Iomega eGo Desktop Hard Drive 2TB review

USB 3 started as a high-end luxury, but the march of time has seen it become a viable mid-range proposition. Iomega’s latest eGo is a fine example of where it’s going: it’s both the cheapest USB 3-equipped drive and the first 2TB disk we’ve seen in the PC Pro Labs.

This enticing combination of super-fast connection and huge capacity is available for just £114 exc VAT. When compared to other drives that offer USB 3 and the same capacity, it’s a steal: the 2TB version of our favourite USB 3 drive, the Buffalo DriveStation HD-HXU3, costs around £147 exc VAT, and few others are available below this price.

The Iomega even competes on terms with older USB 2 drives. Our A-Listed drive, the 2TB version of the eSATA-equipped Iomega Professional, costs around £121 exc VAT and there are plenty other 2TB USB 2 disks that are around the same price.

Iomega hasn’t skimped on design or features in delivering such an affordable product, either. The two-tone metallic chassis will look good on most desks, and a pair of rubber feet means it will stay put too. A physical on switch and access light complete the package.

Iomega includes a generous software bundle, too. The Protection Suite encompasses a year’s free subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security, a 2GB account with MozyHome Online Backup, and EMC Retrospect Express HD, which handles local backup.

The eGo isn’t as quick out of the blocks when it comes to performance, though. Its small file write speed of 30.6MB/sec is only a third as quick as the Buffalo DriveStation, and the eGo’s large file write speed of 85.6MB/sec, while better, still pales in comparison to the 125MB/sec of the Buffalo.

The Iomega’s read speeds were better, although performance was still mixed. The Iomega, for instance, read small files at 68.6MB/sec, outpacing the Buffalo’s 42.8MB/sec, but the A-Listed Buffalo took back the initiative with larger files. Its read speed of 132.2MB/sec trumped the eGo’s 108.6MB/sec.

The eGo isn’t as quick as our favourite USB 3 drive, but it’s worth bearing in mind that it offers a huge amount of storage for a price that’s not far removed from many older, slower disks, and that makes it great value.