Product Features
- Super-slim, lightweight design saves space for ultimate portability
- Turbo PC increases file transfer rates by up to 2X over competing USB 2.0 portable hard drives
- Preformatted hard drive is ready for immediate use with Windows and Mac
- Perfect companion for your laptop or notebook - no extrnal power needed
- ECO Manager conserves energy and battery power
Technical Details
- Brand Name: Buffalo Technology
- Model: HD-PCT500U2/B
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Form Factor: MicroSDHC
- Weight: 0.33 pounds
Product Description
Capacity: 500 GB
From the Manufacturer
The Buffalo MiniStation Stealth is a high performance portable storage solution in a remarkably compact and lightweight contemporary form. Simply plug it into any available USB port on your PC or Mac® computer and instantly add capacity or store files to take on the road. The MiniStation Stealth’s compact design occupies minimal space and it's USB powered so there are no additional cables to manage and no need for a separate power source. Included with the Stealth is Buffalo’s multi-purpose Buffalo Tools utility suite designed to enhance Windows® PC performance and user experience. It features TurboPC, a utility designed to enhance PC performance for up to 2X faster file transfers. Also included, Buffalo's Backup Utility protects your important files and documents by backing up your PCs to your Buffalo external hard drive and it provides an easy-to-use data restore function. Store, back up and transport your content instantly with plug and play connectivity.
Compact and Convenient
Designed for mobility, MiniStation Stealth’s compact and contemporary design occupies minimal space and offers USB powered mobile storage for your data and for your on-the-go lifestyle. Plus, the Stealth works with PC and Mac so you can access your files from whichever computer you are on.
USB 2.0 powered connection
Preformatted in FAT32 for compatibility with both PC and Mac -easily reformatted to NTFS or HFS+
Attractive blue LED lets you know when the drive is active
TurboPC
Using high speed RAM on your PC, TurboPC can increase file transfer rates on Windows PCs by up to 2X over competing USB 2.0 portable hard drives. TurboPC also includes TurboCopy which provides additional system adjustments to increase performance substantially.
Back up and Manage Your Files with Buffalo Tools!
Buffalo Tools is a feature-rich suite of optional software included on many Buffalo DriveStation and MiniStation storage products. Any or all of the following components of Buffalo Tools may be installed on Windows PCs.
- Buffalo's Backup Utility: An easy-to-use and fully featured backup software for Windows PCs thatcan be used to back up one or multiple computers with a single Buffalo external hard drive.
- ECO Manager: Energy efficiency tool conserves energy and reduces battery consumption by regulating the power usage of the hard drive, cutting power to the drive during extended periods of inactivity.
- RAMDISK: A simple utility that allows you to create a RAM disk on your Windows PC, creating a small, but extremely fast environment to work on files in.
- SecureLock: Windows software that provides complete control of the data encryption on your Buffalo external hard drive, providing password protection and software data encryption.
- TurboPC: Performance enhancement utility providing up to 2x transfer speeds over regular USB 2.0 connections
Other Key Features and Benefits
- Compact and Lightweight: Super-slim, lightweight design saves space for ultimate portability
- TurboPC for Windows: Increase file transfer rates by up to 2X over competing USB 2.0 portable hard drives
- Connect and Go: Preformatted hard drive is ready for immediate use with Windows and Mac
- USB Powered: Perfect companion for your laptop or netbook - No external power supply needed
- Eco-Minded: Included ECO Manager conserves energy by cutting power to the hard drive during extended periods of inactivity
- Time Machine® Compatibility: Works perfectly with Time Machine to back up your Mac computer
The MiniStation Stealth portable storage solution is backed by a one-year limited warranty and lifetime 24/7 US based technical support.
What’s in the Box
MiniStation Stealth Portable Hard Drive HD-PCTU2, USB 2.0 Cable, Quick Setup Guide, and Warranty Statement
Product Description
MiniStation Stealth is a high performance portable storage solution in a remarkably compact and lightweight contemporary form. Simply plug it into any available USB port on your PC or Mac computer and instantly add capacity or store files to take on the road. MiniStation Stealth’s compact design occupies minimal space and it’s USB powered so there are no additional cables to manage and no need for a separate power source. Included with the Stealth is Buffalo’s multi-purpose Buffalo Tools utility suite designed to enhance Windows PC performance and user experience. It features TurboPC, a utility designed to enhance PC performance for up to 2X faster file transfers. Also included, Buffalo's Backup Utility protects your important files and documents by backing up your PCs to your Buffalo external hard drive and it provides an easy-to-use data restore function. Store, back up and transport your content instantly with plug and play connectivity.
Customer Reviews
By ugamit "UGAMIT"
Intro:
- I've been a laptop computer user for over 20 years. I own a consulting firm with clients 'round the country, so I'm always on the go.
- I own - or have owned - portable hard drives from every major manufacturer. My theory was that if I bought different brands with good recommendations (versus buying all of them from one manufacturer), I would spread my risk.
- So I bought the Buffalo Ministation Stealth 500GB from Amazon to try it out. Its the smallest 500GB portable drive around from a major manufacturer (and just 0.1in thicker than Oyen).
- I've owned and operated the drive for 30days to date. All of our computers (laptops and desktops)run Windows XP/32 bit operating systems.
Analysis:
Folks, hands down, this is the best overall portable hard drive I've owned to date:
1. This puppy is small, lightweight, and fast for USB 2.0. I'm getting 16-18MB/sec transfers using 5+ year old laptops and desktops (with Intel single core processors), and up to 22MB/sec on my Intel Core Duo Laptop.
2. I've left it on for 3 days straight, and found no heat generation above room temperature.
3. Needs only 1 USB2.0 port, and runs off of just 1 USB port on every one of our desktops/laptops I've tried it on.
4. Has a great blue light on top to signal its working. Doesn't have a sleep mode, so there is no delay, after your computer sits for a while, when you go to transfer/access a file.
Three particulars you'all might find of interest:
1. One reviewer here gave the drive 3stars because of the onboard Buffalo file transfer software. It's advertised to accelerate file transfers vs. Windows Explorer. And it does - but I agree, its not worth using.
I installed the Buffalo "turbo" software on two computers and found "turbo" didn't work as well as Teracopy (which is freeware and works great to speed up USB2.0 file transfers). The Buffalo "turbo" software did slow down both my desktop and laptop computers and seemed to complicate rapid removal of any flash/hard drive I connected. I've eliminated the pre-installed Buffalo software from the drive and my computers. I'd recommend the same to anyone. But I do recommend you find and download Teracopy, its a great program. (see cnet.com to download it for free).
2. I've not dropped the Buffalo 500GB drive, so I can't provide insight on its hardiness to physical abuse. You'll find details on construction at the Buffalo site. It appears solidly built, but the plastic case doesn't appear to warrant confidence that it would not break of dropped over a foot or so onto a hard surface.
I presume that being so small, there isn't as much space to install lots of "shock-absorbing" material. I also presume one has to get some sort of case/carrier/cozy for the Buffalo 500 if you're going to actively travel with it. In my case, I'm using it to date to store large files I download from my desktop to carry home or use on my laptop, and I'm being careful with it because of my concerns about its hardiness until I get more experience. It might could benefit from a rubber border and thicker plastic case as one finds on the Toshiba Canvio, but then it would be thicker/bigger - the Toshiba was my previous 1st choice for portable hard drives, its now no.2, but I'm comparing it with the Buffalo as I go along, and I'll report back down the road on hardiness as I collect more info.
3. Based on my experience with the Buffalo 500GB, I've already bought the 1TB model. Available on Amazon today for $84, its the best deal going for portable hard drive space/dollar. I've found the performance specs for the 1TB model are exactly the same as the 500GB model. BUT, be aware the physical specs for the 1TB model are different - its about a quarter of an inch thicker than the 500GB version (same length x width). Since I found the pre-installed Buffalo software unworthy of use on my 500GB model, I've eliminated the same from the 1TB version.
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