So much so, that we double- and triple-checked the formatting, thinking it used FAT. But like its LaCie Porsche Design cousin (Seagate owns LaCie), it fell well off the pace writing small files and folders. The Backup Plus 5TB was a very good performer writing and reading large files, as well as reading small files. If you need to password-protect, look to WD and others. As an interested reader and new Backup Plus owner recently reminded me via Answer Line, there is no security software bundled with this drive. One thing you shouldn’t do is rely upon data recovery rather than maintaining multiple backup copies of your data, for the simple reason that it’s not always possible to recover the data. Indeed, most of mine have lasted more than three years. But it’s all about the odds–drives don’t always go bad. Data recovery without the warranty can cost many hundreds of dollars. What you do about that is your own affair. Recovery is not 100% certain, so keep your drive backed up. You can purchase recovery insurance, but don’t rely on it.

Seagate provides a setup utility, which allows you to register, download the Seatools or Dashboard backup utilities, and offers you a data recovery warranty for $10 for two years, or $15 for three years. The unit features a micro-USB port and comes with a cable that plugs into standard USB Type A for transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. But hey, if you want 5TB, you’re going to have to deal with a couple of extra ounces-it takes another platter or two to hold the extra data. That’s neither small or light for an external USB hard drive. The Backup Plus Portable 5TB measures about 3 x 4.5 x 0.75 inches and weighs about half a pound. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.The little black drive is always a classic. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. PRICING: You can find the Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2TB) for sale below. Current market pricing can be found below. MSRP of the 2TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim is set at $149.99 with a two-year warranty. In our testing, we were able to touch 125 MB/s read and write, which puts this in the top two on our charts, right next to its big brother, the Backup Plus Fast. However, the capacity of this unit should set itself apart in today's market. Performance of the unit was inline with expectations, coming right inline with previously tested drives. I would say, though, that the aluminum top plate does offer less protection for your drive if you were to drop it than would the Backup Plus Fast and its hard plastic shell.

The Seagate Backup Plus Slim with its array of color options and use of aluminum strikes me as a well-built drive. Price/Performance has the Backup Plus Slim as more value for your money over the larger capacity Backup Plus Fast by just 7 percent.

Seagate backup plus slim