Buffalo DriveStation HD-LBU3 2TB Review

Buffalo might not be the first company that comes to your mind when considering a backup drive, but its family of devices provide a simple and cost effective solution to back up your information. Unlike the company’s LinkStation range which is designed for medium-sized businesses, the DriveStation series is best suited to individuals or even homes wanting to share central data. And unlike Buffalo’s NAS devices which include software to manage your essential backups, the DriveStation’s low cost means they don’t include any software. We had a look at the company’s latest USB 2.0 drive to see if it delivers any of these benefits.

What is it and who is it for?

Buffalo’s DriveStation HD-LBU2 is an easy to use external hard disk drive that lets you add additional external storage to any Windows or Mac computer using a regular USB 2.0 port. The DriveStation isn’t the most robust or eye catching device of its type, but its black glossy chassis will be deemed sleek by many and it can be positioned vertically or horizontally, adapting to the location it is used in for an efficient use of space. Like we mentioned above, the DriveStation is best suited to individuals or even homes wanting to share central data.

Pricing & setup

The HD-LBU2 (39x123x189mm, 950g) is one of lowest cost external hard drives in its class. Available in either a 1TB (£45) or 2TB (£62) capacity. It’s also one of the easiest to use. The drive ships with an AC power adapter and USB cable, so you’re good to go straight from the box. Sadly it can’t be powered by your computer because the power requirements from the 3.5-inch drive are too much.

Installation is automatic once you connect the drive to your computer, eliminating the need to install any drivers. It’s even pre-formatted (NTFS) for immediate use. Power on/off is automatic—just plug it in to a PC (Windows 7, Vista, XP) or Mac (Mac OS 10.4 or later) and you can store, access and transfer files, images, documents, backups or whatever.

Does it do it well?

The DriveStation HD-LBU2 is best suited to users looking for a quick and easy way to extend their computers storage capacity. The drive is pre-formatted for immediate use and you don’t even have to worry about installing drivers. The drive itself is functional and it performs reasonably, although you can find faster and more powerful external drives. Ease of use is further exemplified by the fact the DriveStation HD-LBU2 has only a single SATA 3.5-inch (7, 200rpm) drive installed, negating the headache of managing RAID configurations.