Ever looked for extra storage just to put your home movies on to? I know I have. There were times when I had to go trough all of hard drives to find that extra gig of space I could do the job. Sometimes I wished that there would be a simple solution of extra storage without any crazy cables or opening up the computer case and mounting anything. An interchangeable solution definitely would work for me but I don't want to pay insane amount of money for it. Today we have a privilege to review a new series of products by Seagate, FreeAgent GoFlex Desk. FreeAgent GoFlex Desk offers that exact ability as I was talk about earlier. A simple storage solution period! Lets take a closer look at the GoFlex Desk and see what it actually means.

About the Product

Following information is taken from the Seagate's web site.

The GoFlex Desk external drive gives you plenty of storage capacity and it's easy to upgrade to any interface you choose. Simply pair the desktop hard drive with a GoFlex USB 3.0 or FireWire® 800/USB 2.0 adapter to increase your performance by up to 10 times. Works interchangeably between a PC or a Mac® computer.

Safe, secure, easy to use

With the GoFlex Desk, it's easy to backup, secure and access your content.

• Ensures automatic continuous backup of your data
• Secures your backed up files and protects your privacy with powerful encryption software
• Includes the Seagate® Dashboard management tool for easy management of backup schedules and file encryption, and viewing drive statistics
• Includes the GoFlex Desk USB 2.0 desktop adapter with illuminated capacity gauge
• Offers vertical or horizontal orientation to fit in any desktop environment

Works interchangeably on both PC and Mac® computers

Whether you have a PC or a Mac® computer—or if you go back and forth between the two—you can access and save files on the same portable hard drive anytime without reformatting*.
*Reformatting to HFS+ required to use backup software for Mac or Time Machine® software

System requirements

• Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, Windows® XP (32–bit & 64–bit) operating system or Mac® OS X operating system 10.4.9 or higher
• USB 2.0 port

The world's most upgradable desktop hard drive

The GoFlex Desk external drive lets you upgrade to faster transfer speeds, and customize your experience to suit your digital life.

• Offers upgrade cables and kits that make it easy to move up from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0 or FireWire® 800 for up to 10x faster transfer speeds for your large files and HD movies
• Learn more about how you can customize your GoFlex Desk

Your standard GoFlex Desk drive comes with a standard GoFlex USB 2.0 adapter to connect to your PC or Mac® computer. You also have the option to purchase a "drive only" version that comes without the GoFlex USB 2.0 adapter. Select the GoFlex Desk—drive only version if:

• You are already using a GoFlex Desk and want to use the same adapter to connect your new GoFlex Desk; or
• You want a faster interface than USB 2.0—like USB 3.0 or FireWire® 800—right from the start

What's in the box

• GoFlex Desk Drive
• Pre–loaded backup software with encryption
• GoFlex Desk USB 2.0 adapter base with capacity gauge*
• 5-foot (150 cm) USB 2.0 cable*
• Quick Start Guide

Now that we got basic information out of the way, lets take a closer look at FreeAgent GoFlex.

Closer look

Front shot		Back shot

Just by looking at the box we quickly figured out that GoFlex Desk is some sort of hard drive enclosure. I mean that's exactly what I want! I want a swappable hard drive enclosure! The package overall is very well represented to the buyer. Soft tones mixed with black, blue and green colors really put you in a relaxed mood. On the back of the package we found some informational data about the unit inside.

What's in the box		Massive 2TB

On the side of the box we found some system requirement and informational data about the unit. This particular model comes with a massive 2TB hard drive inside. The capacities you could purchase are 1 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB. That's right 3 TB. These drives are only available from Seagate at this time.

Out of the box		Front shot

So what's inside of the box. This particular GoFlex Desk doesn't not come with a cradle as this is just a stand alone drive unit. Be careful when looking to purchase an additional storage for your cradle. The Desktop Adapter could be purchased for an additional 49.99$ USD right here. The whole unit comes in a plastic bag bad and is surrounded by a sticky plastic wrap as well.

Side shot		Side shot

The shell is very rugged and identical from both sides as it has a checker board design and Seagate logos on both sides of the unit. GoFlex Desk enclosure is made from a rugged plastic which promises a solid solution for years to come. One thing we found odd is that GoFlex Desk doesn't have any ventilations for the hard drive to breathe.

SATA connection		Ready to Go

Nothing from the back either. But we did found a SATA connection with power. Seagate has designed GoFlex Desk to work with various GoFlex gadgets and in the picture above you can see that GoFlex Desk is connected to a GoFlex Home Network Storage System. What does this mean for you? It means that you can grab and go and also interchange GoFlex Desk stand alone units for a multiple purpose.

Testing

GoFlex Desk external hard drive comes by itself without any additional equipment like cables or USB 3.0 and FireWire docks. So unfortunately we are unable to look at the throughput data of this unit. But you should expect the same performance out of GoFlex Desk as from any SATA II hard drive. Do remember that USB 3.0 average rate is 170 Mbps and FireWire is close to 400 Mbps.

Conclusion

If its easy upgradable storage you want, this is it! GoFlex Desk external hard drive solution is a self explanatory solution for an every day user. Don't look for RAID like performance here as GoFlex Desk does not offer those kind of services. What you really need to keep in mind is that this solution could take you across many other GoFlex systems by Seagate. GoFlex Desk external hard drive comes in 1 Tb, 2 Tb and 3Tb. The 3 Tb hard drives are only available from Seagate so this should really play a big role in the future hard drive releases. There are no screws to screw or buttons to push. Just get up and go! Great solution for a back ups and or personal collections of movies and picture or just loose files. Great design and great product! 10/10.

Some pros we found:

Very simple in operation.

Throughput is dependable on the cradle.

Various storage sizes.

Some cons we found:

None so far.