NIHON NO DRIVESTATION (Buffalo Drivestation HD-HB250U2 250 GB)

Member Name: shuttlex

Product:	Buffalo Drivestation HD-HB250U2 250 GB
Date:	17/12/06 (1459 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smart design, solid build, reliable, cool, quiet.

Disadvantages: No firewire.

In recent years external storage solutions have become more common especially with the increase in digital video & photography, digital distribution and more people using notebook computers. There are many external hard drives on the market from various manufacturers, all competitively priced.

Several months ago, in need of more storage space, I ordered a cheap external USB hard drive enclosure from Ebay for £10. A week later the enclosure arrived shipped from China. Adding my own hard drive this completed the setup for an external USB hard drive. However, the results were unsatisfactory. Despite the fan-less design and aluminium body, the heat dissipation was poor and the case would rattle. Switched on for long periods of time this would surely result in a short lifespan.

Rather than risk losing my data, I recently replaced it with a 250GB Buffalo DriveStation, an all in one external USB drive solution with built in 7200 rpm hard drive. The main attraction being the advertised fan-less and silent operation as well as the auto power down feature. The reviews on Amazon also appeared promising.

Upon receiving the box, the first thing that strikes you are the words "Made in Japan" clearly printed on the packaging, usually a sign of quality when it comes to consumer electronics. Unpacking the DriveStation from the box, the solid build quality and design are immediately apparent. Crafted with a symmetrical shape and composed of mixture of pearl white and grey, the device has that distinctive Japanese look. The DriveStation can be placed on a book shelf to easily blend in with the home environment.

Advertised as fan-less, aluminium chassis acts as a heat sink to cool the drive. On the back of the unit there's a USB port, an auto power switch and an on/off switch. The auto power switch allows the DriveStation to automatically switch on from standby when it detects the computer is on. The on/off switch is useful for powering down completely without having to switch off from the mains.

One drawback is the lack of firewire port. Since USB has become the most common interface for today's standards for most this won't make make a difference but some may be put off by this. The DriveStation uses an external power supply; separating the power supply from the main body also helps in keeping the hard drive cool.

While switched on, a green indicator lights up and the DriveStation remains almost silent. When data is being transferred a red indicator also lights up, at this point the hard drive noise is more audible however it still remains relatively quiet. Transfer speeds are restricted to USB 2.0 speeds rated at approx 480mbps, however this is just a theoretical maximum of the USB 2.0 standard. In my experience I found speeds much lower than this at approx 150 mbps, speeds can be restricted by other factors such as the computer's hard disc drive.

The drive is immediately detectable by computers running Windows XP and recent Linux distributions, however Windows 98 users need to install drivers that come on the included CD. Several software packages are also included on the CD such as Mameo data back up and a software application that automatically spin down the drives. However, since the included software is rather resource intensive it's preferable to simply use the drive as plug and play without the software.

The drive comes pre-formatted in fat-32 format, however it would be preferable to reformat the hdd to NTFS standard if you plan on transferring files greater than 4GB in size. Using Windows XP, this can easily be done by right clicking on the drive in "My Computer".

Overall, it's difficult to find fault with the Buffalo DriveStation. The included software is more of an additional bonus that isn't necessary for most peoples' use. Data is transferred and fetched as expected. The device is fan-less, quiet, composed of a smart design of high build quality and remains relatively cool even when left on for long periods of time. At a competitive price of £63 on Amazon, for anyone in need of an external hard drive, the Buffalo DriveStation is highly recommended.

Summary: highly recommended

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