[section_title title=”Conclusion”]Conclusion
So with the testing done, how did the Toshiba STOR.E 500GB External Hard Drive do in comparison to other storage products on test, more specifically the 128GB MX flash drive which did very well for what it is.
Well performance wise, I was a little disappointed with the STOR.E in comparison to the other mechanical drives we have tested thus far at Play3r. It played its strongest card in ATTO, narrowly beating the other mechanical drives on write speed performance but on that ever important read speed, it fell a little short of the WD Black which looking at it logically, isn’t a bad thing really. The STOR.E drive also made a positive showing in Crystal Disk Mark 3.0 in which it managed to punch above its weight beating drives of higher value once again. I do feel though it could have done a little bit better than it did!
The design without spouting off a ton of words really does the job, it is sleek, effective and is more than small enough to fit in a small briefcase, handbag and even a pocket if you wish to carry it around; it still isn’t as portable as a USB flash drive but the STOR.E does give a much higher capacity. The black crackle finish is good and the air bag packaging is phenomenal and I hope all manufacturers take notice of this, albeit at an extra cost in packaging.
In terms of price, the Toshiba STOR.E 500GB External Hard Drive is only going to set you back £35.99 from Viking Direct which I would consider pretty good value; especially compared to flash drive variants. It might not be as portable as a flash drive but it equals them in performance and offers much better value for money etc. Given that 2.5” hard drives command a small premium over the traditional 3.5” hard drive, it is a good price and it competes at the same price point as drives from the likes of Seagate etc.
Overall the Toshiba STOR.E 500GB External USB 3.0 Hard Drive might not set the world alight in terms of performance but based on an overall packaging, it certainly does very well indeed. Weighing in at just a meagre 150g, this is true testament to portable storage and I happily award the STOR.E with our Silver award.
Many thanks to Viking Direct and Toshiba for sending the drive in for review and I look forward to seeing more in the near future.
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Performance
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Design
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Value
Summary
The Toshiba STOR.E 500gb external hard drive does exactly what it says on the tin and provides consumers with a higher capacity option over flash drives at a much cheaper price. This particular drive performs pretty well and as an overall package, should be very attractive given its £35.99 price.
