Western Digital My Passport Essential Hard Drive-320GB MY PASSPORT ESSENTIAL 2.5 2.5IN RED

...

don't ship with the included case, but you can pick up the CaseLogic Small External Hard Drive Case (Black) for $10 or $15.

The Features

Connecting this drive to different computer OS versions is a snap, including Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X. Keep in mind this is a USB 2.0 device so ancient computers may not yield the same results.

Transfer speeds are ok but definitely slower than the A/C powered MyBooks. This guy is still limited by the 480 Mps connection speed of USB 2.0, but performs somewhat slower than this when performing large backups. It's listed at 5400 RPMs. The USB2.0 speed rating can not really be achieved in production and you will get a fraction of that. But it's a trade-off that's worth it since it's USB-powered.

The software utilities included with this device will be most useful for beginners. I tested the backup software in particular but found it to be slow and impractical. I mean REALLY slow. It works, but cutting and pasting is better. Take my advice: don't use these utilities and just do cut and paste backups and saves to this drive.

Reliability

I've had good luck with the passport line of drives. They seem to have lower failure rates than many MyBook drives, though I also own those and haven't had issues there either. Maybe my gentle care has helped me to get lucky with these guys so far. Maybe it's because these drives are generally off when in transit. Regardless, these guys have held up fine.

Pros
+ Largest current capacity available in this line of products
+ Nice portable form factor that easily connects via USB
+ USB powered, no A/C required, which is great for portability
+ Works well on Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X
+ Easy to set up disk encryption for security and privacy
+ Nice looks, and many cool color options
+ Turns on and off with your computer or easily ejected via system tray
+ Easy plug-and-play installation
+ Integrates nicely with my growing stable of WD MyBook drives
+ Included software may be useful for some novices
+ 320 GB capacity is just about right for most users

Cons
- Somewhat slow file transfer speeds for larger backups
- Included software not useful for power users
- Shiny body attracts scratch, fingerprints and dust
- Have to spend your cash to get a case that should have been included

Conclusion

This drive is great or those who want a portable drive for backups on the run. It's nice getting the 320GB capacity in one drive. There are smaller drives but other than capacity there is no real difference between them. Watch the price changes and choose the unit that's right for you.

Enjoy!

Western Digital My Passport Essential Hard Drive-320GB MY PASSPORT ESSENTIAL 2.5 2.5IN RED

...

don't ship with the included case, but you can pick up the CaseLogic Small External Hard Drive Case (Black) for $10 or $15.



The Features



Connecting this drive to different computer OS versions is a snap, including Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X. Keep in mind this is a USB 2.0 device so ancient computers may not yield the same results.



Transfer speeds are ok but definitely slower than the A/C powered MyBooks. This guy is still limited by the 480 Mps connection speed of USB 2.0, but performs somewhat slower than this when performing large backups. It's listed at 5400 RPMs. The USB2.0 speed rating can not really be achieved in production and you will get a fraction of that. But it's a trade-off that's worth it since it's USB-powered.



The software utilities included with this device will be most useful for beginners. I tested the backup software in particular but found it to be slow and impractical. I mean REALLY slow. It works, but cutting and pasting is better. Take my advice: don't use these utilities and just do cut and paste backups and saves to this drive.



Reliability



I've had good luck with the passport line of drives. They seem to have lower failure rates than many MyBook drives, though I also own those and haven't had issues there either. Maybe my gentle care has helped me to get lucky with these guys so far. Maybe it's because these drives are generally off when in transit. Regardless, these guys have held up fine.



Pros

+ Largest current capacity available in this line of products

+ Nice portable form factor that easily connects via USB

+ USB powered, no A/C required, which is great for portability

+ Works well on Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X

+ Easy to set up disk encryption for security and privacy

+ Nice looks, and many cool color options

+ Turns on and off with your computer or easily ejected via system tray

+ Easy plug-and-play installation

+ Integrates nicely with my growing stable of WD MyBook drives

+ Included software may be useful for some novices

+ 320 GB capacity is just about right for most users



Cons

- Somewhat slow file transfer speeds for larger backups

- Included software not useful for power users

- Shiny body attracts scratch, fingerprints and dust

- Have to spend your cash to get a case that should have been included



Conclusion



This drive is great or those who want a portable drive for backups on the run. It's nice getting the 320GB capacity in one drive. There are smaller drives but other than capacity there is no real difference between them. Watch the price changes and choose the unit that's right for you.



Enjoy!