Got this hard drive from Challenger to backup my data today. Took the 250GB version. This is the second external hard drive that I got in my attempt to stick to my philosophy in data backup, which is to backup the backup. The other 3.5" drive is a much prettier Seagate FreeAgent 250GB.
First impressions of the Maxtor? Boring, but very functional. This drive is reasonably priced, connects through USB, has a standard speed of 7200RPM, comes pre-formatted in NTFS and doesn't include any junk software. It is completely black all around and looks like a rounded brick, which makes it look very dull and serious, as compared to the more funky design of the FreeAgent. Clearly, the Maxtor Basics is a utilitarian device which does nothing more than it is supposed to do. That's great actually, as I absolutely detest drives preloaded with a load of crap trialware!
For a peace of mind, the Maxtor comes with a 3 year warranty, but it is still 2 years shorter than that of the FreeAgent. I've not heard disastrous stories with Maxtor drives, so with fingers crossed I hope this drive is lasting.
However, there is one area the Maxtor can improve on, which is that of design. There is no rubber padding beneath the drive to prevent it from shifting about when placed on the table, since the bottom is quite smooth. The inclusion of either a rubber protector or a stand would be best.
Overall, a very sensible, no frills hard drive worth considering if all you need is storage space.
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