Seagate's FreeAgent GoFlex: Modular External Storage

The 2.5” Drives: FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-portable (500 GB)

The second and clearly more versatile option is the 2.5”-based GoFlex Ultra-portable. Seagate currently offers capacities of 320 GB, 500 GB, 750 GB, and 1 TB. In addition, Seagate recently announced the first 1.5 TB portable drive, which will be available in the FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-portable line. The key difference between the 1.5 TB model and the others is an included USB 3.0 cable. All other models come with a USB 2.0 cable. Seagate offers black, silver, blue, and red colors, but these are not available for all capacity points. The beauty of the USB 3.0 solution is its downward compatibility. Just plug the USB 3.0 cable into a USB 2.0 port and you’re set.

Technically, adapter cables work like the desk adapters, as the physical controller is integrated. Again, the physical drive is a simple Serial ATA product. The adapter cables are what provide the desired target interface. The Ultra-portable products aren’t plugged into a stand, but the adapter cable is simply attached to the drive's SATA port.

Seagate offers a few different adapter cables, called Upgrade Cables. One provides FireWire 800, another eSATAp, and others offer USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 interfaces.

Once again, there’s a USB 3.0 upgrade kit, but the difference from the desktop product line is the type of bundled USB 3.0 controller. In this case, you’ll get an ExpressCard controller with two USB 3.0 ports.

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These are the various adapters for the Ultra-portable GoFlex.

Most GoFlex Ultra-portable drives come with USB 2.0 interfaces. The others have to be purchased separately.