Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac Portable Hard Drive
Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac
Apple introduced the iLife 09’ and iWork 09’ during the MacWorld 2009 that gave the users a range of significant features to do some interesting stuff like creating videos, music, slide shows, document and presentations. But with the hands on the other advanced software, OS etc, it has left the hard drives of the people scanty. Especially the people who love photography and video will find that their hard drive gets filled up fast and sharing them with their loved ones becomes a real nightmare. To solve this issue, Seagate presented the FreeAgent Go for Mac, which is an external storage device manufactured by the storage giant Seagate that panders to Mac demographic by supporting fast FireWire 800 speeds, USB2.0 interfaces and a spacious storage.
Designed to Go with Mac:
Since the FreeAgent Go is a product of Seagate for Mac, you will be surely not let down on the parts of looks and stylishness. It is one of the thinnest mobile hard drive we have ever seen, making it an ultra portable device. The FreeAgent Go Portable External Hard Drive has got its dimensions as just (H X W X D) 12.5 X 80 X 130mm and weighs just 160grams. It comes in Apples own trademark white colour which would look great if you intend to use it with Mac systems only. The drive is also available in a wide range of other vibrant colours that includes black, red and blue, availability of which differs according to specific capacities. The drive’s enclosure is a light weight plastic shell and the front of the unit is covered with an aluminium plate. The bottom is covered with a slightly roughened material that prevents the drive from sliding around on a smooth surface.
The top of the Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac Hard Drive is perforated on one end and a series of white lights illuminate and pulsate underneath while the drive is active. If you leave it plugged in for an extended period, this display will fade slightly. The aesthetic design is a nice touch to the high end looks of the drive.
Triple interface:
Three connections can be spotted on the rear of the unit out of which the FireWire port doubles as both FireWire 800 and FireWire 400, which merely depends on which cable you actually opt for. And this of course means that you must be having either of these ports on your Mac. To the right of it is the USB 2.0 and to its far left is an auxiliary power connection. The auxiliary power connection is for the systems that lack the juice to power the drive with a single USB1.1, which usually will not be the case in most of the Mac systems.
Issue with the dock:
One of the most interesting but a little worrying thing is that the hard drive dock which is offered serves only the systems with Macbook Pros and Mac Pros. The dock connects only via FireWire 800 leaving the FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 connections out in the cold. Once the dock is plugged into the system, from then on, it works just like an ipod or digital camera that is plugged in to your system.
Perfect cable lengths:
One minor thing that Seagate has taken care of which deserves a good deal of appreciation is the length of the cables. They have been cut to the right length, most of the drives in the market come with long cables that tangle around and almost spoil the factor of portability. Having them short makes it incredibly easy for it to be stored and just of the right length to be sewn into the case.
A complete travel kit:
A hard drive dock has been included in the package that gives a the total convenience of drop in and play without having to fumble around the cables. Though the dock is a strictly stay at home item, the case that has been offered with the drive is quite sturdy and gives you the confidence of taking it out of your home. It is oriented in such a way that you will be still having access to the connectivity options. And hence, the case can always be left on the drive itself and allowed to offer a great deal of protection for your most secure data. The addition of an extra pocket on the case is a nice touch and allows it to be an all in one case, making it a sure addition in your travel inventory.
Easy set-up and installation:
The setup of FreeAgent Go External Hard Drive is very easy and there is not much that you need to actually do in order to get the FreeAgent Go for Mac setup. Since the drive does not come with any additional software, all that you have to do is plug it in using any of the included interfaces that suites your needs. If you possess a FireWire 800 port, you can always plug the dock into that drive and let it be docking the drive as needed. Of course it must be ejected. It can also be used as a Time Machine backup drive and set it up in a such a way too. If you have made the right connection, it is indicated by a light that comes on and when a USB or FireWire icon pops up on your desktop. That is all, the setup is done.
Capacities and colours available:
The Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac comes in three capacities, namely, 250GB (Model Number: ST902503FJA105-RK), 320GB (Model Number: ST903203FJA105-RK), 500GB (Model Number: ST905003FJA105-RK). All the three models are available in black and titanium silver shades where as with 320 GB, you have two more options of red and blue. We are not sure why this has been classified so specifically as the same case is used for all the capacities.
Features and performance:
The FreeAgent Go makes use of Seagate’s most energy efficient 5400 RPM 2.5″ notebook drives and supports the power management features of Mac. Additionally it has also go support for the Time Machine backups. While automatic backups give you peace of mind, the encryption technology keeps your files safe and with easy synchronisation, you would always have to most latest version of the data with you.
Coming to the performance of the drive, the Seagate FreeAgent Go 250gb/320gb/500gb Hard drive fares well when copying over files of larger size but the read/write speed slows down considerably while copying large number of small files. This is most likely due to the tiny drives capacity to keep up with the large volume of tiny random reads and writes. When compared with three other drives, the Go lagged behind only by a few mega bytes per second. Actually, the difference is quite negligible. Overall the performance of the drive can be said to be quite decent. But if you are looking for a great deal of performance compromising on the factor of portability, you could always go for a 7200rpm desktop drive.
Economic too:
When the cost per GB is calculated, Seagate FreeAgent Go is around 6p per GB cheaper than its equivalent Western Digital Passport Studio. This makes the Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac, best value when compared to the other external hard drives in the current market.
Package contents:
You will find a lot of stuff going inside the package, which includes the Seagate FreeAgent Go itself of course and an assortment of cables such as, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB and USB power only. The dock is also included which functions only with the FireWire 800 and has no other connectivity options. Oh! We feel for the owners of systems other than the MacBook Pro or the Mac Pro Tower. For the sake of protection for your treasured drive, a case has also been included in the package and finally a quick set up guide.
Warranty and support:
The FreeAgent Go portable external hard drives of all capacities, ( 250GB, 320GB and 500GB ) come with five years Seagate warranty. In addition, Seagate’s web site offers a comprehensive list of forums, knowledge bases, driver downloads, installation aids and FAQs to help you troubleshoot your drive. Since external drives rarely malfunction, the phone support is the one that is particularly helpful. Live chats and email facility are also available. All the processes of contacting can be done from 8am to 11pm on weekdays.
Finally some recognition for Mac users:
Previously Targus introduced a new set of products that were built especially for the sake of the Mac users and the storage manufacturers also seem to have caught on to this trend by introducing that are packaged and pre-formatted for the Mac users only rather than a product of PC that has Mac compatibility. Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac being one of such efforts has made Seagate absolutely proud. Giving the users a little recognition will work wonders and this alone is enough for Seagate to sell a ton of them. But ultimately, for the drives to be sold on a long drive, it is the user’s satisfaction that matters the most.
Verdict:
The Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac portable external hard drive has a great look and the set up is extremely easy with no further formatting required. Having most of the common interfaces that is used in Mac, such as the FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0, you will certainly not encounter any scarce for interfaces and connectivity. Some of the minor things like the length of the cables and a good casing also adds to the good deeds which will prove to be extremely handy on a long run. The only issue we are concerned about is the dock. If a dock is to be included, it should be made useable by all the Mac users. Overall, the performance of the drive is great and the ease of use is also well handled by Seagate. An absolute treat for the Mac users.
Check Seagate Hard Drive section for reviews of Seagate FreeAgent DeskTop Classic, Seagate eSATA External Hard Drive Reviews.
Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac Portable Hard Drive - Technical Specification Table
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Model Name | Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac |
| Model number | 250GB: ST902503FJA105-RK 320GB: ST903203FJA105-RK 500GB: ST905003FJA105-RK |
| Dimensions (H X W X D) | 12.5 X 80 X 130mm |
| Weight | 7.8 oz |
| Enclosure colour | Silver, black, red and blue |
| Form factor | 2.5″ |
| Capacities available | 250GB, 320GB, 500GB |
| Interfaces | IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) IEEE1394 (FireWire 400) Hi-Speed USB |
| Spindle speed | 5400rpm |
| External Hard Drive Power Source | USB bus, FireWire bus, Additional USB |
| Operating system requirements | RAM 256 MB |
| Accessories included | Carrying case, Docking station, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, USB and USB power only |
| Warranty | 5 years |
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