Like the Go, Seagate’s desktop FreeAgent has also just come back from major surgery. Replacing the FreeAgent Pro, the XTreme (or just XT) features a much simpler and more elegant design, no longer requiring separate bridges for USB and Firewire and it can be mounted either flat on the desk or vertically with the included stand.

In addition to the ubiquitous USB, the drive also sports eSata and two Firewire 400 ports. Given the XTreme branding, the absence of Firewire 800 is puzzling. While there mightn’t be that many who could take advantage of it, the XT is the sort of drive those who could would be looking for, and instead are left out in the cold.

Transfer speeds over USB were nothing exceptional and write speeds via Firewire outright slow. When reading over Firewire the FreeAgent managed to complete our 650mb file in just under 19s, but it’s over eSata that this drive truly shines.

While it’s not the fastest of the lot we saw some blistering performance, transferring 1000 small files in under a second and 650mb in ten. However, straight out of the box this is all moot as Seagate haven’t included an eSata cable – another strange exclusion considering nearly all motherboards, PVRs and a lot of laptops now have eSata ports.

The price is a major inhibiting factor with this drive both in terms of upfront investment and value. At 41c/GB it’s significantly more expensive than other 1TB drives – if you’re just after space you could walk away with two LaCies in hand and double the space for a similar price.

Despite attractive looks, Seagate is troubled by those little gremlins called performance and value. Unless you have a lot of cash to burn you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.