INTRODUCTION

   People who wish to expand their available media storage without introducing a new 3.5/2.5" interior drive have three valid options, either opt for a external 2.5/3.5" hard drive or for a much more expensive (and functional) NAS. Price and size (let's not also forget that not everyone knows about them) are the two main reasons people choose not to go with a NAS so 2.5/3.5" solutions are far more popular today. On the other hand although we all have at least one 2.5" portable hard disk drive with a current maximum storage capacity of 4TB (not to mention their performance) they may not be quite enough for demanding users so that pretty much only leaves 3.5" desktop hard disk drives which are available in capacities all the way up to 8TB. Unfortunately unlike the bus-powered 2.5" portable models which work just by plugging them into a USB 3.0 port (4.5W output @ 0.9A) 3.5" external models require far more power than what most USB 3.0 ports can output (7-10W) and to get that power an extra power adapter must be plugged into a electrical socket. Seagate seems determined to solve this and their first attempt is the somewhat impressive Innov8 external hard disk drive which we've been testing for roughly 3 weeks now.

   Founded in 1979, Seagate is the leading provider of hard drives and storage solutions. From the videos, music and documents we share with friends and family on social networks, to servers that form the backbone of enterprise data centers and cloud-based computing, to desktop and notebook computers that fuel our personal productivity, Seagate products help more people store, share and protect their valuable digital content. Seagate offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of hard disk drives, solid-state drives and solid-state hybrid drives. In addition, the company offers an extensive line of retail storage products for consumers and small businesses, along with data-recovery services for any brand of hard drive and digital media type. Seagate employs more than 50,000 people around the world.

   Thanks to another partnership between Seagate and Huge Design (also the ones behind the 2.5" Seven drive) the Innov8 is unlike any other 3.5" external HDD model in the market today largely thanks to its "rugged/industrial" looks courtesy of the pure aluminum enclosure. Under the hood Seagate has placed their award winning Archive HDD 8TB SATA III HDD which features Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) with 6 platters (1.33TB each), spins at 5900RPM and has a total of 128MB cache. Due to the rather "low" electrical requirements of the Archive HDD compared to other similar drives (roughly 7.5W at load) Seagate has made it possible to power the Innov8 via a USB 3.1 type-C cable (1.5A) and their rather innovative ignition boost technology. The ignition boost technology is actually a built-in 12Whr Lithium-Polymer 3162mAh rechargeable battery pack which supplies just enough power to the drive for its spin-up procedure (it may also supply the drive with power instantly when/if the USB port is unable to). Seagate also offers a total of 200GB worth of cloud space in Microsoft’s OneDrive service and backs the Innov8 with a 3 year limited warranty. So after roughly 3 weeks of using and testing the Innov8 the time has come for us to share our results with all of you.