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!
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
CLOSER LOOK
[one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=6753 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=6754 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half]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.
[one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=6757 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=6758 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half]The My Passport, as listed above, comes in varying styles and color except the 2TB version. This version only comes in Midnight Black.
[one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=6760 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=6761 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half]The USB cable is compatible with both USB2.0 and USB3.0 and is around a foot in length.
SOFTWARE
[one_third last=”no”][singlepic id=6762 w=160 h=180 float=center][/one_third][one_third last=”no”][singlepic id=6763 w=160 h=180 float=center][/one_third][one_third last=”yes”][singlepic id=6764 w=160 h=180 float=center][/one_third]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”] [tab]Crystal Disk Mark is a storage benchmarking software was developed by “hiyohiyo†of Japan, and is available for free. Crystal Disk Mark  measures sequential, and random read/write speeds of storage devices.
USB3.0
[singlepic id=6765 w=560 float=center]USB2.0
[singlepic id=6766 w=560 float=center]The benchmark clearly shows a large gap in performance between USB2 and the 3.0 specification. The drive maxes out the USB2.0 and reaches a respectable 112MB/s in both read and write speeds in the sequential test.
[/tab] [tab]ATTO Disk Benchmark benchmarks a drive’s read and write speeds with increasing file sizes and graphs them.
[singlepic id=6768 w=560 float=center]Again, similar numbers we’ve seen so far here. With the drive maxing out at around 40MB/s at USB2.0 and 110MB/s for USB3.0 for both read and writes.
[/tab] [tab]To test out real-world copy performance, we use TeraCopy and record the time it takes to copy 3,310 5.54GB of varying file sizes and types to and from the drive.
[singlepic id=6767 w=560 float=center][/tab]This test clearly shows us what benefits USB3.0 brings to the table. The increase in transfer speeds equates to faster file transfers.
[/tabs]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.
