| | |  | Computer Accessories | Home » » Iomega UltraMax Hard Drive, eSATA/FireWire 800/FireWire 400/USB 2.0, 1TB - 34166 | | | | | | | Description: | | The Iomega UltraMax Hard Drive, eSATA/FireWire 800/FireWire 400/USB 2.0, 1TB is a high performance (eSATA 3GBits/sec) storage solution with multiple connection capabilities and a sleek design that perfectly complements the latest Mac computers. It includes one eSATA port, two FireWire 800 ports, one FireWire 400 port, and one USB 2.0 port (eSATA PCI card sold separately). | | | Features: | |
• USB/FW400/FW800 2.0
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 4.5 inches | | Product Width:
| 7.63 inches | | Product Height:
| 11.13 inches | | Product Weight:
| 2.49 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 7.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 5.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 3.6 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 26 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 26 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 Fan noise noticeable, but not a deal-breaker.Aug 30, 2008
By Robert W. Short
"rob65046"
I hate to write a review after only having this product for two days (since longevity / life of the drive is what I think is most important when rating a HDD), but I felt the need to respond to the 3-star reviewer from August 29th who said the fan noise was too loud.
I use this drive with my Macbook Pro, and while I do notice the fan noise, it's not going to drive me crazy. I keep mine on all the time since I use it for my Time Machine backups.
As for the performance of the drive: mine is connected via the Firewire 800 port. The write speed is clocking in at 55 MB/s (440 Mb/s) and the read speed is clocking in at 75.2 MB/s (601.6 Mb/s). I used the AJA KONA system test for both of these benchmarks.
Update: After posting my initial reactions on August 30th, 2008, I wanted to update this review. It's now April 5th, 2009, and this drive has been a tank. No data loss issues. I only stumbled across this old review of mine because I wanted to see if you could daisy-chain these drives. I still can't find any information on that. It does seem that backing up using time machine takes longer than it should, but I've got no basis for comparison since this is the first drive I've used with time machine.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Works great on 24" iMac (2.93Ghz Intel, FW800)Sep 06, 2009
By Twiddles42
Pros:
--------
* small form factor
* two FW 800 ports for direct daisy-chaining
* FW 400 port for a separate device (NICE TOUCH!!)
* eSATA port (not needed, but nice!)
* 7200RPM
* great price!
* aluminium case feels sturdy, not cheap
* size of cable inside case suggests the actual drive is a SATA drive. Makes replacement easy if HD goes out but want to keep the case for its ports. (Logical, given the eSATA connector.)
* white and blue LEDs? :)
Cons:
--------
* Without a fan blowing at it, the drive gets warm to the touch -- despite the drive's shell being of aluminium construction for faster heat dissipation. See notes below for more detail.
Other thoughts:
----------------
Between a new WD Studio Mac edition (1TB) and this Iomega, I went with the Iomega. It's 7200RPM, so it's faster. The number of included ports is fantastic, and I can now hook up my firewire CD-ROM drive on its own FW400 channel. The other FW800 connector will go to another drive one day (maybe even the WD as it's harder to find the Iomega model.)
I started a 660GB file transfer from a two year old WD 1TB drive fitted in an external USB case -- the whole process took 7 hours. Appx 1.5GB/minute transfer rate is not bad under these circumstances (from USB to FW800), probably. This might also explain why the drive got warm - the constant level of activity. The USB drive was much warmer to the touch, so putting a small fan nearby to blow air over both drives helped immensely. The USB drive is going to be recycled once the transfer is complete.
Now, I had read others' negative reviews. Most of them discuss the integrated cooling fan. Too few reports of faulty hard drives (which are a possibility by default to begin with) to worry myself over.
For $150 or less, it's rather a fair bargain.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
runs fineJun 01, 2009
By J. Blythe
Iomega's UltraMax is a fine hard drive. It comes pre-formatted for Mac computers and has firewire 400 and 800 connectors. I used it to backup my PowerBook G4 running "Time Machine" when my 120 GB portable drive filled. The firewire 800 draws alot of power even though the hard drive is plugged in. However using firewire is a substantial improvement over using the first Generation USB port on the computer for backups, mainly because I can leave it plugged in. I've been running daily backups, and switch it off in between, because it if left on it would provide humming white noise sound many times louder than my computer. I hope this drive will continue to serve as my backup when I eventually upgrade my laptop, hopefully to another Mac to avoid cross-platform compatibility problems.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Fast and QuietAug 23, 2009
By Anthony J. Fiore
"Smike"
I use my 1TB on my iMac and have had no issues in the 2 months I've owned it. I use it to store my professional photographs and it hasn't disappointed. I use the firewire connection and everything works perfect.
I've seen several reviews about the fan being noisy. I have it sitting on my desk and can barely hear it if I'm actually sitting there listening for it.
I'm probably be getting another 1 - 2 TB drive in the near future and imagine it will be another Iomega.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Iomega UltraMax Hard Drive. Own Two, Love Both.Aug 04, 2009
By Steph
I needed a Firewire 800 external drive to edit high def movies at home. I bought a 750GB model in Feb and a 1TB model in May. Oddly enough, the 1TB model is more compact and uses a different power cord even though I purchased both from the same vendor. I can tell you both enclosures are QUIET. I am wondering how people have so many problems with fan noise. (I'm NOT doubting them... just wondering how I have two varying enclosures, and both of them are quiet) When I bought the first one, there were few reviews. But when I got the second one, I had seen more negative reviews. This caused me to research another two days before just getting another Iomega.
I have to tell you, these things are fast. And they are Mac compatible out the box. They just work. When I quit iMovie and eject the drive, the disk quits spinning right away. I love that they have a switch on the back to shut them off! It simplifies things for me, as I only use them for scratch disks. (I use them for Final Cut too) I'm just not big on hard drives that automatically turn off and on. They can be a hassle at times. So I prefer the dedicated power switch on these units.
I do very graphic intensive editing. And because Macs do not work with AVCHD natively, I have to do a lot of intensive processing just to get the files in a useable format. And the whole time, I find the fans to be pretty quiet.
The ONLY reason I'm giving a 4 star rating is because these drives are both less than one year old. So I cannot attest to the longevity of them. Only the performance so far. I'm actually looking to buy my third drive and the 1 star reviews prompted me to speak up.
I cannot say these are the best drives on the market. That would be presumptuous. I would have to spend a lot of time doing a lot of work with a lot of brands before I could say that. But I am pleased so far.
A side note.... To try and hedge my bets, I have bought cheaper USB only 1.5TB drives from Seagate to back these up. (they cost MUCH less with only one interface offered) I suggest a similar tactic. (as in some affordable medium that is used for STORING ONLY... no need to buy a quadruple interface drive to just do backups) For giggles, I tried to use the Seagate as a scratch disk. It was PAINFUL. I didn't giggle very long.
Anyway. I have enjoyed my Iomega Ultramax hard drives.
See all 26 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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