3.5" External Hard Drives

The Bottom Line: The Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 NAS server makes a good, affordable backup and storage center for home and small office environments where only simple file sharing and data backup are needed. Keep looking for alternatives if you want more-advanced NAS features.

Specs: Iomega StorCenter Ix2-200 Network Storage - NAS server, 2 TB, PC, Mac, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Removable, Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 NAS server makes a good, affordable backup and storage center for home and small office environments where only simple file sharing and data backup are needed. Keep looking for alternatives if you want more-advanced NAS features.

Specs: Iomega StorCenter Ix2-200 Network Storage - NAS server, 4 TB, PC, Mac, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Removable, Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The Iomega StorCenter ix2-200 NAS server makes a good, affordable backup and storage center for home and small office environments where only simple file sharing and data backup are needed. Keep looking for alternatives if you want more-advanced NAS features.

Specs: Iomega StorCenter Ix2-200 Network Storage - NAS server, 1 TB, PC, Mac, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Removable, Ethernet, Hi-Speed USB, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The QNAP TS-239 Pro is a dual-bay NAS server that offers good performance and many features for a relatively high premium. It's a device best suited for those with intermediate or advanced know-how of networking.

Specs: QNAP TS-239 Pro Turbo NAS - NAS server, 0 GB, PC, Mac, 7 pin external Serial ATA, 4 pin USB Type A, RJ-45, Hot-swap, Hi-Speed USB, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: Although expensive and difficult to use for networking novices, the Synology DS209+ offers awesome throughput speed and nearly all the features you could ever need in a NAS server.

Specs: Synology Disk Station DS209 - NAS server, 0 GB, PC, Mac, 4 pin USB Type A, RJ-45, Standard, Ethernet, 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, 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: 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