Digital Trends

TrekStor DataStation duo w.u. 1TB August 28th, 2007 | by Jason Tomczak

Der Maximale Datentransferrate

According to the all-German documentation, the maximum Lesen (read) rate is 24.5MB/s and the maximum Schreiben (write) rate is 16MB/s. The drive has a 16MB buffer (8MB per drive) and an average seek time of 13.7 ms.

When we tested the DataStation duo w.u. transfer speeds, here's what we experienced:

Write to TREKSTOR:
700MB video file (1 file) – 40 seconds = 17.5MB/s (109% spec)
2.4GB RAW & JPG photos (331 files) – 2 minutes, 33 seconds = 16.4MB/s (102% spec)
1.0GB DOC & small JPG files (17,600 files) - 2 minutes, 2 seconds = 8.2MB/s (51% spec)

Restore from TREKSTOR:
700MB video file (1 file) – 32 seconds = 21.9MB/s (91% spec)
2.4GB RAW & JPG photos (331 files) – 2 minutes, 1 second = 20.8MB/s (87% spec)
1.0GB DOC & small JPG files (17,600 files) – 1 minute, 59 seconds = 8.4MB/s (35% spec)

These speeds were achieved with a MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz, 4GB RAM, and 160GB perpendicular HDD at 5,400rpm. Transfers to/from different types of computers may result in varying speeds.

Noise Factor

While there are no specific stats on noise levels produced by the DataStation duo w.u., it runs very quietly when transferring data and when at rest. It's audible, but certainly not loud. In comparison, the DataStation duo w.u. is slightly louder than a LaCie mini drive we tested, and it's much quieter than a Maxtor external drive tested. TrekStor's website says that it's "silent while operating." I think "very, very quiet" is more accurate.

Skid Marks

One minor annoyance with the TrekStor DataStation duo w.u. is the little skid marks left all over my desk after moving the drive around. It seems that the rubber feet placed on the bottom of the drive housing to dampen noise and vibration are a little softer than average. The skid marks are easy to clean up; a little wet wipe or paper towel does the job. But, still — this shouldn't happen.

Parallels

Using the DataStation duo w.u. 1TB drive under Parallels ended up troublesome. The DataStation duo w.u. was recognized as an external drive by XP Pro, but never showed up in Windows Explorer or XP's Disk Management utility. This may be an issue with Parallels reading 1TB drives. Under Windows XP Pro (not virtualized), the DataStation duo w.u. instantly showed up and was accessible.

Conclusion

The TrekStore DataStation duo w.u. 1 terabyte USB 2.0 hard drive is a strong performer. Even though it costs about 20% more than other USB-only 1 terabyte drives, the DataStation duo w.u. has a greater feel of solidity and stability than the competition. This may not matter to some budget-minded folks, but others are willing to pay a few extra dollars for peace of mind.

The DataStation duo w.u. looks good, would probably survive an air raid, and keeps a relatively slim profile for such a large amount of storage space. It's easy to recommend the DataStation duo w.u. to folks who need a terabyte drive.

The lack of Firewire ports was certainly a disappointment; however, USB 2.0 is arguably the most common type of data connection worldwide. Given this fact, a USB-only drive like this is perfect for many consumers.

Pros:

• Solid and well built
• Runs cool and quiet
• 931GB usable storage space
• Comes with backup software (Windows) and USB 2.0 cable


Cons:

• Occasional sub-par write speeds
• No Firewire ports
• Rubber feet leave skid marks on desks
• Higher price than other 1TB USB-only drives