo 500GB and 320GB hard drives in its own rights. Overall, the design instils a sense of confidence in its capability to endure the rigours of travel and everyday rugged use, in stark contrast to drives that look more like plastic boxes or cans rattling unsteadily around inside.

FlexConnect: If looks fail to deceive you, the build quality of the drive deserves appreciation. There is a permanent USB lead that stows away tidily into a slot found on the side – a nice bit of touch. The drive features an integrated FlexConnect cable management system that ensures you never lose the cable again. If your laptop case is inundated with far too many leads, this actually is a welcome option as you need not have to carry another one. It does give you an additional extension. But the icing on the cake is the shock resistant body which provides protection to your precious data from the shocks and knocks of everyday life.

Performance:

Things that make a real difference to the overall scheme of things include ‘Turbo Pc’ and ‘Turbo Copy’ features. This feature, primarily windows software can transfer huge amounts of data and copy performance in high speed and that is almost double the speed that a USB2.0 portable hard drive can normally give you.  And there is the RAM disk, though we were not so keen on it, just in case it meddles with the data that is already stored on there. The Buffalo MiniStation 1TB USB Hard Drive that comes in the FAT32 file format has to be formatted to the NTSC filing system.

Easy set up:  Setting up the Buffalo Ministation is easy and is ready for immediate use straight out of the box. You can just plug and play on your PC. And mind you there are no drivers or power supply needed to establish connection as it is USB powered and can connect via Mac or PC.

Data transfer rate: The data transfer rate of 480Mbps offered by the Buffalo HD-PXT 1TB MiniStation SATA Hard Drive is not as fast as some of the other USB/hard drives storage medium, but it could have been no good either, so it must only be said that the data transfer rate is reasonable. We hope it stays free of errors for a long time.

Storage capacity: We did a bit of testing with its storage capacity by copying the C: drives of 2 laptops, about 16 USB memory sticks in addition to some SD cards (in fact a dozen of them) onto it and we were not able to make considerable inroads onto its seemingly huge capacity of 1TB. If you are a film nut, the external hard drive is only 48% full when it holds about 125 films and that is plenty for you.

TurboPC:  The best part of the feature is that the transfer speed can be increased making use of the computer memory to maximum writing and reading process into HDD, besides caching while the actual process of data transfer happens. This feature also makes use of the standard internal HDD in the PC to caching which will go on to improve the speed of your computer. To be honest, it is only fair to say that we did not notice any considerable difference in speed.

Turbo Copy: This is another feature that carries a lot of currency in the context of performance and can optimize or enhance the default windows copying function.

Full Disk Encryption: There is a Full Disk Encryption for Windows, a high performance, comprehensive hardware solution to protect all your data (swap files, user files, hidden files, system files, etc) from unauthorised access on laptops, desktops and removable media. And here you have an encryption process that is hard to crack. The Buffalo MiniStation 1TB  Portable Hard Drive is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows operating system.

SecureLock Manager: The Buffalo MiniStation comes loaded with the powerful SecureLock Manager software which means the administrator can adjust a wide range of security levels depending on the needs of the user. For convenience and ease of use, this feature can automatically remember all the passwords, getting rid of the need to enter one every time you access the drive. With the availability of access only via a pre-determined password, as a user you can have total peace of mind over the storage of data which is safe, secure and hidden.

Picasa software: You will also get Picasa software from Google alongside the product that helps you organize and edit digital movies and photos, no matter where they dwell on your computer.

The cons:

The built-in software on the partition of the drive has received some negative user views, but as for us, we did not have any problems, so you could either go for it or ignore it. When the external drive is connected to the PC/Mac, you will see two drives with the first disk consisting of disk tools. You cannot remove the first drive as it is hardwired into the drive. And this means you cannot expect to format the whole disk as a single drive.

Another minor issue is that it does not come with any soft case or pouch and any user would like the case to remain dust free or unscratched. But it does the job of giving that extra bit of protection against the plastic borders, so spending a few pounds on buying an additional soft case should do no harm to you.

Warranty:

The Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB is covered under a manufacturer’s warranty of 2 years against manufacturing defects, which starts from the original purchase date.

Verdict:

Weighing 165g and measuring 114mm (W) x 77mm (H) x 17mm (D) in size, the drive does what it actually says on the tin with fairly good shock protection against accidental bumps and knocks, sound back-up and transportation of music, digital images and other invaluable files without eating up too much of space on your PC’s hard drive. And if you make use of the secure lock it is simply good as it keeps the nosey sort of people out. These said, the manufacturer should give you an option to make the MiniStation into a clean, single drive, particularly for domestic use or at least Buffalo should be pretty transparent about what it is built short of. All in all, we found this to be a little beauty that stands up to the daunting tests day after day.

Buffalo MiniStation 1TB USB2.0 External Hard Drive – Product Specification Table

Manufacturer Buffalo
Model Name Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB External Hard Drive
Model number HD-PC1TU2/B-EU
Dimensions (W x H x D) 114 x 77 x 17mm
Enclosure type Portable
Colour Black, White, Red
Weight 165g
Hard disk drive capacity 1TB
Hard disk interface Serial ATA
Data transfer rate (max) 480Mbps
Standard Compliance USB 2.0
Number of ports 1
Connector Types USB Mini-B
OS Support Windows 7 (32/64), Windows XP, Windows Vista (32/64),
MAC OS X 10.4 or later
Cables Included 1 x mini USB 2.0
Software bundle included TurboPC/Turbo Copy, Full Disk Encryption,
SecureLock Manager, Picasa
Power Consumption 2.5W (Max)
Operating Temperature 5ºC -35ºC; Relative Humidity: 20%-80%
Power Supply AC 100-240V (External) 50/60Hz
Warranty 2 years

Other External Hard Drives