BUFFALO DriveStation Duo 1TB USB 2.0 / Firewire400 3.5" External Hard Drive HD-W1.0TIU2/R1

Pros: 1.Come pre-formatted (FAT32) and it's ready to be used out of the box 2.Does not have a bulky power supply; just a power cord, I guess power supply is enclosed inside the case. 3.Can be setup in RAID 1 configuration, 2 separate 485GB hard drives, or 1 combined 970GB hard drive. 4.Sleek case and has an auto-power and manual power switch 5.Very quiet and sleek case that does not run very hot 6.Shows up as Samsung drives....not sure if Samsung makes hard drives, but I trust the name brand

Cons: 1.Not the cheapest compared to some of the other brands 2.Comes with myriad of softwares, which can be intimidating for a casual user (I actually like the flexibility...security lock, RAID, etc.)

Overall Review: I own 3 external hard drives: 1. Fantom 250GB 2. WD My Essential 500GB 3. This Buffalo All 3 were easy to set-up, but I personally like the flexibility of Buffalo the best......fantom is loud and also once had a power surge which shut off the hard drive...I thought it was gone, but it works...I usually leave it off as back-up storage since I don't trust this drive to be running constantly. WD died on me after about 13 months...right after freaking warranty expired.....so by default this is my favorite so far. I'll give a long term update couple months later...but I recommend highly so far.

Pros: Two drives with RAID 1 so the files are backed up. Fast and fairly easy to install.

Cons: No cons...just a little bit of a learning curve.

Overall Review: I'm storing video files and pictures on it and when I set it up I left it with the FAT32 format on it, which is the default. I was soon reminded that FAT32 will only support up to 4GB files and I had an 11GB video file. So I formatted both drives to NTSF and then I set it up as RAID 1 but when I set up the RAID 1 it put it back to FAT32. So, if you want RAID 1 and NTSF set it up as RAID 1 first and then format the drive to NTSF.

Pros: Didn't work - what else can I say?

Cons: Didn't work. The software that comes with it doesn't work. I already knew that based on what I read here. I installed it with the software from their web site. Started copying files to it, and got "Delayed Write Failure" errors. I tried both the USB and Firewire interfaces, reformated and tried again. Same errors. I had it configured for Raid1, formatted with NTFS.

Overall Review: Boxed it up, sent it back.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive compared to other products in the same category. Very quiet. Simple and customizable raid array. Sleek and aesthetically pleasing. Firewire400 4/6 pin, usb. Easy switch between auto startup/shutdown (with computer) and manual. Switch to raid 1 is extremely easy once software is correctly installed. Currently 465/930 gigs is a lot of storage, and this is a great way to have it externally. The board already survived one power surge in a power outage (probably the surge protecter it was plugged in to, but still a good sign). And plus, you can call it the 'Buffalo'

Cons: Raid control software that comes on cd is very buggy and fails to load. This is easy to fix (see 'other thoughts'). Documentation scarce, and obviously poorly translated from an asian language. Hard drives are not fully secured. They rattle around a little if the unit is moved a lot. This isn't necessarily a problem, however, considering this external HD is not the most portable. The complication of installing the software and drivers on every computer one needs to use it on makes it diffuclt to tote around. However, it is possible to make a copy of the cd's software on a flash drive for easy and quick install. Formatting software that comes on cd is terrible, and does not support NTFS. Use Partition Magic or Windows Device Management to format to NTFS. Format to NTFS can only be done after raid array is configured. In order to switch between configurations, drives must be wiped clean. Warranty is currently only 1 year limited.

Overall Review: The first issues I will address is that the raid software installs, but does not run, and quits on a runtime error. This is very easy to fix. Go to BuffaloTechnology's website and download the raid controll software (Under 1mb). Install, and you should be ready to switch between spanning mode, two disk mode, and raid 1. I personally have it configured to raid 1, which is the only reason I got the unit. The enclosure is easy to open, and the drives are easy to switch in case one dies. I have not yet had to test Buffalo's technical support, so I cannot comment on their service. Overall this is a phenomenal product in its class, very simple and easy to use, and it does what it is supposed to. Although there are some issues around the included software the fix is easy. I notice people rating it poorly based on the backup software that comes with it. This is not a con because the software has nothing to do with the drive itself and its functionality. A fantastic purchase! Good work Buffalo!

Pros: When connected to my iMac, the drive automatically recognizes and is MUCH quieter than my WD MyBook. Both the firewire and usb cables are included.

Cons: By default, the hard drive is recognized in independent disk mode (meaning it shows up as two separate 500 GB hard drives). The software included lets the user change this to spanning mode to be seen as one drive... or to be used in RAID 1 mirroring. HOWEVER, it only works with Windows and PowerPC macs. I have an Intel based Mac, and their website does not yet have the updated binaries. It still works beautifully as two 500 GB drives, but I would have really liked to use the spanning disk mode.

Overall Review: Hopefully Buffalo updates their website with a universal binary version of their software. If you have a PowerPC Mac or Windows machine... this is a really great product. Very quiet and fast.

Pros: Obviously one of the best "bang for buck" hard drives out there. The RAID option only makes it better. Great option to cheaply protect your digital photos and media. Simple to use once setup.

Cons: Files on CD were corrupt and would not load, but downloaded the fresh software from Buffalotech.com, and the hard drive worked immediately. RAID-1 setup just as smooth. I did notice as others have that the drives did seem loose in the housing when I got it, however this isn't an issue since due to this drives size it isn't one you are going to use for portability.

Overall Review: I needed a cost effective way to maintain and backup my digital photos, and of course my wife and daughter's music files! The Buffalo was the best thing I could find and was recommended by several photography magazines and websites.

Pros: The Hard drive is extremely quiet - literally - whisper quiet. I have other hard drives of this size and they make a lot of fan noise. The hard drive is also very solidly constructed with gun metal. Size is excellent for this price point.

Cons: Documentation is sparse. Supplied software was corrupt - downloading a new copy from Buffalo's website remedied this. You can't format the drives as anything other than Fat32 before using the Raid 1 utility. After using the Raid 1 utility, you can format to NTFS using Windows' own quick format but not the supplied formatting utility.

Overall Review: Minor software quibbles aside, I have to say that I am extremely satisfied with this unit. Its quietness will allow me to keep it on all the time sans irritation. If you are looking for a good 1 TB bet, then go for this unit.

Pros: straightforward works with Windows & Ubuntu solid construction USB+FireWire not expensive

Cons: none so far

Overall Review: I've had this drive for 3 weeks now and so far I'm happy with it. It appears to be solidly-built and is not very loud. I wanted a drive that did automatic RAID 1 and worked with both Windows and Ubuntu. When I got it I just plugged it in, connected it via FireWire and used the wizard it comes with to set up as a RAID 1 drive. (I did this in Windows.) Once this was done I didn't have to do anything else -- I mean it is recognized by Ubuntu and Windows as a single drive. I've had no use for the autobackup software that it comes with. I just manually backup my important files and turn off the drive when I'm not using it. This way there's no chance of getting hacked over the web.