Rank #2 in Best 2TB External Hard Drive: 8 Ranked, and the Speeds That Don't Add Up
Seagate 2TB Portable Hard Drive, USB 3.0
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The Seagate Portable Drive (STGX2000400) is a 2 TB USB 3.0 external hard drive at £95.99, rated 4.5 out of 5 across 265,604 ratings, and it sits at number 2 in this guide. It is also the odd one out among the drives here: its two stated speeds agree with each other. The read speed is listed as 120 Megabytes Per Second; the data transfer rate is listed as 1 Gigabits Per Second, which is roughly 125 MB/s. Two fields, one answer, no gap of several thousand times.
Where this listing does fall apart is in the physical description. The same spec table calls the drive 3.5 inches and 7,200 rpm, which is the shape and the spin speed of a desktop unit. Then it gives the weight as 190 g, the thickness as 1.5 centimetres, the product features as "Portable", and the box contents as an 18-inch USB cable. It also lists the cache memory as 2 TB, which is the same number as the storage capacity. So the speed figures on this page are the believable part; the measurements of the object are not. Everything below comes from the Amazon listing for this drive and not from any testing we have done.
How those 265,604 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.5 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £95.99 |
|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 from 265,604 ratings |
| Capacity | 2 TB |
| Stated read speed | 120 Megabytes Per Second |
| Stated data transfer rate | 1 Gigabits Per Second (about 125 MB/s) |
| Stated rotational speed | 7,200 rpm (as listed) |
| Stated form factor | 3.5 Inches (as listed) - the same page gives 190 g and 1.5 cm thick |
| Stated cache memory | 2 TB (as listed) - the same figure as the storage capacity |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“Massive storage and easy to use. You may lament the time it takes to transfer files but this is a limitation of PCs, USB etc. and not of this device. Best advice is to back up all your files frequently and then keep this drive at a remote, secure location”
Verified purchase“I've used Seagate Hard Drives for years. This seemed good buy. As described. It formatted with my Xbox Series as hoped. Was unsure as this wasn't the Xbox branded one and specs were slightly different but still suitable and compatible as Rufus advised. Easy way to increase game storage. Series enhanced games will need to be moved to internal storage to play but old gen games usually play off these.”
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 does Seagate say the Portable Drive is?
The listing gives a read speed of 120 Megabytes Per Second and a data transfer rate of 1 Gigabits Per Second, which is about 125 MB/s. Those two numbers agree with each other, which is not the case for every drive in this guide.
How much storage do I get?
2 TB, stated in both the product title and the digital storage capacity field.
Do I need to install software?
No. Seagate says you connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition, with no software required.
What is in the box?
The drive and an 18-inch USB 3.0 cable, as described in the product blurb.
Does the Seagate Portable Drive work with a Mac?
Seagate says it is designed to work with Windows or Mac computers and that backup is drag and drop; the hardware platform field lists Mac and PC.
The spec table says 3.5 inches - is this a desktop drive?
The form factor field says 3.5 Inches, but the same page gives a weight of 190 g, a thickness of 1.5 centimetres, a portable form factor and an 18-inch cable, which is the shape of a pocket drive rather than a 3.5-inch one.
Comments
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