Seagate GoFlex Slim review: Seagate GoFlex Slim

Editor's note: This review was initially posted on April 5, 2011, then updated on June 22, 2012 to add the 500GB version.

8.1

Seagate GoFlex Slim

The Good

The <b>Seagate GoFlex Slim</b> external hard drive is fast, compact, sturdy, flexible, and relatively affordable. The drive supports USB 3.0 and includes software that enables both Macs and PCs to have full access to it without the need to change the drive's file system.

The Bad

The GoFlex Slim caps at only 500GB of storage.

The Bottom Line

With an ultrathin, sturdy design and fast performance, the Seagate GoFlex Slim external hard drive makes a great companion for a laptop that has built-in support for USB 3.0.

The 320GB Seagate GoFlex Slim differentiates itself from the rest of Seagate's GoFlex family of portable external hard drives, including the excellent 500GB GoFlex Pro, by being about 40 percent thinner, at only 9 millimeters. The new design alone makes up for its slightly higher cost per gigabyte compared with the rest of the family.

The Slim also supports USB 3.0 out of the box and offers fast performance. If you're looking for a portable and flexible external hard drive to accompany your USB 3.0-enabled laptop, at $100, the GoFlex Slim definitely makes a good buy. If money is not an issue, however, we'd also recommend the LaCie FastKey.

Design and features