Western Digital My Passport 2TB Portable Hard Drive

Last week we checked out Western Digital’s top-of-the-line performance desktop drive in the form the 1TB WD Velociraptor. This week we have another offering from Western Digital aimed at people seeking large capacities but need it in a compact solution with their My Passport portable hard drive. We have the 2TB top model from the My Passport line for review so let’s make this showy!

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	Model #	Interface	Capacity	Operating System
	WDBY8L0020BBK	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	2 TB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP0010BBK	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	1 TB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP7500ABK	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	750 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBKXH5000ABK	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	500 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP0010BBL	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	1 TB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP7500ABL	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	750 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBKXH5000ABL	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	500 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP0010BRD	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	1 TB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP7500ARD	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	750 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBKXH5000ARD	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	500 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBKXH5000AWT	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	500 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP0010BSL	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	1 TB	Windows/Mac
	WDBBEP7500ASL	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	750 GB	Windows/Mac
	WDBKXH5000ASL	USB 3.0 and USB 2.0	500 GB	Windows/Mac

Compatibility

• Formatted NTFS for Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
• Requires reformatting for Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard, or Lion

Package Includes

• Portable hard drive
• USB cable
• Quick install guide

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CLOSER LOOK

Western Digital ships the My Passport in a simple cardboard box with a thermo-formed plastic shell protecting the portable drive inside.

Opening up the packaging, we have a the portable hard drive, a cable and some documentation.

The My Passport, as listed above, comes in varying styles and color except the 2TB version. This version only comes in Midnight Black.

The USB cable is compatible with both USB2.0 and USB3.0 and is around a foot in length.

SOFTWARE

The Western Digital My Passport comes bundled with a couple of applications which includes SmartWare, WD Drive Utilities and WD Security. WD Security is an encryption program that will protect all data in your drive from prying eyes except for those that know the password. WD Drive Utilities feature some common drive management tools but the real goodie here is the SmartWare back-up software. The aptly-named SmartWare backup program intelligently backups your data, either by category or selected files, and runs in the background. This is a nifty addition for people who will be using their My Passport for backup purposes.

PERFORMANCE

[tabs tab1="Crystal DiskMark" tab2="ATTO Disk Benchmark" tab3="File Transfer Test"]

This test clearly shows us what benefits USB3.0 brings to the table. The increase in transfer speeds equates to faster file transfers.

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CONCLUSION

Western Digital has managed to prove that the capacity of a hard drive shouldn’t be tied down to its form-factor. While the majority of competition top-out at 1TB in the 2.5″ portable hard disk segment, Western Digital demolishes everyone with a 2TB solution packed with SuperSpeed USB3.0 for some solid performance. Maxing out the USB3.0 interface, this drive is at the top of its game.

With a well-built case housing only a  2.5″ drive, this is certainly the most interesting aspect of the My Passport. With a large capacity stemming from such a small package, this drive is easily carried around and can be connected to any modern PC with a USB port. The drive itself is powered straight off the bus so there’s no need for extra power making it extremely portable and versatile.

Although we’ve seen USB3.0 devices perform at a much higher level, the capacity and portability alone is enough reason for us to give the Western Digital My Passport our approval. We recommend the Western Digital My Passport for anyone seeking large capacity storage that can be carried anywhere. Backed by a 3-year warranty for the APAC/Japan region, Western Digital is confident you’ll have a long relationship with this drive.