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Older Revision of AcomData E5 HybridDrive External Hard Drive

Revision: 20070730_183707 | All Revisions

AcomData E5 HybridDrive External Hard Drive

1.23 GB! That's what my 250 GB media storage hard drive showed after downloading all my newborn baby girl's photos to it. And I haven't started transferring the one hour digital video of her yet, which is going to take another 12 GB of space.

So, on the way home, I stopped by Fry's Electronics to take a look at their hard drive selections. A 500 GB drive was the best bang for the buck at that moment. On that day, the AcomData 500 GB external USB HybridDrive was the best value. I picked up one for now, if it's any good, I'd pick up another one for backup.

After getting home, I unpackaged the drive. The external case is made out of hefty shinning aluminum alloy. It's really quite a beauty to look at; very high-tech. The package included an attachable stand, adhesive rubber feet, USB cable, AC adapter and power cord, CD-ROM, printed user�s guide (English and French), and mail-in product registration card.

The AC adapter has a proprietary four-pin plug. This plug provides separate 5V and 12V power and ground. That's the first time I've seen an USB enclosure with separate voltage source. I had hoped that it was a basic power plug so that I can source a power adapter in the future if necessary. This proprietary AC adapter ruined my plan.

An small on/off switch is in the back of the drive. The hefty USB enclosure is a good sound insulator. The drive emitted no noise when powered on. You'll only know that it's on if you place your hand on the drive or the table that the drive is sitting on. You can only feel the vibration of the 7200 RPM drive spinning. A cool blue button on the front of the drive also lights up to give you an indication that the drive is on.

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