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Seagate BlackArmor external hard drive: USB 3.0 really makes a difference

We reviewed the BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 external hard drive from Seagate and found that it is faster than any other USB external hard drive.

Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
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Dong Ngo

The BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 external hard drive from Seagate is blazingly fast. Seagate

After so much fuss about the new USB 3.0 technology, I finally finished the first CNET review of a storage device that uses this new high-speed connection, the BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0.

This external hard drive looks very much the same as the USB 2.0 version we reviewed last year: it's slim, well-designed, and very portable. The only difference, and also the most significant one, is the fact that it now uses the USB 3.0 connection, instead of USB 2.0.

USB 3.0 has a top speed of up to 5GBps, and Seagate accommodates this by equipping the BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 with an internal SATA II 2.5-inch hard drive that spins at 7,200rpm (as opposed to 5,400rpm in the USB 2.0 version). The result? In CNET Labs' testing, the new drive is by far the fastest USB external hard drive to date, consistently trumping even the fastest USB 2.0 external hard drive by at least twice the speed.

This is the first USB 3.0-based external hard drive I've reviewed, so there's no real way to determine how fast the BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 is compared with other USB 3.0 external hard drives. One thing is for sure, however: USB 3.0 will definitely make a huge difference in throughput speeds for peripheral devices.

CNET will review more USB 3.0 hard drives in the near future, but for now, check out the in-depth review of the BlackArmor PS110 USB 3.0 here.