Buffalo 500GB MiniStation Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive with Thunderbolt Cable

The fastest connection interfaces available.

Buffalo's MiniStation Thunderbolt hard drive offers easy plug-and-play USB and Thunderbolt storage—with Thunderbolt technology providing unparalleled transfer speeds and a USB 3.0 port ensuring universal connectivity. The MiniStation Thunderbolt portable hard drive delivers speeds up to 10 Gbps, which are two times faster than USB 3.0, so you get the fastest portable storage interface ever.
  • Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 for unparalleled speed
  • All cables included (Thunderbolt and USB 3.0)
  • Sleek aluminum design with hard drive LED
  • Compatible with Time Machine
  • Three-year warranty
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Questions & Answers

8 Questions + 10 Answers

5.0 out of 5 stars

Based on 1 review

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Purchase Information

$199.95

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Available to ship:
1-2 months
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Features

Apple Recommends For

Great for creative professionals and multimedia enthusiasts who want rapid backup of all the files on their Mac.

Buffalo's MiniStation Thunderbolt is a high-performance portable Thunderbolt drive featuring the revolutionary Thunderbolt technology. Delivering the fastest interface speeds available—up to 10 Gbps*—Thunderbolt is perfect for creative professionals and multimedia enthusiasts.

Unparalleled speed

The MiniStation Thunderbolt portable hard drive features the revolutionary Thunderbolt storage technology, which is two times faster than USB 3.0, raising the bar on how you transfer, store, and transport data. You can also daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt devices to maximize use of a single port.**

USB compatibility

Coupled with the lightning-fast Thunderbolt storage technology is a USB 3.0 port for universal connectivity. Simply plug it into any available USB port on your computer and instantly add capacity or store files to take on the road. Plug-and-play usability means there are no drivers to install. The MiniStation Thunderbolt portable hard drive is pre-formatted for Mac computers, but you can easily reformat it for use with PCs.***

Time Machine backup

The drive is compatible with Time Machine, so you can schedule backups and automatically protect your important files with ease.

All cables included

To give you a complete portable Thunderbolt drive solution, the drive comes with all necessary cables and components. Simply plug it in to any available Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 port on your Mac or PC*** and instantly add capacity or securely store files to take on the road.

Compact and convenient

Housed in a sleek aluminum body, the MiniStation Thunderbolt portable hard drive is a stylish storage companion for your Mac while on the go and at home. It offers the convenience of bus power and works with Mac and PC,*** so you can access your files from whichever computer you're on, even while away from home.

Highlights

  • Dual interface, bus powered, plug and play
  • Thunderbolt technology offers interface speeds up to 10 Gbit/s for lightning-fast transfers
  • USB offers universal plug and play connectivity and interface speeds up to 5 Gbit/s in USB 3.0 mode
  • Backward compatible with USB 2.0
  • Includes both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 cables
  • Sleek aluminum design
  • Time Machine compatible
  • Three-year warranty with 24/7 U.S.-based technical support

Did You Notice?

The dual Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 interface provides the fastest transfer rates for both new and older Macs.

Technical Specs

General

  • Other Features: Time Machine Compatible
  • Hard Drive Type: External

Power

  • Power Source: Bus Powered

Dimension

  • Weight: 9.28 oz./263.08 g
  • Height: 5.12 in./13 cm
  • Width: 3.17 in./8.05 cm
  • Length: 0.92 in./2.34 cm

Compatibility

Mac

  • Mac OS X v10.6.6 or later

Windows

  • Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit)/Vista (32-bit/64-bit)/XP/Server 2003/Server 2003 R2/Server 2008/Server 2008 R2

What's in the Box?

  • Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt hard drive
  • Thunderbolt cable (19.7 in./50 cm)
  • USB 3.0 cable (19.7 in./50 cm)
  • Three-year warranty statement

Manufacturer Information

Warranty

  • Note: Products sold through this website that do not bear the Apple Brand name are serviced and supported exclusively by their manufacturers in accordance with terms and conditions packaged with the products. Apple's Limited Warranty does not apply to products that are not Apple-branded, even if packaged or sold with Apple products. Please contact the manufacturer directly for technical support and customer service.
  • Warranty: Three year

Part Number

  • UPC or EAN No.: 747464125114
  • Mfr. Part Number: HD-PA500TU3

Manufacturer Note

  • Note: *Speeds shown represent maximum interface connection speeds. Actual device transfer speeds will vary based on hard drive specifications and host devices.**MiniStation Thunderbolt does not have a Thunderbolt pass-through port, so it must be the last device on a daisy-chain.***Windows OS systems only supported using USB connection.
 

Ratings & Reviews

5.0

Based on 1 review

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Most Useful Reviews

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars

    Speed and Value

    • Written by from Fair Oaks Ranch

    Includes Thunderbolt cable and USB3 interface. While it takes a RAID0 or SSD to see the real speed of Thunderbolt, this drive is still no slouch. Faster than anything out there in the non-SSD portable market. Absolutely bus powered, not even an option for external power. I use it with my mid-2011 MBA and it gives me plenty of room and speed to work on Final Cut projects on the road. It has been banging around in my roll-aboard for 2 months now, so it seems to be road worthy so far. I like the looks, too.

    Only drawback is that is only has one TBolt port, so it has to be on the end of a daisy-chain.     …More

    39 of 39 people found this useful

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Questions & Answers

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See all 8 Questions

Most Interesting

  • will in work with my mac book pro
    • Asked by Alexander H from Port Arthur
    • Mar 24, 2013

    2 Answers

    Answer

    Yes!

    • Answered by Andre K
    • Apr 1, 2013
  • Can you use this to transfer docs from Mac to PC or vice versa?
    • Asked by Lyn L from Brighton
    • Dec 7, 2012

    2 Answers

    Answer

    It would be better to format it ExFAT than FAT. With ExFAT, you'd have the same interoperability between Windows and Mac OS X, but you'd have fewer capacity restrictions. ExFAT was designed for larger FLASH drives specifically to be functional for both Windows and OS X.

    As file systems go, it's not as good as either NTFS or the Mac OS X journaled file system, but it's the best option for passing files back and forth between the two operating systems.     …More

    • Answered by Will M from Charlottesville
    • Feb 26, 2013
  • can i use this to stream movies onto my Ipad Thanks..
    • Asked by Lana C from Melbourne
    • Feb 25, 2013

    1 Answer

    Answer

    No. The iPad lacks any kind of interface to connect to any external hard drive. It's not designed to communicate with external hard drives. …More

    • Answered by Will M from Charlottesville
    • Feb 26, 2013

Recently Answered

Featured Question

Hi, I have a MacBook air, OS X 10.7.5, 4 GB, & Time Capsule. What would thunderbolt/USB 3.0 portable hard drive offer?
  • Asked by Kathryn D M from Cranston
  • May 1, 2013
Answer
† Exceptions apply. The shown delivery date may encounter additional time for some localities. Click here for details.