5. 160 GB Via FireWire: Maxtor 3000XT

Distinguishing characteristics: while the 3000LE is decorated with red corners, the FireWire model 3000XT is entirely white and gray.

With a hefty 160 GB, the 3000XT is the biggest external drive to date. Up until now, Maxtor has held this record among the IDE drives (160 GB, 4G160J8), but it just might lose its crown to Western Digital any day now, especially because the top model from WD would run at 7200 rpm instead of only 5400 rpm.

The accessories included with the package are the same as with the 3000LE: power supply, user guide and driver CD. Installing the software and connecting the drive present no problem at all, so within a matter of minutes, users can have large storage capacities at their fingertips.

Again, with the 3000XT, two FireWire interfaces are found at the rear of the drive. This allows daisy-chaining of FireWire devices.

The hard drive shimmers through the plastic casing.