Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review

We look at the MiniStation Extreme from Buffalo, a durable external solution with a pleasant 1TB capacity. Read on as Tyler gives us all the details.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: Buffalo
2 minutes & 6 seconds read time
Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 99

External storage solutions come in all shapes and sizes. In addition to this, as most of you know, these solutions are also purpose built to suit whether you want an extremely quick or highly durable solution.

The solution we have in the lab today comes from Buffalo in the form of the MiniStation Extreme. The MiniStation is available in both 500GB and 1TB capacities and features military class shock protection due to its internal design. Optionally, you can also setup 256Bit AES encryption via included software.

Compatibility of the MiniStation Extreme extends from modern Windows operating systems to OS X 10.5+

MSRP for the 1TB MiniStation Extreme is set at $99.99 with a three-year warranty.

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 02

Scope of delivery for the MiniStation leaves us with reading materials, a USB 3.0 extension cable, and the drive itself.

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 03

The drive houses a special USB 3.0 cable that tucks into the enclosure. In addition to this, we have a small plastic enclosure with rubberized sides to give the drive added durability.

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 10

Software included with the HD-PZU3 includes Secure Lock Manager for encryption and TurboPCex, which speeds up transfers to the device.

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 11

During setup, the software will ask if you want to enable encryption on your device.

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 12

Above, we have our read performance. As you can see, the MiniStation Extreme did quite well, coming in at 114.2 MB/s.

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 13

Write performance came in at 113 MB/s, keeping the drive towards the top of our charts.

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 14

Finally, we have our Price/Performance chart. The Buffalo MiniStation came in at 73 percent, putting it in the top 5 for all 2.5-inch external drives.

The Buffalo MiniStation Extreme is certainly a drive worth considering if you are in the market for an external storage solution. The drive carries a tremendous amount of durability with its build materials and has been tested to comply with military standards. In fact, as you might have noticed, this is the first external drive I wasn't able to get internal pictures of. Not because I couldn't get the unit open, but because to do so would result in the enclosure being left worthless; that's how well the unit is built.

Performance of the unit was pretty good and indicative of the internal parts used in this case being a standard 2.5-inch hard drive. The Buffalo MiniStation did come out being a top five drive in all of our testing, and the charts above reflect this as well.

Value added features for this unit include the software encryption capabilities and the TurboPCex software, if you should choose to install it.

MSRP of the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB is set at $99.99 with a three-year warranty. Current market pricing can be found below.

PRICING: You can find the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB (Black) retails for $99.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB (Silver) retails for CDN$158.34 at Amazon Canada.

What do TweakTown.com awards mean? Click for details!

Buffalo MiniStation Extreme 1TB External HDD Review 100

PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.

USUnited States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com

UKUnited Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk

AUAustralia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au

CACanada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca

DEDeutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de

Tyler joined the TweakTown team in 2013 and has since reviewed 100s of new techy items. Growing up in a small farm town, tech wasn't around, unless it was in a tractor. At an early age, Tyler's parents brought home their first PC. Tyler was hooked and learned what it meant to format a HDD, spending many nights reinstalling Windows 95. Tyler's love and enthusiast nature always kept his PC nearby. Eager to get deeper into tech, he started reviewing.

Newsletter Subscription
We openly invite the companies who provide us with review samples / who are mentioned or discussed to express their opinion. If any company representative wishes to respond, we will publish the response here. Please contact us if you wish to respond.