Seagate today announced the 3TB FreeAgent GoFlex Desk external hard drive, the first 3 Terabyte (TB) external desktop drive.

The 3TB GoFlex Desk external drive couples immense capacity with the flexibility to adapt the drive's USB 2.0 interface to a USB 3.0 or FireWire 800 connection to meet varying performance and transfer speed needs. Consumers can create, store and access content from either a Windows or Mac OS X computer on the GoFlex Desk external drive, thanks to an included NTFS driver for Mac.

The GoFlex Desk external drive also delivers automatic, continuous backup with software file encryption. The standard USB 2.0 interface can be upgraded to USB 3.0 or FireWire 800 by coupling the drive with the appropriate GoFlex desktop adapter to increase file transfer performance by up to 10x.

Each drive includes an NTFS driver for Mac, which allows the drive to store and access files from both Windows and Mac OS X computers without reformatting. The NTFS driver is simply installed once on a Mac computer, allowing it to read and write files on a Windows formatted⁵ drive. Its black , 3.5-inch design sits either vertically or horizontally to accommodate any desktop environment.

The 3TB GoFlex Desk external drive with USB 2.0 adapter can be purchased on Seagate.com and through select retailers for $249.99.

FreeAgent GoFlex Desk Kit 3TB specifications

Model Number: STAC3000100
Interface: GoFlex
Capacity:3TB

Height: 158mm (6.22 in)
Width: 124mm (4.88 in)
Length: 44mm (1.73 in)
Weight (typical): 1080g (2.38 lb)
Shipping Weight: 1.080kg (2.381 lb)

Encryption: AES 192-bit (Windows OS)
Automatic Backup Software: PC & Mac
Warranty: 2 years