At $116 for the 2TB model, the Buffalo DriveStation is one of the cheapest desktop drives we’ve seen – only WD’s My Book Essential undercuts it this month. And while drives like Verbatim’s compromise performance to hit low price points, the DriveStation whizzes along. In our large-file tests, its read and write speeds came second only to the Iomega Prestige. In the small-file tests, Buffalo’s drive took first place in the write test and a strong second when reading.
You also get the usual set of Buffalo extras, including the SecureLock Manager for encrypting your files and the Buffalo backup client.
The DriveStation isn’t an attractive artefact: its plastic channels and tabs look over-designed. And although it’s intended to stand upright, there’s no stand to keep it steady. Lay it down and you’re left staring at the stickers on the underside.
For the price, though, it’s hard to complain; the 2TB and 3TB models are among the cheapest on the market. If you don’t mind the aesthetics, the DriveStation is a great choice for anyone seeking high-capacity, high-speed storage for a low price.
