Specifications, Availability and Pricing

The Buffalo HD-HXU3 is a single drive enclosure that is available in three different configurations. You can get the HD-HXU3 in 1, 1.5 or 2TB capacity sizes and MSRPs range from 199.99 to 399.99 USD. All three models come with Memeo's award winning data AutoBackup software and a USB 3.0 cable.

Even though USB 3.0 has an increased current limit to provide more power to a device, the HD-HXU3 uses a standard 3.5 inch form factor hard drive that requires 12 volt power, so an external power plug is included and needed to operate the enclosure. The power brick is auto ranging so you can use it in the U.S. or take it with you while traveling abroad.

No matter how you slice it, USB 3.0, for now, is all about the speed increase. Buffalo states a maximum read and write speed for the HD-HXU3 as being 130 MB/s, which is pretty average for a 1TB HDD. What is not stated is if the internals will support the new SATA 6 Gbps drives, but since the DriveStation is not designed to be taken apart easily we may never know what the speeds would be with a new Seagate Barracuda XT install.

Let's take a look at the packaging and get to some performance numbers.