logo_print logo_print_pub
External Drive Reviews: HDDs & SSDs >

Verbatim Gold Anniversary Edition 2.5 USB 2.0 500 GB

Pierre-Jean Alzieu
Test date: December 3, 2009
Verbatim Sync

One thing that has changed for this special edition is the replacement of the Nero BACKITUP4 Essentials by Verbatim Sync, which offers many more features.

As well as being very easy to use, it also has a wide range of tools: you synchronise your data, encrypt your e-mails and store your Internet favourites. That allows you to work from any computer. Once you're done, the software synchronises all of the changes on your home computer to bring your files up to date.

Verbatim, better known for its CD and DVD products, has produced a special edition of its 2.5'' external hard drive to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, the manufacturer has opted for a gold-coloured glossy plastic frame.  Apart from the colour, this model is an exact copy of the one we've already tested, which is available in a range of bright shades.

We might as well tell you straight away that we weren't exactly won over by the quality of the hardware.  It doesn't seem likely that it will resist a tumble, and the only connectivity is a simple USB 2.0 port.  We thought that Verbatim might have gone for something more impassive for this special edition, with, for instance eSATA or FireWire 400.  There's only a single USB cable, but most manufacturers offer two.  As a general rule, one is enough, but some laptops need two to work with an external hard drive: one for copying data and one to power the drive.

Speeds: just about average

This model really is a carbon copy of the versions available in other colours.  The speed tests produced very similar results, with the main weakness being write speeds.  To copy 1 GB of data onto this hard drive, you'll need to wait around 44 seconds, compared to the 32 seconds it'll take to read them back.
 
Iomega eGo FW400/USB 250 GB
Verbatim Gold Anniversary Edition 2,5'' USB 2.0 500 GB
Speeds over USB (MB/s)
 
Pluses

-

Simple, clear software

-

Capacity: 500 GB

Minuses

-

Write speeds are below average

-

Fragile case

-

Colour is pretty odd

-

Seek time: 19.8 ms

We have already tested plenty of external hard drives that look and perform better than this one, but come at a similar price. That said, it does come with good backup software, which we were pretty impressed by. It's powerful and easy-to-use.

Our RSS News Feeds : 

Back to top