I bought one of these through Buy.com 6 months ago for $99, and I couldn't be happier with its function.
The highlights:
++SO SILENT++
I live in the countryside where it's quiet. I keep the drive behind my LCD monitor, just inches from my keyboard, and I only hear it slightly when it accesses data. Otherwise, it is 100% silent. My stepson has a 1 GB external drive made by Lacie that sits about 4-5 feet from my ear and I hear the fan on that drive all the time. Loud from the day he received it new.
++EASY INSTALLATION++
The first computer I connected it to(Windows XP laptop) didn't have an eSATA connector, but the USB connection worked fine on the first try and was fast. Later I bought a new PC (Vista i7 desktop) with an eSATA connection and the only problem I had hooking it up was my fault: the drive has to be turned on first (has a very easy to find and use switch on the back), then the computer or the computer won't 'see' the drive. Once the eSATA connection was used, I couldn't believe how much FASTER it was! (The Buy.com description of 3 Mb/sec is misleading, because the speed is still limited by the 7200 rpm of the drive, and the 16Mb cache.) Also, the power adapter is compact compared to how bulky they can get sometimes. If I'm remembering correctly (I'm not at that computer now), the prongs on the plug are sideways, so the adapter doesn't block another receptacle on a power strip/UPS, but I'm not 100% sure that's the same adapter I'm thinking of.
++LOOKS GOOD.++
The case is and looks sturdy. It's size is compact compared to other external 1Tb drives I've seen. When the drive is accessing data, the blue LED on the front flashes to purple and looks, well, really cool! Yes, the LED is very bright, and there is no turning it off. I just aim the light away from myself, and I kinda like it as a nightlight. I've read that others just put a piece of black tape over it.
I'm probably forgetting something else positive about this GREAT drive... just buy it, you won't be disappointed.
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