Iomega HDD 20GB

Julian Prokaza — 2002-08-15T10:15:07.000Z

Julian Prokaza, What PC?, Thursday 15 August 2002 at 10:15:07

An easy way to add extra storage space to either desktop or notebook PCs.

Hard disks have never been cheaper and, at the moment, a whopping 80GB model will set you back a mere £90. You do, of course, need the wherewithal to fit it inside your PC, and this means negotiating IDE channels, jumper settings, minuscule screws that ping into your computer innards with minimal effort and - well, you get the picture. If you cannot face or simply cannot be bothered with all this fuss, you should get yourself an external hard drive. By strange coincidence, that is what Iomega has just launched.

At £189, the HDD 20GB is rather more expensive than an internal drive, but it is up and running in seconds. It is a slim little number finished in grey and black, much like Iomega's existing Peerless drive. Like the Peerless, the HDD comes in two parts, and the drive clips to a small module that provides the necessary sockets. At less than the size of a paperback book, the HDD takes up little desk space but, unlike the slim Zip 250, there is no option to stand it on its side.

The HDD uses a USB 2 connection, but obviously it will also work, albeit more slowly, via traditional USB. A FireWire model will also be available at some point. Since a USB 2 port does not carry enough voltage to power a hard drive, the HDD 20GB also needs a separate power supply.

In terms of performance, the USB 2 connection transfers 100MB of data in about seven seconds - not as quick as an IDE hard drive, but quick enough for the HDD to be used like one without complaint.

It is a shame that the HDD 20GB it requires a separate power supply, but Iomega cannot be blamed for the failings of the USB 2 standard.

Specifications:

20GB 4,200RPM external hard disk
USB 2 connection
Mains adaptor included
Dimensons (WxDxH, in mm): 141x17.5x191
Weight: 190g

Price: £189 (inc VAT)

Contact: Iomega: 020 7365 9527

www.iomega.com

Freecom FireWire hard drive

Andy Gordon — 2001-04-01T23:00:00.000Z

Andy Gordon, What PC?, Sunday 1 April 2001 at 23:00:00

An external hard drive for storage convenience.

While modern PCs come fitted with enormous hard disk drives, most users will at some point find themselves short of storage space.

The solution is either to replace their drive, add another internally, or go for the easy life and add an external unit. Freecom's latest falls into the last category and is designed using Apple's lightning-fast FireWire (III 1394) technology.

External drives have always been severely limited by the interface they use to communicate with the PC. Parallel connections are painfully slow. USB improved the situation but even so can only manage a maximum transfer rate of 12Mbps. With a top rate of 400Mbps it is clear why FireWire lends itself to devices that demand fast data transfer.

Despite this, the Freecom drive should not be considered equal to an internal hard disk. In our dedicated Labs test it notched up a performance figure of 14,515 - some way behind the 19,412 of an otherwise identical internal 20Gb drive. Neither does the Freecom drive win on cost, as a 20Gb internal hard drive can be purchased for some £100 less.

Nevertheless, an external drive is certainly more convenient than taking a PC apart. In a manner identical to USB, installation with FireWire is a simple matter of plugging in and installing it as a separate hard drive - it doesn't take much effort at all.

However, this raises the issue of FireWire itself. It now appears on all Apple Mac computers, but it's a long way from becoming standard on most notebook and desktop PCs. It is possible to fit a FireWire card to a desktop PC, but this will cost around £50-£70 and reduces the convenience appeal of an external drive.

FireWire will no doubt become more common, but it's not yet widespread and the drive loses the magnet of convenience as a result.

Contact

Freecom 01423 704700, www.freecom.com

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