Name: DriveStation Velocity 2TB
Brand: Buffalo

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

+
Fast
+
Large capacity
+
Great build quality

Cons

-
Included software not great

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External hard drives are great for quickly and easily boosting your computer's storage space, and thanks to their easy portability they are ideal for backing up important files and folders.

Their biggest problem was speed, but thankfully the popularity of the fast USB 3.0 interface has helped narrow the gap between internal and external drives.

The Buffalo DriveStation Velocity is a sturdy and attractively designed device with a USB 3.0 interface.

There's no 'on' button, just an LED to tell you the drive's status, a USB 3.0 port, power supply and a small gap for a Kensington lock to be installed for extra security. There is also a small fan to keep the drive cool which produces a little noise, but won't be too noticeable.

Our test drive came with a huge 2 terabytes of storage space, though models in 1TB and 3TB sizes are also available.

Speeds were excellent, with an average write speed of 156MB/s. A folder containing 455 files, with a total size of 2.08GB, took just 49 seconds to copy over.

Verdict

This is a fast, no-nonsense, external hard drive boasting an excellent build quality. If you're looking for a new external drive then we heartily recommend the Buffalo DriveStation Velocity.

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining TechRadar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.