Reviewing The Seagate 2TB External HDD 3 Years Later

avatar

KakaoTalk_20220810_190929010.jpg

In 2019, as a very late bloomer, I decided to return to education going into my mid twenties. Part of the course requirements was that you would need an external harddrive for the frequent transferring and storing of data, moving from editing suites, home, or serving as a backup given the potential of data loss in the event something as small as an SD card was misplaced. I'd had a fair share of USB sticks over the years, but never had I entered the world of external harddrives; with my desktop, I was running a 2TB HDD -- I was too worried about buying an SSD given their prices were high back then, and their reliability and failure rate were not worth the risk for me -- which never seemed to run out of space. No matter how much I filled it nonsense and game sizes began to bloat.

Well, my course went on into the late part of 2019, but the external harddrive was yet to be needed. I would transfer data straight from the source when I got home, imported into my computer and could do what I needed immediately. There was not much need for the external harddrive still, since the course was mostly in its earlier stages where people were still somewhat adjusting. The course began to pick up around the time that the Chinese started having a bit of a cough, which then spread around the world resulting in a global pandemic. The rest of the course ended up unfolding over the pandemic, and much like the rest of educational institutions, it was decided that it would continue over the Internet. My initial reason to own the harddrive was no longer, and it was free to be filled with the most useless things.

This particular model being a Seagate 2TB External HDD (model STEA2000400 if that means anything). Though this is known now more as the 'laptop' and 'portable' version compared to its significantly beefier desktop version; though the desktop version is probably more ideal for those who are more idle and looking for something that will remain idle for large periods of time, serving more as a backup that is rarely active. In my case, something portable was very much needed, and even now I feel I would choose this smaller model simply due to how little space it takes up and how quickly it can be transported if needed.

Transportation

KakaoTalk_20220810_191649952.jpg

While this external harddrive is considered to be a portable model, my largest issue with that is that it certainly won't be suitable for all types of transportation. You'll definitely need a case for this thing, and that of course adds to space and weight when you're out and around, perhaps even already with a concern about how much weight you are to be carrying. This is most important for areas of travelling such as flying, where weight is can be massively important in reducing annoying and avoidable costs. Without a case, this drive most definitely would not survive for very long. It is very thin, light, and its exterior is just mere plastic. It didn't take long for it to obtain a single scratch on it, and I don't actually know how it got it.

For this reason alone, it definitely does not serve its purpose in regards to being a reliable piece of gear if you need that extra bit of data capacity or something to store important data on. I definitely would not travel to another country with it while storing photographs and videos that I know I need to keep safe. For some, where such data is what pays the bills, build quality is essential. But if you are one to roam around in a more local sense, storing not-so-important bits of data on it, it should be fine. Though the issue of weight and needing a case remains. To throw this into a backpack and hope for the best would be a bad idea. Particularly given this external harddrive uses a mechanical disk.

This places another large risk factor in how much damage it can take before potential data loss. Something very important to consider depending on the situation and environment of your travels.

I feel I should also note that the external harddrive will work just fine with both Windows and Mac machines.

Current Use and Features

Given the harddrive was not required for its original purchased purpose, it has remained idle at home for the entire period I have owned it. It sits on my desktop's case for the almost daily use it receives. I have taken to using the harddrive to store photography, videos (including films that grow increasingly hard to find by the day), as well as the odd game or document that might be needed again one day. With its 5400 RPM, it is definitely not the fastest drive you can find, but it does handle the data I throw at it decently. Though I suspect when I choose to backup all of this data to another drive, it won't be fun and will take a very long time; and this is definitely where you may encounter time issues: transferring data of significant sizes will definitely take a while. And I mean files above 20GB.

This also means that if you are to store heavy files such as photography or videography, where RAW images and high resolution video can eat up data like it is nothing, you may encounter times where folders take a while to load or transfer. But if you are not relying on the drive for work and merely need something to store such files, it is fine and won't bother you much. And that is ultimately what has happened to my external harddrive. It doesn't see much of a purpose outside of being used to store what my SSD can't, or that I don't feel comfortable storing on said SSD. When it comes to editing these files, however, that 5400 RPM will annoy you. It can be incredibly slow and take time away from getting things done as you have to not only import files, but have the drive handle that workload.

If you intend on editing content daily, especially in the formats mentioned above that are rather intensive, then you'll want to find a higher rate. Or perhaps just rely on an SSD to carry the heavy workload. Photoshop, Premiere, and Lightroom can each be incredibly annoying to use to begin with, so it would make sense to avoid making things harder.

Moving on to the features, however, aside from that 5400 RPM, you're also getting a little less than 2TB of storage, given the old manufacturer lie in regards to data storage; you will actually be getting a total of 1.8TB. Though this is also not specific to this model, and will be something you find across all drives, even going deep into your smartphone. I highly doubt it would ever be an issue for the average consumer, but I can also see how those that don't quite understand the technical reasoning might be confused at the reduced capacity to what was advertised to them.

While it does have a mechanical disk, it is an incredibly quiet harddrive that won't be scratching away and causing lots of noise when in use. I have really liked this about the harddrive, given it isn't distracting you with noise while you're trying to pursue some productivity and get something done. Though there is a blue light on the top left corner of the drive, which is thin, but can blink. This might distract you if you're working in darker environments. But truthfully, I don't see it as an issue at all. With its quiet nature and small size, it isn't much of a physical distraction nor will it be an audible one. Which is impressive given it requires a bit of power from a USB 3.0 port.

Price compared to performance

Screenshot 2022-08-10 185427.png

Due to some insane nature, this drive is now priced at £116 on Amazon. I purchased it in 2019 for £55. I did not purchase it during any special promotions or sales at the time, and at its retail price. I have no idea why the drive has doubled in price now, and I absolutely do not recommend buying it at that price. As always with technology purchases: keep an eye on sales and special promotions and buy them at a discount.

Despite the drive working perfectly three years later, I can't justify the current cost to performance. There isn't much argument to defend it, particularly given the more affordable rate of storage elsewhere. It is also worth noting that there may even be updated models by now, and that those may offer better cost to performance.

That said, I'm pretty happy with the purchase I made in 2019 at the price of £55. It still powers along almost daily with no issues, despite the points of weakness I mentioned above. I think, in this case, it might be entirely down to your own wants and needs; looking into what best benefits you and what you need that storage for. For me, this is fine for everyday use in one location.



0
0
0.000
7 comments
avatar

I actually got my own hard drive in 2013. Till now it's still working perfectly without issues. Thanks for sharing

0
0
0.000
avatar

Oh man I'd be nervous owning that. I recently had my 2013 HDD die, very quickly too. I replaced it with an SSD. That was just my main desktop's storage though.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I have a similar experience, for a long time I didn't need a portable hard drive, I kept my needs at bay until it became essential, and like you I decided for the Seagate brand of the same capacity but I think yours is mechanical, mine is SSD type. I have been using it for a while and it is definitely very useful, now I think I took too long to buy it.

Regarding what you mention about the space it takes up and how portable it is, I can certainly tell you that it doesn't bother at all, but in your case it' s delicate because being mechanical it isn't recommended to be exposed to impacts, maybe you should have leaned more towards the SSD model and not have problems to place it in any pocket of a bag or briefcase that you usually use, in my case I carry it in my belt bag and it doesn't bother me at all.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It's more so the build quality. It's a very thin plastic so it'll get scratches or dents and physical damage built up very quickly from very light movements. I know in the film industry these things get beaten up like mad, from being in bags or dropped or just simply used daily. I absolutely can't imagine this model being used daily in numerous environments. It's just built far too fragile to take many beatings. It'll fall apart.

0
0
0.000
avatar

True, for the movie industry it doesn't look good, however, I know there are sellers of cases to protect them, and there are also versions with metal casing.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Very good buy, I need one right now because as a technician I need to have all the software, programs and OS of cell phones and computers, I had seen one of 6 TB at $250 and I saw it in buyen price, of course the brand was generic and that was what caused me distrust.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yeah I would never want to rely on a single drive with such a high capacity due to their cost. I think I'd only go up to 4TB for mechanical disks. I just don't have a super reliable history with internal HDDs. External is fine.

0
0
0.000