I bet the encryption software is Windows-only and Mac/Linux users will have their share of fun if they decided to start using the bundled software first. 'If you are into data security, the Backup Plus Ultra Touch is a great secure storage/backup option that is well worth those extra few dollars it commands over the competition.' Pretty much zero information about how encryption is handled yet so much emphasis on it as a feature in this whole review (and the title!)ĭo you have to enter the password every time the drive is connected? (I hope so) How does this process look? Performance tested with encryption enabled? (Should be practically zero difference, but for the sake of completeness) Keep in mind that results will vary based on the workload and ambient air temperature. For SSDs, this test also reveals if the drive has a pseudo-SLC cache, which is a small portion of faster-programmed flash that absorbs incoming write workloads. data to see when (or if) thermal throttling kicks in and how it impacts performance.

When possible, we also log the temperature of the drive via the S.M.A.R.T. We tossed in this one last test to measure the performance of the drive over a 15-minute window. Write speed and temperature are two important and inter-related metrics for external devices. And, scaling out to a QD of 4 or even 128 doesn’t improve performance much, but rather just exaggerates latency. This results in an IOPS throughput of 113 IOPS read and 286 IOPS write, which is just a fraction of what something like the SanDisk Extreme or other SSDs are capable of. Seagate’s Backup Plus Ultra Touch boasts random read latency that comes in at ~8.8ms read and 3.5ms write. During sequential transfers, performance peaked out at 132MBps read/write. On average, Seagate’s Backup Plus Ultra Touch ranks last overall.

Seagate backup plus ultra slim review