14 DAY TRIAL // External HDDs may have mastered the art of working off just the energy of a USB 3.0 connection, but there are still some constraints, which usually result in lower capacities and speeds than for internal SATA HDDs.
The new drive from Silicon Power manages to offset or circumvent most of them. Otherwise, it would not have succeeded in providing 4 TB capacity and still not needing an AC adapter to function.
Naturally, USB 2.0 ports are supported as well, but you'll have to live with lower transfer speeds, of no more than 480 Mbps, in that case.
Speaking of which, the Silicon Power Stream S06 should be able to at least read data at 130 MB/s or more, but don't quote us on that.
The company did not provide a number, you see, in the press release. It did take some time to assure the world that all media will be streamed smoothly though.
Not that it's such a shock to hear that. After all, the device is called Stream S06 for a reason. It is intended to hold entire video and music libraries, as well as whatever else you can think of.
You may or may not own a laptop, and you may or may not bring it with you everywhere. But if you have any sort of bag, taking an HDD along, even a 3.5-inch one, will be easy enough.
You can use the Stream S06 to move data between your home PC and your work system, or contribute with some entertaining flicks when going to a party thrown by your friends.
Or you could use it for backup purposes. The black, smooth design with a handle isn't exactly meant for a boring HDD drive, but you can still give it such a role if you feel like it. Speaking of which, the case is designed in such a way that you can put the drive on any flat surface in either a horizontal or vertical position.
Furthermore, the external HDD has ventilation holes and an LED indicator that blinks or stays on depending on the activity, or lack thereof.
The Silicon Power Stream S06 HDD has a DC12V power supply and comes in 2 TB and 3 TB capacities, not just 4 TB. The weight of 770-876 grams / 1.69 – 1.91 pounds means you won't be totally comfortable carrying the thing around, even if you do have enough pockets, but it's better than 1+ kilo / 2.20 pounds or more, which some external HDDs weigh.
The drive ships with a 3-year warranty, the exclusive free download software of the SP Widget, and a 60-day trial version of NIS (Norton Internet Security). Sadly, the price is unclear.