Western Digital Passport 320 GB - Nice Looking Portable External HD

Not practical, needs more USB power to work | Western Digital 320 GB Passport 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive

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	• Western Digital 320 GB Passport 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive Western Digital Western Digital average customer review:based on 64 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Reliable so far

My only concern with a device this small is its reliability and that it continued to hold the data that you're backing up on it. I've been using the drive for over a week and have not had any issues with it. It mounts easily to the desktop and holds about 300GB of data from the advertised 350GB. Its lightweight and small which is a requirement as I use the drive for traveling.

The only issue that I would comment negetivly about this device is that the copy speeds are less than amazing for USB2.0. Nothing that would prevent me from recommending the drive, just don't expect to be in a hurry if you have 1000GB of files to copy over. Overall a great product from Western Digital.

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Western Digital Passport 320 GB - Nice Looking Portable External HD

Western Digital 320 GB Passport 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive

The 320 GB passport is the largest one available and has a lot going for it. I own several portable hard drives in the Western Digital passport lineup and so far so good. I couldn't be happier. Some smaller sizes are priced more attractively. Passport hard drives also come in a new and slightly thicker essentials version. They are very similar other than the slightly different form factor. Both are great for mobile backups of data, but both are also slower to copy large backups than their A/C powered MyBook big-brothers.

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, in my opinion better looking than the new essentials version
+ 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
- At this price less of a value than the 250GB passport

There's also a newer version that isn't out on Amazon yet and an Elite version.

The Looks

The drive has a nice shiny exterior with an offset shape with a blue activity light. The case can scratch in transit and the surface also attracts fingerprints and dust. But the look is still nice and you can easily purchase a case or holder for the drive if it bothers you. Most versions don't ship with the included case, but you can pick it up for $10 or $15. CaseLogic Small External Hard Drive Case (Black)

The Features

I had no problem connecting this drive to any computer, 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. 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 their 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.

Conclusion

This drive is great or those who want a portable drive for backups on the run. You can get this 250GB WD Passport Portable Hard Drive 250 GB/Go version for around $100, versus the $150 charged for the 320 GB. That makes the 250 GB unit a better value than the 320 GB on a $ price per GB basis. Still, some will need the 320GB capacity in one drive. Other than price and capacity there is no real difference between them. If you're like me, once you try these you will end up getting several of them anyway. Get one soon!

Enjoy!

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Not practical, needs more USB power to work

Good points:

1. very nice looking, light weight, good size, well designed.
2. recognized easily by My PC's, desk and laptop, for a first few times as soon as it was plugged in.
3. data transfer is fast.

Not so good points:

1. It stopped being recognized by my PC's after a few days.
2. The reason may be, as many reviews have said: insufficient USB power. You need to have a Y cable, that you have to buy and carry around to feed it. It is the only reason I returned it.
3. there might be some other reasons too.

My wish: It would be an ideal item if
1.More USB power without the need of a Y cable, or
2. at least provided a free cable to compensate for the inconvenience.

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Neat little quality drive

Works well XP & Vista. Get the case package as well to keep it safe & tidy. Good price.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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