This certainly will cut down on you e-waste and give you a level of flexibility unheard of in this niche. The adapter contains both the external interface and its bridge controller chip. If you have an older 500GB with a Firewire GoFlex cable and purchase a newer 1.5TB (for example) with USB 3.0, there is no need to buy a second cable for each. As an aded bonus, all cables are interchangeable between models.
If a new standard comes out that you need compatibility with, one inexpensive (compared to an entire new storage device) purchase you can easily upgrade your “old” model. This means that not only can you buy one device to cover all potential situations, it is also about as future-proof as you can get.
The SATA port on the back of the cable literally plugs into the GoFlex’s internal hard drive.
On the surface of things, this does not sound all that unique however, what Seagate calls a “GoFlex Cable” consists not only of a data cable, but the actual controller chip as well as a standard SATA connector port. Unlike any other storage device I know about, with a simple – yet firm – tug, you can remove the GoFlex Cable from the device and swap in a new cable. Other than boasting the densest external (2.5″ hard drive based) storage solution on the market today, the GoFlex Portable’s main claim to fame is its modular abilities. Many people should consider them to be not large, nor small but like Goldilocks, consider them just right. They are neither the smallest, nor the largest of external storage devices in this niche I have looked at rather, the trade-offs Seagate made will make them appeal to a very broad audience of consumers. Seagate got the delicate act of balancing portability with capacity better than some, but not as good as others. When you compare the size of the Seagate GoFlex line of drives to that of the LaCie’s Rikiki or WD My Passport SE, the GoFlex line falls firmly in the middle. Should color be your main concern and you do not want a black drive, you will indeed be best served with the smaller capacity drives.
If ease of transportation is your number one priority you are much better off opting for the GoFlex Slim as it is much, much smaller than even the 500GB version. The main reason for opting for the 500GB is not its smaller stature, but its extremely reasonable price of only about $70. Neither model is exceptionally small and neither is exceptionally large so while there is a bit of a size difference it is not enough to justify going with a smaller capacity drive. 4.71″) dimensions do make it slightly easier to transport when compared against the 1.5TB model.īoth form factors are made from the same plastic, but the smaller capacity version come in a variety of colors whereas the larger is only available in black at this time. Neither form factor is what you could considered large, but the 500GB’s slightly shorter (0.57″ vs. The smaller form factor is reserved for the lower capacities (320GB, 500GB and now 750GB) iterations with all larger capacities (1TB and 1.5TB) opting for the larger form factor.
The GoFlex Portable line consists of two very similar yet distinct form factors (three if you count the Slim model).