Japan-Based Buffalo is a relative latecomer to the local branded portable hard disk scene. It is banking on the MiniStation, available in seven variations from 80GB to 400GB, to gain lost ground. The MiniStation line features the TurboUSB function – a built-in proprietary technology to speed up the transfer rate by at least 20% over a normal USB2.0 connection. According to the company, the technology utilises both hardware and software to function but if we were to guess, it is probably a form of on-the-fly data compression.
The black box
In terms of design, the MiniStation is just a straightforward black box with only a green LED located on the top.
Buffalo claims the case is tough enough to withstand minor shocks and bumps but we were not that confident because the plastic housing felt flimsy. And it did not help either that the centre of the casing could be flexed whenever we applied pressure there.
The review unit came with a 120GB hard drive and unlike the other models in this shootout, there is no Y-shape USB cable in the box. Instead, the MiniStation ships with two separate cables.
The first is a thin 30cm data cum power cable that you can wrap around the drive when not in use. The other is an 80cm power cable that allows you to hook up to another port that is located on the other side without difficulty.
The wrap-around cable is quite an interesting design because in most cases carrying the standard Y-cable around is just too cumbersome and there’s also the risk of it being easily misplaced.
Of course, the drawback is that you need to carry two cables while travelling, just in case there is not enough juice to power up the drive.
Bundled software
The MiniStation comes bundled with two programs – Buffalo’s own AES-based SecureLockWare and a licensed version of Memeo’s Zero-Touch AutoBackup.
SecureLockWare aims at preventing unauthorised access to your important files with its encryption capability.
What’s good about this application is you can secure just a file or the whole folder – once you have set it up, all you need to do is simply drag and drop to secure any information.
The Zero-Touch Autobackup is an automatic backup program. Once it detects new files are added to the pre-selected folders, it automatically copies them to the back up folders on the external drive.
Additionally, the drive also ships with two other utility programs – Disk Formatter for formatting purposes and Disk Sleep Utility for scheduling power on and off times.
A speed demon?
Of course, this is where things get interesting. To see the speed differences (if there are any), we tested the MiniStation with and without the TurboUSB function on.
In case you are wondering whether this function is properly enabled, just right-click at the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon in the system tray and see if “TurboUSB” appears next to the name of your drive.
In the first write test with TurboUSB off we managed to copy 4GB of files in three minutes and 57 seconds at a constant 17.8Mbps (megabit per second) transfer rate.
The reading rate fluctuated between 17.4Mbps to 27Mbps according to Windows Vista’s built-in transfer rate counter. However, we still managed to clock in quite a fast transfer time of two minutes and 35 seconds.
Both HD Tune and CrystalDiskMark also returned similar transfer rates.
In any case the results were consistent with results achieved from a standard 5,400rpm drive.
However with TurboUSB turned on, the MiniStation finished copying files in two minutes 55 seconds at up to 25.5Mbps and finished reading in two minutes 16 seconds at up to 32.2MBps.
HD Tune yielded the same outcome but CrystalDiskMark gave a higher transfer rate at up to 38.54Mbps.
Based on the this result, there is an obvious jump in writing speed with almost a one minute difference or about 25% faster. Read speed showed an improvement of about 10%.
The verdict
The design of the MiniStation is nothing to shout about with the exception of the nifty wrap-around USB cable.
It comes bundled with pretty good security and backup software and also comes in more capacity options compared to the two other brands here.
The MiniStation also shines in data transfer department where it is at least a minute faster with TurboUSB switched on.
But, to be fair, we need to compare these results with the other two brands as well in order to get a complete overview – which we will discuss in the our conclusion.
Pros: TurboUSB function; good bundled software; wrap-around USB cable.
Cons: Plain design.
MINISTATION
(Buffalo Inc)
2.5in external portable hard disk
Speed: 5,400rpm
Software bundle: Memeo Autobackup, SecureLockWare
Other features: TurboUSB function, wrap-around mini USB plug
Dimensions (w x h x d): 127 x 0x 84mm
Weight: 190g
Popularity: 13% [?]
Technorati Tags: Buffalo, portable hard disk, MiniStation
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