Seagate’s Barracuda 7200.8 Hard Drive

By Ian Bell April 10, 2005

Quote from the review:

“AT FIRST GLANCE, having 400GB of storage capacity on a desktop hard drive seems a little ridiculous. It raises the question: do everyday users or even enthusiasts really need that much storage? They just might. With PCs increasingly becoming entertainment hubs tasked with storing audio and video in the highest possible quality, gigabytes can get eaten up pretty quickly. Gone are the days when 128KB MP3s were enough; lossless audio formats that take up much more space are all the rage these days. PCs that double as PVRs also need extra capacity, with high quality recordings consuming more than 2GB per hour. And that’s not even high definition content.

Maybe 400GB isn’t so ridiculous after all.

Recommended Videos

Seagate’s Barracuda 7200.8 is the latest hard drive to offer 400GB of storage, but the drive offers more than just a capacity boost. By packing more data per platter than Seagate’s previous Barracuda 7200.7, the 7200.8 also promises superior performance to its predecessor. Does it deliver? To find out we’ve run the 7200.8 through a punishing gauntlet of benchmarks and real world performance tests against competition from Maxtor and Western Digital. “

Read the full review

Publisher

I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?

Computing

This monstrous 22TB external hard drive just got a $215 price cut

The WD Easystore USB 3.0 external hard drive alongside a monitor and keyboard on a desk.

Video editors in particular are going to love this huge discount at Best Buy on a WD easystore 22TB external hard drive. While it usually costs $625, it’s down to $410, so you’re saving $215. One of the best external hard drive deals we’ve seen in a while, it’s perfect for anyone who has high storage needs. Check it out now by tapping the button below or keep reading while we take you through what to expect from it.

Why you should buy the WD easystore 22TB external hard drive
Western Digital or WD make some of the best external hard drives around so you can be confident you’re buying from a good source. Read up on how to choose an external hard drive then consider going for the 22TB variety here. It uses a USB 3.0 interface which means it’s compatible with pretty much anything that has a USB port. It’s backwards compatible with USB 2.0 so you won’t have to worry there.

Computing

Get 20% off this 4TB external hard drive for PC, Mac, PS5, andXbox

Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive

One of the most frustrating limitations of today's computers and video game consoles is their available storage space. One of the easiest solutions to this problem is an investment in external hard drive deals, which currently includes a 20% discount on the 4TB model of the Seagate Portable. From its original price of $125, it's down to a more affordable $100 on Amazon. This is a limited-time offer though, so there's a chance that you miss out on the savings of $25 if you don't proceed with your purchase right now.

Why you should buy the Seagate Portable 4TB external hard drive
One of the major features of the Seagate Portable 4TB external hard drive is its compatibility with most systems. It's designed to work with Windows PCs and laptops out of the box -- just connect it using the included 18-inch USB 3.0 cable -- but it will also work with Mac computers and MacBooks after reformatting it for MacOS. The device will also work with the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, though you can't install and play current-generation titles from it. Still, any additional storage space for these consoles are welcome, as today's most popular video games are pretty huge.

Computing

OneDrive is ruining my PC gaming setup

The OneDrive app on a Windows PC.

I don't use OneDrive, but Microsoft is hellbent on making sure I do. When you set up a new PC, OneDrive automatically starts syncing files based on the Microsoft account you sign in with. This isn't normally a problem, but if you're a PC gamer who switches devices often, it can cause quite a headache.

It's not an impossible problem to overcome, and you can always turn OneDrive off. But as someone who bounces around PCs often, I wish that Microsoft's cloud storage service was opt-in instead of opt-out.
Creating conflict