Rank #5 in Best 2TB External Hard Drive: 8 Ranked, and the Speeds That Don't Add Up
Seagate FireCuda Gaming 2TB External Hard Drive
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The Seagate FireCuda Gaming Hard Drive is the RGB-lit 2TB portable drive sitting at number five in this guide. It is £118.99, rated 4.6 out of 5 from 2,029 ratings, and the listing describes a 2.5-inch disk spinning at 5400 RPM, powered over the USB cable rather than from the wall.
The number worth reading on this page is not the lighting. The FireCuda's own Amazon listing states a read speed of 120 Megabytes Per Second and, a few fields later, a data transfer rate of 5000 Megabytes Per Second. Those are not the same measurement, and the gap between them is roughly 41x. One figure describes a 2.5-inch 5400 RPM platter; the other describes the USB bus the platter is plugged into. The listing gives you both, on the same page, which is the clearest case in this guide of a speed figure being marketing rather than mechanics. Everything below comes from that Amazon listing, not from any testing we have carried out.
How those 2,029 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.6 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £118.99 |
|---|---|
| Amazon rating | 4.6 out of 5, from 2,029 ratings |
| Listed read speed | 120 Megabytes Per Second |
| Listed data transfer rate | 5000 Megabytes Per Second |
| Listed capacity | 2 TB |
| Rotational speed | 5400 RPM |
| Cache memory installed size | 2 (as listed, no unit given) |
| Form factor and weight | 2.5-inch, 167 g, 15 x 80 x 123 millimetres |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“What a wonderful procuct. 5 Terrabytes of external storage, which simplt plugs into your pc via a usb port. Needs no set up, though it fdoes come with a little software package to help tweak its operation. Will back up pretty much everything you ill ever need to keep, from photos, to text files, to videos. And this amount of storage in a pretty small and substantional plastic casing will last you forever. Seagate have a good reputation for reliability, and this one comes with the little gimmick of some flashing RGB led lighting along the front. Takes up hardly any space, and can be unplugged when you are no longer using it. My whole music collection, of over 30, 0000 tracks is now backed up on it, just in case the main computer drive ever goes down.”
Verified purchase“Connected and works well with laptop, was hassle free to setup.”
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best 2TB External Hard Drive: 8 Ranked, and the Speeds That Don't Add Up.
Questions people ask
How fast is the Seagate FireCuda 2TB?
The listing gives two different figures: a read speed of 120 Megabytes Per Second and a data transfer rate of 5000 Megabytes Per Second. They are not the same kind of measurement, and the difference between them is about 41x.
How much does the Seagate FireCuda hold?
The listing states 2 TB, and the bullet text reads 'Up to 2 TB'. One customer review on the same page mentions 5 terabytes, which does not match the 2 TB specification.
What hardware is inside the Seagate FireCuda?
A 2.5-inch hard disk with a stated rotational speed of 5400 RPM. The listing also names USB 3.0 as the hard disk interface and USB 3.2 Gen 1 as the connection.
Does the Seagate FireCuda need its own power supply?
No. The listing describes it as USB 3.2 Gen 1 bus-powered, so it draws power through the cable. The bullets call this 'Plug and Play'.
Will the FireCuda work with a console?
The listing names the Microsoft Xbox Series X under compatible video game console models, and lists Desktop under compatible devices more generally.
What do you get besides the drive?
The listing mentions customisable RGB LED lighting, Data Rescue Services, and a unit weighing 167 g. The customer package type is stated as Standard Packaging.
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