Drives regularly average 15MBps and from 20MBps to 35MBps in the two read tests. Reading from the drive back to our test system wasn't much better: 12.37MBps for the folder and 15.53MBps for the image file using USB 2.0 and 10.78MBps and 8.11MBps with FireWire. Connected via the FireWire 400 port, the Seagate drive was both faster and slower: it averaged 8.58MBps copying the 400MB folder but only 6.92MBps copying the 1.9GB image file.

Over the USB 2.0 bus, it averaged only 5.76MBps writing a 400MB folder and 14.4MBps for a 1.9GB image file-the worst performance we've seen for a USB 2.0 drive, rivaled only by an older Western Digital Media Center using FireWire 400. If our quibbles were only with the software, we might still recommend the Seagate Pushbutton Backup drive, but the real deal killer is exceptionally poor performance. Seagate offers three capacities of the Pushbutton Backup drive: 200GB, 300GB, and 400GB. Alas, despite Seagate's claims of ultraquiet performance, the Pushbutton's read/write head made far more noise-in the form of loud clicks-than competing products. The Pushbutton Backup drive survived several drops, and it runs very cool. However, being chunkier than the average external drive has advantages, namely, better shock resistance and air circulation.

The Seagate Pushbutton Backup is a boxy 7.125 inches deep by 6.5 inches wide by 2.25 inches high (while lying flat). If you like the idea of push-button backup, try the Maxtor OneTouch II. Unfortunately, our original numbers were correct, and whether the problem relates to the bridge chip that translates IDE signals to USB and FireWire or whether it was something more subtle, this drive doesn't pass performance muster. The 400GB version we tested was slow with a capital S-falling so far short of the competition that we retested it on several machines to verify the results. Upon first examination, we were impressed with Seagate's new USB 2.0/FireWire external hard drive-that is, until we tested the drive's performance. Seagate has entered the fray of retail storage products, and among its new offerings is the Pushbutton Backup External Hard Drive. Seagate Pushbutton Backup External Hard Drive

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