All Hard Drives

The Bottom Line: The Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition is a compelling choice for an external drive, delivering excellent value, good performance, and two hard drives for added data security. For anyone looking for an external USB 2.0 drive, the My Book Mirror belongs on your shortlist.

Specs: 1 TB, Internal

The Bottom Line: Made from bamboo and recycled aluminum, the SimpleTech (Re)Drive is the most environmentally friendly external hard drive we've tested. It works well as a USB 2.0-only storage device and offers a unique ownership experience.

Specs: 500 GB, Hi-Speed USB

The Bottom Line: The Vox BlackBox is a 1TB NAS drive that serves up a lot of storage but not many features for a good price. Though you may be tempted by its low cost per gigabyte, be warned it's noisy and plagued by brutally bad software.

Specs: VOX BlackBox Hard drive array, PC, Mac, Unix, 4 pin USB Type B, RJ-45, Hot-swap

The Bottom Line: The eGo Camo portable hard drive is Iomega's first attempt at a "ruggedized" drive--it can withstand a beating thanks to its Power Grip band. Despite it lacking a few accessories, you'll be satisfied with its competitive price and quick transfer speeds.

Specs: 250 GB, Hi-Speed USB

The Bottom Line: The Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive is an attractive, lightweight drive with a decent price point for a drive of this capacity. Its size makes it great for travel, but the write speeds aren't up to par with other drives we've seen. We can't recommend it due to its lack of performance.

Specs: 320 GB, Hi-Speed USB, 2.5"

The Bottom Line: The Iomega eGo Brown leather portable hard drive is a fashionable alternative to other boring HDs, and it gives you a healthy amount of space for a low price, but don't expect lightning fast transfer speeds.

Specs: 250 GB, Hi-Speed USB

The Bottom Line: The HP Media Vault MV2120 is a two-bay NAS drive that novice networkers will find simple to set up and use. While it offers flexible expansion options with a free internal drive bay and two USB ports, the intrusive Media Vault software and lack of a print server dampen our enthusiasm a bit.

Specs: HP Media Vault Mv2120 - Network drive, 500 GB, PC, 4 pin USB Type A, RJ-45, Removable, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The tiniest of NAS drives, the Buffalo LinkStation Mini keeps up with its full-size competition in terms of both features and performance. However, you'll pay a premium price for this small, silent networked drive.

Specs: Buffalo LinkStation Mini LS-WS500GL/R1 - NAS server, 500 GB, PC, Mac, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Standard, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The tiniest of NAS drives, the Buffalo LinkStation Mini keeps up with its full-size competition in terms of both features and performance. However, you'll pay a premium price for this small, silent networked drive.

Specs: Buffalo LinkStation Mini LS-WS1.0TGL/R1 - NAS server, 1 TB, PC, Mac, RJ-45, 4 pin USB Type A, Standard, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet

The Bottom Line: The impenetrable Maxtor Black Armor is the Fort Knox of external hard drives, but the added security comes at a hefty price tag. This device might appeal to those who need the most protection possible, but the competition offers more space for less money.

Specs: 160 GB, Hi-Speed USB, 2.5", 480 MB, 5400 rpm