All Hard Drives

The Bottom Line: The Iomega StorCenter ix2 is a two-drive NAS device that offers Bluetooth support but no remote access via the Web. We don't like the fact that you can't access its two hard drives, but it still holds appeal for novice users looking for a dead simple NAS drive.

Specs: Iomega StorCenter Ix2 Network Storage - NAS server, 1 TB, PC, Mac, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Standard, Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The Iomega StorCenter ix2 is a two-drive NAS device that offers Bluetooth support but no remote access via the Web. We don't like the fact that you can't access its two hard drives, but it still holds appeal for novice users looking for a dead simple NAS drive.

Specs: Iomega StorCenter Ix2 Network Storage - NAS server, 2 TB, PC, Mac, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Standard, Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The QNAP TS-109 Pro II is a single-volume NAS drive that offers a lot more than just network storage. It's a little pricier than its peers, but its many features--including PC-free downloads--are well organized and easy to use.

Specs: QNAP TS-109 II - NAS server, PC, Mac, Unix, 7 pin external Serial ATA, 4 pin USB Type A, RJ-45, Standard, Gigabit Ethernet, Flash

The Bottom Line: If you don't need remote access and can look past sluggish RAID 1 performance, the Zyxel NSA-220 NAS drive offers a useful set of basic features, solid performance, and best-in-class Web-based management.

Specs: ZyXEL NSA-220 - NAS server, PC, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Standard, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: Intel's X-25M solid-state hard drive enjoys several advantages over both spinning disk drives as well as other SSDs, including improvements to data throughput, boot time, and laptop battery life. Its one drawback is that it's pricier than even its other solid-state competition, but if you can forget about its cost, this is by far the fastest data drive available.

Specs: 80 GB, Serial ATA-300, 2.5"

The Bottom Line: The Seagate FreeAgent Go is our favorite portable hard drive to date and takes our award for Editors' Choice. The drive is well designed and fast, and you won't find a better value for the price.

Specs: 320 GB, Hi-Speed USB, External, 2.5", 5400 rpm

The Bottom Line: The Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme offers three interface options, a useful software bundle, and a lengthy warranty for a fair price. We like this direct-attach external drive.

Specs: 1 TB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, External, 3.5", 7200 rpm

The Bottom Line: The Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme offers three interface options, a useful software bundle, and a lengthy warranty for a fair price. We like this direct-attach external drive.

Specs: 1.5 TB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, External, 3.5", 7200 rpm

The Bottom Line: The Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme offers three interface options, a useful software bundle, and a lengthy warranty for a fair price. We like this direct-attach external drive.

Specs: 500 GB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, External, 3.5", 7200 rpm

The Bottom Line: The Seagate FreeAgent Xtreme offers three interface options, a useful software bundle, and a lengthy warranty for a fair price. We like this direct-attach external drive.

Specs: 640 GB, IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB / eSATA-300, External, 3.5", 7200 rpm