Three More External USB 3.0 Drives Benchmarked

Samsung Story Station 3.0 (3.5”, 2 TB)

Samsung’s Story Station has been around for a while. Version 3.0 is based on a USB 3.0 interface and comes in capacities of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 TB. Anything less than 1.0 TB doesn’t make much sense given how affordable 3.5” hard drives have become.

The Story Station uses Samsung Spinpoint F3 EcoGreen hard drives, known for their low temperatures and noise, due in part to a 5400 RPM spindle speed. The EcoGreen’s compromise is performance, which maxes out at 113 MB/s and may even drop under 40 MB/s once you fill the drive with data. Western Digital’s MyBook 3.0 is noticeably faster.

The Story’s metal case received a product design award this year, and still looks a bit like a car amplifier. Nevertheless, it’s chic (form) and actually sports a physical power switch (functional). Unlike most 2.5” portable drives, this one requires the bundled external power supply.

Long story short: the Story Station 3.0 is a high-capacity storage solution that delivers great performance, but enthusiasts should be aware that other 3.5” USB 3.0 solutions are faster.