Conclusion

The Seagate FreeAgent Pro 1TB is a handsome piece of hardware. Encased in an aluminum and plastic monolithic enclosure, it certainly won’t be an eyesore on your computer desk. However, the FreeAgent Pro is certainly more than just a pretty face.

All of the HD Tune performance benchmarks show great performance numbers under USB 2.0, Firewire 400, and eSata, outclassing even that of the fastest flash drives and 2.5 inch portable drives. However, it’s clearly a winner when it comes to storage capacity. A terabyte is a lot of space these days. With the performance, there is a price paid in terms of portability. Because it has a 3.5-inch 7200rpm hard drive on the inside, you’ll need an external power source (read: power outlet), and this makes it less portable than many 2.5-inch external drives. It’s no midget either so sticking it down your pants might not be such a hot idea. The FreeAgent Pro is best left tethered to the desk as a watchful guardian of your backups, and it helps that the software does most of that for you.

I’m very pleased with how this drive looks and performs, and the AutoBackup software is a nice bonus. If you’re looking for an easy-to-use backup solution for all your multimedia, this terabyte external drive is a great option. The FreeAgent Pro — with the trio of interfaces — is also available in 320GB, 500GB, and 750GB versions. Editors’ Choice folks.

Pros

• Brown-bronze aluminum with yellow lighting looks great
• One terabyte is a lot of space
• Versatile connectivity options
• Excellent build quality
• Incredibly easy to setup and use

Cons

• Could be overkill for some customers
• Yellow lighting can get annoying after a while
• Requires external power source
• No eSATA cable included in the box

Overall Rating: 9.0/10

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