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External Hard Drives
To help fulfill the needs of consumers who want powerful, high capacity storage that also has to be aesthetically pleasing, Hitachi created their Touro line of external hard drive. The largest and fastest of these models is the Touro Desk Pro, which combines (up to) a 3TB 3.5" 7200-rpm hard drive with a case that is both elegant and sophisticated in design. Does the Hitachi Touro Desk Pro have what it takes to compete against the likes of Seagate, Western Digital, LaCie and others in this hotly contested market niche? Read on my full review to find out.
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External Hard Drives Hitachi Touro Desktop Pro USB 3.0 Drive Review
- Gorgeous good looks
- Ventilation slits in case for increased passive cooling
- Massive capacity
- Easy to use software
- Very good performance
- Reasonable price
- Rudimentary software bundle
- No power switch
- Large footprint
Stylish Glossy Design
In many ways, the Touro Desk Pro line does not look like your typical external storage device. Instead of looking like either a utilitarian device (e.g. Seagate GoFlex Desk), Hitachi has taken a radically different approach. With its sleek curving lines, high gloss black side panel and silver body, the Hitachi Touro Desk Pro 3TB is meant to be noticed. However, while you certainly will notice it, it is doubtful many will recognize it for what it is as it looks more like a media player appliance rather than just a "mere" storage device. The external hard drive really does embody the design philosophy of hiding in plain sight. While you are meant to notice it, you may not realize what you are looking at. This is a compliment, as it is almost too good looking for its niche and it will be right at home sitting next to even the most modern of computer setups.
The only issue I have with the overall physical appearance of the Touro Desk Pro is the rather large footprint which appears to take up even more room than necessary. The two-tone color scheme coupled with its monolithic design does not help in this department and in fact, does make it look bigger than it really is. It is only after you place each next to each other that you realize the difference in thickness is only 25mm (158mm vs 183mm). This optical illusion is making a product not only stand out, but actually rebelling in it.
With that being said, while it is merely an external hard drive, Hitachi has made the Touro Desk Pro (3TB tested) quite capable. The Hitachi will be no slouch in the performance department with the high-performance 7K300 hard drive coupled with USB 3.0 interface inside its glossy case. Design-wise, however, I only have two complaints. For starter, there's no active cooling for the 7200-rpm 3.5" drive which inherently produces more wasted heat than their slower 5400-rpm counterpart. While Hitachi has done more than Seagate to keep its hard drive cool by including venting into two sides of the silver body, the Touro Desk Pro is still a passively cooled device. There's also lack of a power switch. As the drive isn't powered by USB bus, there's no way to turn it off without resorting to pulling the plug. Still, the drive does power itself down after a preset amount of idle time.
Software
While the aesthetics of the Touro Desk Pro are certainly impresses, the same can not be said of the software which accompanies this device. To be blunt, the software is rudimentary and it's not something you would usually associate with such an classy looking device. If you are used what Seagate, LaCie, Western Digital or most other manufacturers' software bundle, you will be disappointed with the Touro Desk Pro's offering.
While it is basic, it still does hit most of the crucial features most consumers require. You can setup manual or timed backup operations and even push your backups to cloud storage (3GB is included for free with the Touro Desk Pro). This, however, is all it does. You won't have access to more advanced features such as software-based encryption or modifying the amount of time before the device powers down its hard drive. On the bright side, this basic setup is intuitive and easy to use. As long as you are not looking for more robust or "power user friendly" software, it will get the job done. It is just I do wish that Hitachi had put as much effort into this area as they did on the aesthetics of the Touro Desk Pro 3TB.
In many ways, the Touro Desk Pro line does not look like your typical external storage device. Instead of looking like either a utilitarian device (e.g. Seagate GoFlex Desk), Hitachi has taken a radically different approach. With its sleek curving lines, high gloss black side panel and silver body, the Hitachi Touro Desk Pro 3TB is meant to be noticed. However, while you certainly will notice it, it is doubtful many will recognize it for what it is as it looks more like a media player appliance rather than just a "mere" storage device. The external hard drive really does embody the design philosophy of hiding in plain sight. While you are meant to notice it, you may not realize what you are looking at. This is a compliment, as it is almost too good looking for its niche and it will be right at home sitting next to even the most modern of computer setups.
The only issue I have with the overall physical appearance of the Touro Desk Pro is the rather large footprint which appears to take up even more room than necessary. The two-tone color scheme coupled with its monolithic design does not help in this department and in fact, does make it look bigger than it really is. It is only after you place each next to each other that you realize the difference in thickness is only 25mm (158mm vs 183mm). This optical illusion is making a product not only stand out, but actually rebelling in it.
With that being said, while it is merely an external hard drive, Hitachi has made the Touro Desk Pro (3TB tested) quite capable. The Hitachi will be no slouch in the performance department with the high-performance 7K300 hard drive coupled with USB 3.0 interface inside its glossy case. Design-wise, however, I only have two complaints. For starter, there's no active cooling for the 7200-rpm 3.5" drive which inherently produces more wasted heat than their slower 5400-rpm counterpart. While Hitachi has done more than Seagate to keep its hard drive cool by including venting into two sides of the silver body, the Touro Desk Pro is still a passively cooled device. There's also lack of a power switch. As the drive isn't powered by USB bus, there's no way to turn it off without resorting to pulling the plug. Still, the drive does power itself down after a preset amount of idle time.
SoftwareWhile the aesthetics of the Touro Desk Pro are certainly impresses, the same can not be said of the software which accompanies this device. To be blunt, the software is rudimentary and it's not something you would usually associate with such an classy looking device. If you are used what Seagate, LaCie, Western Digital or most other manufacturers' software bundle, you will be disappointed with the Touro Desk Pro's offering.
While it is basic, it still does hit most of the crucial features most consumers require. You can setup manual or timed backup operations and even push your backups to cloud storage (3GB is included for free with the Touro Desk Pro). This, however, is all it does. You won't have access to more advanced features such as software-based encryption or modifying the amount of time before the device powers down its hard drive. On the bright side, this basic setup is intuitive and easy to use. As long as you are not looking for more robust or "power user friendly" software, it will get the job done. It is just I do wish that Hitachi had put as much effort into this area as they did on the aesthetics of the Touro Desk Pro 3TB. 
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