Price : Too low to display
The second generation of Buffalo's MiniStation Metro HD-PXTU2 replaces the original MiniStation Metro HD-PXU2 adding the New Buffalo Tools Software Suite. The MiniStation Metro Portable Hard Drive is a stylish portable storage solution packed with features in a USB powered, contemporary design. MiniStation Metro is equipped with Buffalo's shock resistant BumperBody™, surrounding the hard drive with shock absorbers, protecting it from damage when small drops and shocks occur. The integrated Flex Connect USB cable wraps around and snaps to the chassis for pack-and-go portability – never search for a USB cable again. Optional hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption blocks unwanted access keeping your data secure. Included is Buffalo’s TurboPC, a utility designed to enhance PC performance for up to 70% faster file transfers and Buffalo Backup software to back up and protect your important files and documents. MiniStation Metro is offered in three chic colors to match any style: Blue Onyx, Ruby Red, and Pearl White. Store, back up and transport photos, music, documents and other files without using your computer’s hard drive.
This review is from : Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive with Integrated Flex Cable, Encryption and TurboPC HD-PXT320U2/B (Black)
Very good performance and reliable for 2.5" 1T external disk . This is the product I am looking for:
1. It has biggest capacity yet, for 2.5" external drive with a built-in USB cable without additional power source required (tested on my old laptop, it works perfect, and of course on a Desktop Computer). The built-in USB cable is kind of short, but works very well (including with Front Panel USB on my Desktop which normaly other disk failed). Extend it with the provided extension cable, it works with back USB port but failed in Front USB. Also the extension cable is not reliable in my Laptop. So I have to live with the short built-in USB cable (which is not a big problem to me)
2. The enclosure is not only beautiful (shiny black on one end, and matte rubber on the other end) but also looks and feels very strong/durable. It is said can handle a drop, but I dont want to test it. I lost my 1T data on my previous 3.5" enclosure due to accidental drop from my Desktop computer (about 1 feet from floor), and have a nightmare to recover it. It also comes with a black 'leather' pocket which I really like, it add a shock resistance and also good to keep the beautiful enclosure from scratch (because I bring this thing with me everyday with my Laptop).
3. Speed is not remarkable, but acceptable. The average is about 20Mbyte/s. I suspect that is the limitation of USB 2. As comparison, my e-Sata 1Tb 3/5" 7200rpm disk has average of 60Mbyte/s. My RAID-10 7200rpm 2X640Gb direct attach disk perform an average of 120Mbyte/s. For my usage (Mostly for my photo in RAW format, JPG dan Small JPG) this speed is acceptable, and considering the small foot print (compared to the 3.5" e-Sata version which require external Power Supply) this is a good companion.
4. The provided Tools (software) is useful. I like the implementation of password protection. When we attached the disk in USB port, it will automatically create a drive letter for the provided software. You'd better copy this provided software (if you password protect your Buffalo disk), it comes with Software utilities and also a program to enter the password (if you decided to use one). I tried this on several computer (all with Windows 7) and it works flawlessly. For me, this password protection is an important feature, but it has to be very well implemented. And this one passed my requirement (I have a Sandisk Cruzer USB flash disk with password protection software, but the implementation is not good, so I never use it!). The other utilities (mostly is Ram Disk and kind of cache to improve speed) is acceptable but has to be used carefully (otherwise you can end up with corrupted data when you unplugged this Buffalo while it has not completed the actual write).
5. The price is really reasonable (consider the Capacity, built quality, performance). Especially the 1 Tbyte capacity is not yet common for 2.5". Mine is already 90% full only one day after I buy it! It actually replace my 1TB 3.5" e-Sata/USB/1394 disk, which perform much faster, but very bulky not to mention the external Power supply required.
6. Even though the enclosure is almost sealed (without any ventilation), it never have an overheating problem. Day one, I copied my 500Gbyte data (took approx. 5 hours) and it performed reliably, without noticeable temperature increase. My built-in disk on Laptop is SO HOT under normal usage, I can not even touch it!
7. It comes with 3 years warranty! I noticed this little beast is Made in Japan.... very rare this days! Hope this little gadget will serve me at least for the next two years...
Other thought:
* I actually dream this package come with e-Sata or e-Sata 3 which can perform real fast, but I know, the consequence is external power supply is required.
* There is a USB 3 version available but: 1) Max Capacity is only 640Gb (as of today), 2) Different model (without the shock proof feature), 3) No built-in USB cable. The important fact is, none of my Computer now has USB 3. And I dont know how fast (in the real life) the performance of USB 3 version. Not to mention the compatibility issues for the new standard....
Very good performance and reliable for 2.5" 1T external disk . This is the product I am looking for:
1. It has biggest capacity yet, for 2.5" external drive with a built-in USB cable without additional power source required (tested on my old laptop, it works perfect, and of course on a Desktop Computer). The built-in USB cable is kind of short, but works very well (including with Front Panel USB on my Desktop which normaly other disk failed). Extend it with the provided extension cable, it works with back USB port but failed in Front USB. Also the extension cable is not reliable in my Laptop. So I have to live with the short built-in USB cable (which is not a big problem to me)
2. The enclosure is not only beautiful (shiny black on one end, and matte rubber on the other end) but also looks and feels very strong/durable. It is said can handle a drop, but I dont want to test it. I lost my 1T data on my previous 3.5" enclosure due to accidental drop from my Desktop computer (about 1 feet from floor), and have a nightmare to recover it. It also comes with a black 'leather' pocket which I really like, it add a shock resistance and also good to keep the beautiful enclosure from scratch (because I bring this thing with me everyday with my Laptop).
3. Speed is not remarkable, but acceptable. The average is about 20Mbyte/s. I suspect that is the limitation of USB 2. As comparison, my e-Sata 1Tb 3/5" 7200rpm disk has average of 60Mbyte/s. My RAID-10 7200rpm 2X640Gb direct attach disk perform an average of 120Mbyte/s. For my usage (Mostly for my photo in RAW format, JPG dan Small JPG) this speed is acceptable, and considering the small foot print (compared to the 3.5" e-Sata version which require external Power Supply) this is a good companion.
4. The provided Tools (software) is useful. I like the implementation of password protection. When we attached the disk in USB port, it will automatically create a drive letter for the provided software. You'd better copy this provided software (if you password protect your Buffalo disk), it comes with Software utilities and also a program to enter the password (if you decided to use one). I tried this on several computer (all with Windows 7) and it works flawlessly. For me, this password protection is an important feature, but it has to be very well implemented. And this one passed my requirement (I have a Sandisk Cruzer USB flash disk with password protection software, but the implementation is not good, so I never use it!). The other utilities (mostly is Ram Disk and kind of cache to improve speed) is acceptable but has to be used carefully (otherwise you can end up with corrupted data when you unplugged this Buffalo while it has not completed the actual write).
5. The price is really reasonable (consider the Capacity, built quality, performance). Especially the 1 Tbyte capacity is not yet common for 2.5". Mine is already 90% full only one day after I buy it! It actually replace my 1TB 3.5" e-Sata/USB/1394 disk, which perform much faster, but very bulky not to mention the external Power supply required.
6. Even though the enclosure is almost sealed (without any ventilation), it never have an overheating problem. Day one, I copied my 500Gbyte data (took approx. 5 hours) and it performed reliably, without noticeable temperature increase. My built-in disk on Laptop is SO HOT under normal usage, I can not even touch it!
7. It comes with 3 years warranty! I noticed this little beast is Made in Japan.... very rare this days! Hope this little gadget will serve me at least for the next two years...
Other thought:
* I actually dream this package come with e-Sata or e-Sata 3 which can perform real fast, but I know, the consequence is external power supply is required.
* There is a USB 3 version available but: 1) Max Capacity is only 640Gb (as of today), 2) Different model (without the shock proof feature), 3) No built-in USB cable. The important fact is, none of my Computer now has USB 3. And I dont know how fast (in the real life) the performance of USB 3 version. Not to mention the compatibility issues for the new standard....
Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive with Integrated Flex Cable, Encryption and TurboPC HD-PXT320U2/B (Black) Reviews
Probably the leader in this product category . My first impression of the Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive is that it is much larger than it looks in the picture. After I compared measurements however I found that is overall size is comparable to the leading competition - Seagate, WD and Toshiba and actually weighs slightly less. I know Buffalo is a respected brand name, though not as well known or popular as some other brands. I had no intention of buying a portable drive for style and the MiniStation is small enough. My main motivator in choosing the Buffalo brand is the built-in USB cable. There are so many negative reviews of other brands complaining about loose cables, and I had a realistic concern that some day I might travel with the drive and forget the cable, it seems this could be a very important feature. The built-in cable is very short, useful next to a laptop but not really so practical when used with a desktop (although Buffalo thoughtfully supplies a short USB extension that turns out to be the perfect length to connect to the front USB jack on my desktop).
Another motivator to choose the Buffalo brand is the "shock mount" system. While it doesn't look very sophisticated (it's really just some dense foam cushions at the corners of the drive) I feel if a portable drive is meant to save you from catastrophic system crashes, any and every protection is important.
PROS:
The drive booted immediately and is very quiet and cool in operation. Actually, totally silent. The additional provided software is thoughtfully loaded to the drive as a CD drive but you can choose what you want to be active or not. No CD to load, no files to download. File transfer is fast, I did about 4GB of graphic files in less than 10 minutes. The quality of construction is excellent, with a rubber rim on the bottom so it doesn't accidentally slide off the desk and to provide a little vibration isolation. The built-in USB cable looks very rugged. For those who care, the style is attractive. While most descriptions call it black, the manufacturer actually refers to it as Blue Onyx, an extremely dark shade of blue. Personally I would have preferred some of the other colors this drive comes in (in other capacities) but Blue Onyx is more stylish than I thought it would be.
CONS:
While of good quality construction, the case feels a bit plasticy, the type of plastic that feels like it would shatter if dropped. I hope I never know if that's true, but for the price I would have been happier with maybe a metal case. A major disappointment is the documentation ... Buffalo is very sparse on telling you much about this drive. The enclosed printed "startup guide" is virtually useless, and the included users manual isn't much more helpful on the actual use and operation of the drive. Each of the included software applications has a mini manual included on the drive, but they are very superficial. I would have liked to see more documentation regarding how (and if I should) to reformat the drive. And how to use it with Mac (I am not a Mac user, but I have one connected to my media system that I would like to backup to a portable drive). The blue activity light is very dim and you have to look directly at it ... important that you make sure it is not blinking when you disconnect the drive from your computer. I mentioned earlier that the size somewhat surprised me. While this drive isn't huge, the Case Logic case I got at the same time would absolutely not hold this drive, which made it useless to me.
My guess is that all portable hard drives are okay and all will do the job. While the Buffalo Technology may not be the smallest on the block, it appears to be the overall leader in its price range for a 1TB drive. The biggest area that Buffalo Technology could use improvement in is user documentation. A drive in this price range deserves a dedicated user manual.
Probably the leader in this product category . My first impression of the Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive is that it is much larger than it looks in the picture. After I compared measurements however I found that is overall size is comparable to the leading competition - Seagate, WD and Toshiba and actually weighs slightly less. I know Buffalo is a respected brand name, though not as well known or popular as some other brands. I had no intention of buying a portable drive for style and the MiniStation is small enough. My main motivator in choosing the Buffalo brand is the built-in USB cable. There are so many negative reviews of other brands complaining about loose cables, and I had a realistic concern that some day I might travel with the drive and forget the cable, it seems this could be a very important feature. The built-in cable is very short, useful next to a laptop but not really so practical when used with a desktop (although Buffalo thoughtfully supplies a short USB extension that turns out to be the perfect length to connect to the front USB jack on my desktop).
Another motivator to choose the Buffalo brand is the "shock mount" system. While it doesn't look very sophisticated (it's really just some dense foam cushions at the corners of the drive) I feel if a portable drive is meant to save you from catastrophic system crashes, any and every protection is important.
PROS:
The drive booted immediately and is very quiet and cool in operation. Actually, totally silent. The additional provided software is thoughtfully loaded to the drive as a CD drive but you can choose what you want to be active or not. No CD to load, no files to download. File transfer is fast, I did about 4GB of graphic files in less than 10 minutes. The quality of construction is excellent, with a rubber rim on the bottom so it doesn't accidentally slide off the desk and to provide a little vibration isolation. The built-in USB cable looks very rugged. For those who care, the style is attractive. While most descriptions call it black, the manufacturer actually refers to it as Blue Onyx, an extremely dark shade of blue. Personally I would have preferred some of the other colors this drive comes in (in other capacities) but Blue Onyx is more stylish than I thought it would be.
CONS:
While of good quality construction, the case feels a bit plasticy, the type of plastic that feels like it would shatter if dropped. I hope I never know if that's true, but for the price I would have been happier with maybe a metal case. A major disappointment is the documentation ... Buffalo is very sparse on telling you much about this drive. The enclosed printed "startup guide" is virtually useless, and the included users manual isn't much more helpful on the actual use and operation of the drive. Each of the included software applications has a mini manual included on the drive, but they are very superficial. I would have liked to see more documentation regarding how (and if I should) to reformat the drive. And how to use it with Mac (I am not a Mac user, but I have one connected to my media system that I would like to backup to a portable drive). The blue activity light is very dim and you have to look directly at it ... important that you make sure it is not blinking when you disconnect the drive from your computer. I mentioned earlier that the size somewhat surprised me. While this drive isn't huge, the Case Logic case I got at the same time would absolutely not hold this drive, which made it useless to me.
My guess is that all portable hard drives are okay and all will do the job. While the Buffalo Technology may not be the smallest on the block, it appears to be the overall leader in its price range for a 1TB drive. The biggest area that Buffalo Technology could use improvement in is user documentation. A drive in this price range deserves a dedicated user manual.
Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive with Integrated Flex Cable, Encryption and TurboPC HD-PXT320U2/B (Black) Opinions
Nice Hard Drive . Pros: This is an excellent hard-drive with a convenient cord. Great as far as portable har-drives go. I also enjoy the fact that it has optional encryption software included with it.
Cons: The encryptions software has it's issues, like the fact that the app mounts as a cd-drive, and then tries to load itself (in Vista) multiple times at plug-in, which is a bit annoying. On Win XP, the app works very nicely. And the fact that the Encryption software is included and works, 5 stars.
Nice Hard Drive . Pros: This is an excellent hard-drive with a convenient cord. Great as far as portable har-drives go. I also enjoy the fact that it has optional encryption software included with it.
Cons: The encryptions software has it's issues, like the fact that the app mounts as a cd-drive, and then tries to load itself (in Vista) multiple times at plug-in, which is a bit annoying. On Win XP, the app works very nicely. And the fact that the Encryption software is included and works, 5 stars.
Nice external drive if you only want to store . I got this drive, and another 1 TB drive at the same time, for different reasons. This one I purchased intending to use it as a portable computing environment. My intent was simple, get rid of the utility partition, reformat, and make it into a simple hard drive, with an on board cable to make use much easier. Unfortunately, this plan failed.
When reading the description, I thought it was a utility partition like those found on the U3 flash drives, easy to get rid of, and then get on with your life. Not so, trying it will void your warranty, and even if you are willing to do that, it does not seem to be possible. So ultimately you are stuck with the utility setup running every time you use the drive.
Since I could not use this drive as intended, and being a lethargic person in general, I just switched roles, and started to use this drive as the simple backup. For this, it works well, but I still find myself wishing that they made the utility part removable. Just be aware of what you are getting yourself into, and you will be happy with this drive.
When reading the description, I thought it was a utility partition like those found on the U3 flash drives, easy to get rid of, and then get on with your life. Not so, trying it will void your warranty, and even if you are willing to do that, it does not seem to be possible. So ultimately you are stuck with the utility setup running every time you use the drive.
Since I could not use this drive as intended, and being a lethargic person in general, I just switched roles, and started to use this drive as the simple backup. For this, it works well, but I still find myself wishing that they made the utility part removable. Just be aware of what you are getting yourself into, and you will be happy with this drive.
Nice. But only one small complaint... . I really like these drives. I use them for backups and they never fail me. My only issue is that once you plug them in, they show up as a drive in Windows (as expected), buy they also show up as another (additional) drive full of utilities and crap I don't want! Just don't click on the drive which says "CD Drive HD-PXTU2", or else it will run their utility install program (which you don't need, or probably don't want). There's no apparent way to "disable" this feature and I don't want my employees to install software (which they will if I don't watch them every second)...frustrating.
Great Drive But Use TeraCopy Instead Of TurboCopy for Better Useability and Performance . I use this drive to backup data on my notebook PC. Because I often copy very large amounts of data (800 Gb), I found using TeraCopy is much better than using Buffalo's TurboCopy. A thing that happens very often is that certain file names plus file paths are greater than 255 characters. With TurboCopy, the copy process will halt, asking you to try again or skip the file. This means you need to monitor the copy process and cannot be away. With TeraCopy, it program defaults to the skip mode, so it will finish the copying and present you a list of files that it skipped. TeraCopy is freeware.
Handy Hard Drive . This is a great portable hard drive. I like the attached UBS plug. This is my second one of theses and I'd buy another.
Just what I needed. . This device is just what it says it is, very reliable and convenient. I would recomend this to anyone that needs additional storage.
Great little external drive . It's a little bigger than I thought it would be -- it didn't fit inside the external hard drive case I bought. Otherwise it's fast, lightweight, and I love that it doesn't need a separate power supply like my other, older external hard drives needed. I just installed a solid-state drive in my laptop (120GB) so I needed a lightweight, portable and durable external to carry around all the "extras". Great product.
Cons Review
Did Not Work; Technical Support Nonexistent . Took it right out of the box, ran the utility. Entered the encryption information. Launched it. Can't write to it. According to Windows' Disk Management Utility, Windows cannot access the drive. First call to tech support told me to call back in one hour. Second call to tech support: Tech guy knew virtually nothing about the drive and told me to reformat it. I asked him how that could be possible since the disk contains encryption utilities and such. He didn't know. He spent 10 minutes looking on his intranet and then said that the utilities could be downloaded, but it would take him 3 minutes to do so. He told me he'd get right back to me and put me on hold. Fifteen minutes later -- gave up. Sending it back.Do not buy. I have the latest and greatest Windows 7 Pro system. Couldn't use it.Edited to add: On my own I figured out it needed a Y connection to operate. Needs more power than a typical hub offers but the instructions don't mention that.
Product Image
Feature Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive with Integrated Flex Cable, Encryption and TurboPC HD-PXT320U2/B (Black)
- Bumper Body shock protection
- integrated Flex Connect USB cable
- Auto Setup, TurboPC
- Time Machine® support
Related Post
- Buffalo Technology DriveStation Axis 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard
Drive with Buffalo Tools and Turbo PC HD-LB1.0TU2 (Black) - Iomega 250GB External Network Hard Drive
- INOi HD260-060 60GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
Product Details
EAN : 0747464120966UPC : 747464120966
MPN : HD-PXT320U2/B
Brand : Buffalo Technology
Color : Black
Weight : 1 pounds
Height : 2 inches
Length : 9 inches
Width : 6 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Manufacturer : BUFFALO
Model : HD-PXT320U2/B
Publisher : BUFFALO
Size : 320 GB
SKU : 1016534033
Studio : BUFFALO
Where To Buy
You can buy Buffalo Technology MiniStation Metro 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive with Integrated Flex Cable, Encryption and TurboPC HD-PXT320U2/B (Black) on Amazon . Click here to Read More
