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Review of the Toshiba USB Hard Disk with 500 GB

Posted On 2011-12-23 09:14:35 in เรื่องทั่วๆ ไป

When working in practice, everything went pretty gentle, as typical of netbooks, but without longer periods of waiting during the usage of several applications at the same time. Converting with iTunes simply takes longer, World of Warcraft can only be played at a resolution of 800x600 with minimal details at an average of 14 fps, IBM 40Y6999 and image processing is feasible only for absolutely basic tasks, because of the low screen resolution alone. The system is sufficiently fast and smooth enough for tasks in accordance with the status, such as browser, text processing, and communication via email and skype.

Compared directly to other netbooks, such as the Lenovo Ideapad S10e, or the Samsung NC10, the Asus 1000HE is audibly louder, but is altogether still on a silent level and reaches 32-36 dB(A) without load. One only notices the definitely audible vent with 40.4 dB(A) at maximal load. When it comes to noise behavior,IBM 40Y7001 the extremely quiet characteristics of the vent are pleasant for most users. It does neither produce high frequency noises, nor does it change the speed of rotation often, but does its work very constantly.

Only the Seagate hard disk presented itself unusual in our test model in a "cold" state with a cracking which was 37 db(A) loud. This fainted after some operating time and reduced to a working noise of low profile 33.7 dB(A).IBM 40Y7003

The vents can also be influenced with the already mentioned eeectl tool, the sound level can be reduced somewhat with it. One should be aware of the risk, as with the display's brightness, and accept possible damages under a loss of warranty. With eeectl, we could reduce the sound level to 31.7 dB(A) without load, at a vent activity of 30%.IBM ASM 92P1168

On average, the temperatures measured are in the range of human body temperature and are not indicative of conspicuities or possible limitations. Even the top value of 40.3 °C, which can occur in the middle area of the underbody, is absolutely within reason and does not let surmise any limitations. IBM ASM 92P1170

The loudspeakers are located on the front area and radiate forwards. They are quite sufficient for listening to music without great expectations, and convince through an undistorted sound. However, they very much lack bass and have few medium notes, and are also treble-heavy (as typical of this class). Furthermore, they also suffer from a low maximum volume. As usual, one can produce relief quickly and cheaply through earphones or USB-loudspeakers to get more for the mobile usage as well. IBM ASM 92P1172

This is the Eee PC 1000HE's key skill. One readily accepts the device's somewhat higher weight of 1.46kg, due to the maximum battery life of - believe it or not - 512 minutes in the BatteryEater Reader's Test (maximal possible battery life). The mini notebook also features the necessary basic characteristics with a capacity of 62 Wh and a minimal consumption of 8.5 W.IBM ASM 92P1174

The Asus energy saver profile "Power Saving" plays a great role in the low minimal power consumption, it intervenes far deeper in the energy-management than one is used to from Windows XP's profiles. The most obvious action is the Atom CPU, stepped down to a clock rate of 750 Mhz, which nevertheless makes surprisingly fast browser activity and document processing possible. The display brightness, stepped down to the minimum (which we as usually used in this test as well), is rather less suited for working.IBM FRU 42T4505

In the WLAN-test, with browser activity and pleasing display brightness, the Eee PC still reaches surprising 433 minutes. This is more like the user's behavior in practice and is also an excellent value. Those who think the performance of the processor, stepped down to 750 Mhz, is too low, can still expect 386 minutes in the WLAN-test. IBM FRU 42T4506 Under maximal work load, which means a clock rate of 1.69 Ghz for the Eee PC 1000HE in the Asus "Super Performance" profile, the netbook still reaches tolerable 272 minutes battery life in the BatteryEater Classic Test. It measures minimally reachable battery life under load, with switched on Bluetooth, W-LAN and maximum brightness of the display (Asus).

All in all, the Asus cannot reach the 9.5 hours of independence from the mains in our test, as promised by Asus, but it is on a very high level with a battery life between 4.5 and 8.5 hours, and very good characteristics for the quality of running for a long time in practice. IBM FRU 92P1163

Whoever is looking for an especially enduring netbook should definitely shortlist the Asus Eee PC 1000HE. Even if the design might not be everybody's taste: battery life and build quality can be very convincing. Moreover, the matt display with strong contrast has very good characteristics for indoors and only loses points through its too meager maximum brightness during outdoor usage.IBM FRU 92P1165

As the flipside of the quality of running for a long time, one has to accept the lower-than-usual performance when making full use of it, and the somewhat higher weight. The uptight touch pad was bothersome on the test model, and the noise development does not quite reach the standard of many competitors. Those who can put up with these limitations find a solid piece of mobile technique in this variant of the Eee PC.IBM FRU 92P1167

The extremely long battery life and the Asus energy saver profiles. The included neoprene sleeve is also nice and useful.A high ex factory display brightness, which makes outdoor usage possible without potential loss of warranty.That Asus used a matt display with excellent contrast values and even leaves behind the glossy competitors.IBM FRU 92P1169

As far as the battery life is concerned, the Asus Eee PC 1000HE is unrivaled at the moment. Possible alternatives with not quite as long battery life are the Samsung NC10 or the Acer Aspire One 531, these are also somewhat lighter, but not as powerful.Lenovo 57Y6450

Small, lightweight, and a lot of storage space. This is how one could describe the new external 2.5" hard disk from Toshiba. 465GB of usable space and a USB 2.0 port are supposed to convince for less than 120 Euros. You can read how the HDD comes off in the following review.Lenovo L09S8L09

The Toshiba HDDR500E03X is an external 2.5" hard disk in the modern high-gloss design. Five bicolored stripes (in white and grey on out model) optically loosen up the surface somewhat and make the HDD look modern. A disadvantage of the surface, which is coated with piano lacquer, is its susceptibility to fingerprints. This finish is not optimal, especially for a mobile device, since it is covered with finger prints and cords immediately.Lenovo 51J0399

But susceptible to finger printsToshiba integrated a blue LED in the lower left corner of the case for indicating the operating status, it glows while switched on and flashes during read/write-access in its rhythm.Two large rubber stripes adorn the bottom side and make it possible to keep it without gliding on practically every surface.Lenovo 45K2177

The plastic case's stability kann be described as satisfactory. The case creaks a little when pressure is applied to the sides, but it does leave the impression of being stable and should not make any problems during mobile usage.Lenovo L08S3B21

Thanks to the used plastic case, the external USB hard disk remains pleasantly lightweight and portable (weighs 151g).
The case itself can not be opened without damaging it, according to Toshiba (and our own attempts). Therefore, we have to stick with Toshiba as far as the specifications of the used components are concerned.Lenovo L08S6C21

Toshiba's small box offers only a USB 2.0 port. Other ports, such as FireWire or eSata, are nowhere to be found, neither is a connection for power supply. The HDDR500E03X includes a Toshiba MK5055GSX 2.5" hard disk, which offers 500GB of storage space. It is formatted with a factory setting of FAT32 and has 465.8GB of usable storage space. Lenovo ASM 42T4683 Thanks to FAT32, the disk can be used immediately with all current operating systems. The maximum size for single files is 4GB (actually a byte less than 4GB), modern file systems can use the space somewhat more efficiently, and they can read or write files.Toshiba ships the storage box in a handsome plastic packaging, a USB 2.0 cable and a short installation manual in several languages are included.

Specifications of the used Toshiba HDDThe used Toshiba HDDR500E03X is a 2.5" notebook hard disk with 5400rpm and 8MB Cache. The transfer rate reached a constant 33.3 MB/s when tested, thus the USB 2.0 Bus is definitely putting a limit to it. Theoretically about 480 MBit/s (60 MB/s) are possible over USB 2.0, Lenovo FRU 42T4682 but similarly high values seldomly remain in practice. The Toshiba hard disk respectively the controller from Initio make the most of the USB 2.0 interface, which is also visible through the measured burst rate of 27.8 MB/s.The access time of 18.7ms and 7.9% CPU load are also alright for an external hard disk over USB 2.0.

Like most external 2.5" hard disks, the Toshiba HDDR500E03X is also supplied with power via the USB port, a dedicated port for a power supply unit is not provided. However, the hard disk drained up to 740mA (maximum) from the USB port, and USB 2.0 is only specified for up to 500mA. This means that not all notebooks might be able to supply the necessary 740mA, Lenovo ASM 42T4691there might be problems during usage. The available y-cables cannot help either, according to the specifications, since the hard disk cannot register at the second port.The power consumption (important for the reduction of battery life) was at a median of 1.3 watt (while idle) and 2.3 watt (when used).

The Toshiba HDD's surface remained chilly during the test.Due to the vent-free way of construction of the plastic case, only the running noises of the used Toshiba hard disk occur during operation. This is expressed through the quiet whirr of the hard disk during operation, and a barely perceivable rattling during read or write access. Lenovo FRU 42T4688These noises are accompanied by minimally perceptible vibrations.The HDD's surface temperatures remain absolutely uncritical even after longer usage and do not exceed the skin temperature of 32 °C, meaning that it always felt chilly during the test.

For currently 90-125 Euros (source: Geizhals.at), the buyer gets a nifty external hard disk with sufficient storage space. The compability to Windows XP, Vista, 7, MacOS X, and Linux is assured thanks to the FAT32 format. The performance is, as expected, limited by the USB port. Unfortunately, a dedicated power connection is missing, Lenovo FRU 42T4690 which could absorb the current peaks above the USB specifications. Temperatures and running noise do not give any cause for complaints, so the small box can absolutely be recommended.

Acer already landed a direct hit with the first Aspire One A110, which became the best-selling netbook of 2008. As these tiny devices have provided a proper boost to the balances of many manufacturers in such a short time it is no surprise that Acer also wants to see other models meet the same success of the A110 with future models. Following the Aspire One D150, the Taiwanese manufacturer brings another compact 10-incher onto the market with the Aspire One 531.Lenovo 42T4235

Acer has already dedicated a section of its website to the strong selling mini-laptops, which despite some current arguments are shamelessly called netbooks. Overall 6 netbook variants are currently sold by Acer. The Aspire One A110 L/X (Linux or Windows) is still available, whilst its successor comes along in 10-inch form, Lenovo 42T4731the already reviewed D150. However the Aspire One 531 at hand, as well as its bigger brother, the Aspire One 751 with a 11.6-inch display and HD resolution (1366x768), are new to Acer's portfolio.
There is also a revised version of the D150: Acer Aspire One D250.

As for Acer's Aspire One D150, the first 10-inch netbook from the Taiwanese manufacturer wasn't likely to be to every netbook fan's taste when it comes to the case, but Acer was quick to rectify this with the new Aspire One 531, which is a much more stylish and elegant mini-laptop. This can also be considered as a reaction to the latest iterations of competitors' models, for example the Asus Eee PC 1002HA, but also the Dell Mini 10 and many others. Lenovo 42T4733

How does the Aspire One 531 differentiate itself from the D150 with the same form factor and CPU/GPU? Well, apart from a clearly flatter case, not much. This brings with it a further advantage - weight. The Aspire One D150 weighed in at 1350 grams (with a larger 59 Wh battery), whilst the Aspire One 531 weighs 1220 grams, even equipped with the larger 6-cell battery, roughly 10% under the total weight of the D150.Lenovo 42T4737

Changes to the case almost always go hand in hand with design changes, which is the case with the Aspire One 531. Compared to the One D150 the case of the 531 basically fits in better, and shows certain similarities with the business design in the Travelmates.Lenovo 42T4753
In detail, the device does without colourful case materials and to our particular taste so too is there no high gloss finish of the display lid. This is spared due to the fact that it would easily show dirt but also accumulate small scratches and marks over time.

We can't completely renounce the glittery look of the device for the consumer. The shiny frame of the display surrounds the equally reflective display, and also on the base unit the sides have a high gloss finish, which, in our opinion, is aesthetically very well received and whose disadvantages are also kept within limits.Lenovo 42T4757