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SimpleTech 160GB SimpleDrive Portable 2.5 Inch Hard Drive

Author:	Jason Dumbaugh
Date:	2008.03.04
Topic:	Storage
Provider:	SimpleTech
Manufacturer:	SimpleTech

SimpleTech:

Recently SimpleTech asked us to review their 160GB SimpleDrive. The 160GB SimpleDrive is the predecessor of their recently released Signature Mini drives. Each one of the drives comes in a different size, and these sizes are as follows:

• Black - 120GB
• Red - 160GB
• Silver - 250GB
• Blue - 320GB

As you can see the drives are color coordinated to the storage size with the Blue drive being the largest currently offered.

SimpleTech's Take:

"Designed by Pininfarina, the very same design firm that gives Ferrari sports cars their stylish lines, SimpleDrive Portable hard drive is the easiest way to add fast, reliable storage to any desktop, laptop or notebook computer. With USB 2.0 setup is a snap and data transfer speeds up to 480Mb/second. StorageSync automatic backup software makes full or incremental backups fast and easy every time. And every SimpleDrive Portable hard drive comes with a free 2GB account on myfabrik.com so you can store, manage, and share your media online."

What's in the box?

• 2.5" IDE External Hard Disk Drive in Case
• USB Power "Y" Cable/Extension Cable
• StorageSync Software CD (Windows Only)
• Quick Installation Guide
• Free 2GB myfabrik.com account for managing and sharing your data
• 3-Year Warranty

Front	Back	Side

Features:

• Slim, compact & stylish (designed by Pininfarina)
• Ruggedized for travel
• Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• 5400 RPM with 8Mb buffer (cache)
• One-Click™ StorageSync™ backup software (Windows only)
• No external power required
• Plug n' Play simplicity
• Free and unlimited technical support
• 3-Year warranty

Specifications:

1. Performance:
   • USB 2.0 provides up to 480 Mb/sec data transfer rate
   • 5400 RPM
   • 8Mb Buffer (cache)
2. Interface:
   • One External "B" 4-pin (Hi-Speed USB 2.0/1.1) Receptacle
   • (Transfer Rates up to 480 Mb/sec)
3. Dimensions:
   • 3.0” (W) x 5.0” (L) x 0.625” (H)
4. System Requirements:
   • Macintosh
   • Available Port: USB 1.1/2.0
   • Mac OS v9.2 or later; built for Mac OS X
   • Windows
   • Available Port: USB 1.1/2.0
   • Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Testing:

We first started out by testing transfer speeds with different sized files:

Benchmarks:

Here are a few benchmarks taken from the SimpleDrive. (click the thumbnails to enlarge)

HD Tune 2.55	HD Tach 3.0.4.0	CrystalDiskMark 2.1

SiSoft Sandra - Removable Storage	SiSoft Sandra - Physical Disks

HD Tune was the best example for our benchmarks. It shows the scatter plot of data used for performance. HD Tach was mostly used just for the Read/Write speed, since it was comparing the drive against internal hard drive IDE and SATA speeds. CrystalDiskMark was used to show each speed in each bracket, and was also very helpful in determining the speeds of the drive. Finally, SiSoft Sandra was used to pit the SimpleDrive against other drives of its kind.

Conclusion:

The SimpleTech 160GB SimpleDrive is a great product for the price. With its stylish Ferrari inspired lines, large capacities, and small size, it's a no brainer. Our benchmarks above show an an average read/write speed of 35.05MB/s, which is nothing to laugh at. We had to test a 76.7MB zip file for timing, because everything less than 50MB registered as only a second write time. The SimpleTech 160GB SimpleDrive is available from Newegg.com for $91.99.