Q: Is this drive fast enough to record real time video at 1080p via USB 3.0?

That depends on several factors, many of which don't hinge on the drive. Things such as bit rate, compression, codec and the software doing the work come into play first. However, all you really need to know is what bandwidth specs (if any) does the software creating the destination file from the input source call for? If you can adjust the software compression settings, you'll likely be able to dial it in if the drive isn't keeping up initially. In all likelihood, this drive is plenty fast, though. But if you are doing a lossless transfer (as opposed to lossy above), then you'd want to know the input source's data rate first and do some calculations based on this drive's advertised write speeds. I hope that helps and makes sense.

Q: Is it compatible with windows 8.1 ?

Yes. You may have some cable issues if your older PC with only USB 2.0 connectors suddenly gets upgraded to Windows 8.1 Otherwise I use it every day in multiple computers from XP to Windows 8.1

Question 1

I assume this is compatable with Apple Mac pro ?

Accepted Answer

I have used it with a variety of Mac systems...macbook pro, imac, macbook air and old style mac pro tower. It's just a USB 3 connection, so I'd guess that it would be fine with the new mac pro.

Question 2

Will the drive operate on a USB 2 connection, albeit slower, of course, or must I have USB 3?

Accepted Answer

Yes, I had issues with my USB 3.0 that I was unaware of until my purchase of this drive.  I used it on USB 2.0 at regular 2.0 speeds until I fixed my USB 3.0 issues.  Since then I have plugged it into the dedicated USB 3.0 slots and have seen transfer speeds on average around 80/Mbs.  This drive has essentially become a very large and fast Flash drive for me to move media around my house with ease.

Question 3

This drive is external USB, right?

Accepted Answer

Sorry, Yes, it is a credit card sized external USB hard drive.  Hook it up to a USB 3.0 port and it is very fast, faster than burning a CD or DVD.

Question 4

is a short USB cable included?

Accepted Answer

Yep

Question 5

Could I use this drive to store and run games?  I read a post on a forum, where someone had upgraded to an ssd, and was raving about improved loading times and performance.  Would this still work with an external ssd?

Accepted Answer

The answer is yes and no. Sure you can install games and run them from this drive. The question is whether YOU feel the performance is satisfactory. If you only have USB 2.0 ports, then the max data transfer back and forth is 30MB/sec. Modern games with large files to load could feel pretty sluggish. If you have USB 3.0 ports, which maxes out at 500MB/sec+, I've managed to achieve 120MB/sec+ write speeds, and at times, over 200MB/sec read speeds with this external drive. That is pretty good for sure. It's not necessarily better than if you had an internal SATA3 SSD on a SATA3 compatible motherboard. However, if you have an older SATA 2 motherboard, then you'll top out somewhere around 250MB/sec. With an internal SSD, at the end of the day, your Read/Write speeds will vary, depending on how the internal SSD handles data compression, quality of NAND, etc. If you aren't picky about every ounce of performance, you have a USB 3.0 port, and you have no other alternative for where to install your games (ie. you can't replace the internal drive with an SSD), then this drive will do just fine.

Question 6

Can you install OS (preferably Ubuntu) on this drive and boot from it? I was wondering if this will be the better option than USB flash drive for that purpose.

Accepted Answer

Don't try and run your OS over a USB 3.0 connection, flash drive, its not built for that. It will definitely work, but running an OS from a flash-drive, the non-stop writes for logs and temporary files will really eat into the flash-drive’s lifespan. Don’t forget that flash-cells have a limited number of writes before they can no longer be written, and these constant writes will use them up too fast, even with wear-leveling because again, the writes and leveling used in inexpensive flash-drives is not as efficient as with SSDs (which use things like TRIM whereas flash-drives tend not to). Get a solid state internal drive. Also if you planned to bring your "portable" OS with you on your SD flash drive, remember that when you try and boot it on an older computer with USB 2.0, your read and write speeds (and performance) will be limited to the 2.0 speed thresholds.

Question 7

The spec reads "Hot swapable" - Does that mean I can disconnect it, say during a download, with no damage?  - Guaranteed?

Accepted Answer

I haven't had any problems with file corruption or anything, due to improper connection/disconnection of the device. Sometimes USBs will scramble your files if you unplug it without "ejecting" it from your connected devices list on your operating system. I've pulled this thing out with computers on and off, but never while a file was transfering (not really worth the risk).

I really like it, its super small and has a pretty decent capacity for an entry level solid state portable USB drive. Also if your computer has USB 3.0, the transfer speeds are silly fast... very impressive with USB 3.0.

Question 8

I have a laptop, with all my stuff on it's only hard drive. Can I use this drive to move Windows 8.1 onto, along with a few games?

Accepted Answer

I think you might be able to do that. Most USB drives are bootable but if I were you I would contact Team Group's tech support or visit their website to find out.  I personally don't recommend running your computer from an operating system located on a USB drive.  Most people use a bootable USB drive only for emergencies. I use my PD200 to store all my music and some HD movies from my MacBook Air and it works great as a dedicated iTunes storage drive freeing up lots of space on my internal HD.  I would suggest keeping your operating system on the internal HD and the external drive to keep photos, documents, music, movies and less frequently used games on.  I would also suggest a dedicated external powered hard drive of at least 1TB for system backups. These can be found anywhere for <$100.

Question 9

Is this drive fast enough to record real time video at 1080p via USB 3.0?

Accepted Answer

That depends on several factors, many of which don't hinge on the drive. Things such as bit rate, compression, codec and the software doing the work come into play first. However, all you really need to know is what bandwidth specs (if any) does the software creating the destination file from the input source call for? If you can adjust the software compression settings, you'll likely be able to dial it in if the drive isn't keeping up initially. In all likelihood, this drive is plenty fast, though. But if you are doing a lossless transfer (as opposed to lossy above), then you'd want to know the input source's data rate first and do some calculations based on this drive's advertised write speeds. I hope that helps and makes sense.

Question 10

Is it compatible with windows 8.1 ?

Accepted Answer

Yes.

You may have some cable issues if your older PC with only USB 2.0 connectors suddenly gets upgraded to Windows 8.1

Otherwise I use it every day in multiple computers from XP to Windows 8.1

Questions & Answers