miniStack v2 320GB External Drive- Review

miniStack v2 320GB External Drive- Review
By Donny Yankellow
miniStack v2
Company: Newer Technology
Price: 320 GB for $199.00,
http://www.macsales.com

Is your computer desk cluttered with USB and Firewire hubs, an external backup
drive, and more? Well, you can relieve some of that clutter with the miniStack
v2 320GB External Drive by Newer Technology.

The miniStack v2 is an external drive that is about the size of a Mac Mini
(just a little shorter). It is actually designed to fit under the Mac Mini,
and compliments the Mac Mini nicely. It also works on most other Mac Computers
with FireWire and/or USB connectivity (OS9 and OSX). The brushed metal/white
design goes great with the current Mac lineup. It is even Windows compatible,
which is good for those with a Windows machine, or an Intel Mac running Windows
through one of the options now available.

What sets this drive apart from other drives that I’ve seen on the market
is the drive’s dual personality. It is part external hard drive and part usb/firewire
hub. When connected to the computer with the included Firewire and USB cables
you gain 2 additional firewire ports, and 3 additional USB 2.0 ports. Two of
the ports are located on the side of the enclosure. I really like this part
of the design. If you have a device that you need to constantly remove from
the computer, these two ports make it a lot easier to reach.

Also, the back of the enclosure includes a security slot for locking the drive
to a desk, chair, or whatever.

Set up is easy. Connect the drive to the computer via Firewire and/or USB
and connect the power. Turn it on, and it is ready to go. No formating or software
installation is needed.

As for performance, the drive works great with a 16mb buffer and 7200RPM (these
specs vary depending on the drive size). I did notice a slight speed increase
in transferring files to and from the drive than on my current external hard
drive. It also seemed to open programs a little faster than those running off
my computer’s internal drive. Plus, for an external drive it runs fairly
quiet. The only annoyance I found with the drive is that when it runs the unit
vibrated my entire computer stand. This was not an earthquake type of vibration,
but enough to be annoying.

A nice touch in the drive package is the inclusion of preinstalled shareware
and freeware on the drive. There are Apple software updates, desktop pictures,
software demos (games, utilities, and productivity apps), and more. The drive
also comes with a CD that includes Retrospect Express and a disk utility suite
called Speedtools. There are even versions of some software for OS9. However,
as far as I could tell, there were no Intel native/Universal Binary versions
of any of the software.

The drive I tested was the 320gb model, which is more than enough space for
most people. For those that want more or less hard drive space Newer Technology
has you covered. The drive is also available in size options starting at 80gb
and going up to 500gb. There is also the option to only purchase the drive
enclosure and make your own drive (see Russ Walkowich’s review https://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=2316).

At $199 the 320gb miniStack v2 might seem a bit pricey. However, when you
think about all that you are getting, it is really a good deal. A firewire
hub and a USB 2.0 hub could easily cost you $40 or more. A 320gb drive with
only firewire connectivity costs $159.99 at Other World Computing. For $199
you are getting the hubs, firewire and USB 2.0 connectivity, a 320gb drive,
and a drive that looks good and works great,. Did I mentioned that it also
comes with a two-year warranty?

If you are in the market for a new external hard drive, you should definitely
consider the miniStack v2 by Newer Technology.

MyMac.com Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Pros:
USB 2.0 and Firewire Connectivity
USB and Firewire Hub feature
Fast performance
A lot for your money
Available in many drive size options
Looks good with the any of the current Mac computers, especially the Mac Mini
which it is designed for

Cons:
Seems to vibrate a lot when being used
Included software is not universal binary or Intel native

Note: Back in April Russ Walkowich reviewed the miniStack v2 enclosure. Find
that review here: https://www.mymac.com/showarticle.php?id=2316.