Western Digital Passport3000

[alyssastep]

I recently purchased the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB external hard drive. Upon insistence from another user (that’s you, Drew), I’m writing a review of it so others can see whether or not they’d like to make a similar purchase.

What I was looking for

I had been looking to expand my laptop’s storage capacity for a few weeks, debating whether a new internal hard drive or an external would be better.

Because I have a laptop purchased through school, I didn’t want to risk voiding any of the warranties and awesome four years of guaranteed computer repairs from school, so an external hard drive was the decision.

Portability was a big factor. Lugging around a 3.5” hard drive with a power adapter along with the USB cord wasn't a desirable option, so a search for a 2.5" began.

I don’t have an eSATA, so I needed a USB 2.0 interface; USB-powered was another preference. Above all, though, I needed something affordable. I’m in school now, unemployed, and have next to no money in my savings.

At the recommendation of some guys on the site who replied to one of my earlier threads asking about hard drives, I found NewEgg.com to be the most thorough with computer supplies.

A friend (that’s you again, Drew) showed me his small Western Digital external and I really liked it, so I set out to find something comparable.

This is what I ended up buying

Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB USB 2.0 Black External Hard Drive
$105.99, with free 3 business day shipping. It was on an amazing sale – the retail price is listed at $154.99.

When I got it (in three days, with a great shipment tracking site they e-mail you), a friend (guess who) helped clear off the unnecessary syncing software (I planned to manually move things) and converted it from FAT32 to NTFS.

I haven’t actually timed how long it takes for certain sized files to transfer, but it’s probably what you would expect from a higher end USB powered hard drive. I want to say that stealing Drew’s 80GB of music took about 40 minutes, but I could be lying.

So, some quick points:

• Aesthetically pleasing sleek design and very lightweight

• The USB cord it comes with is short (~1.5 feet), so there isn’t excessive wiring hanging all over my desk (However: this could be annoying if I had a desktop)

• A small light with the USB symbol comes on indicating it’s attached to the computer

• It’s only 298GB once it’s hooked up to my Windows system

• I’m scared I’m going to scratch the shiny exterior

• It makes next to no noise when transferring data

• I can carry it around very easily. IE: portable.

• It lays flat (not a tower)

Specifications from NewEgg:

Height: 0.590 Inches

Length: 4.967 Inches

Width: 3.130 Inches

Weight: 0.40 Pounds

Serial Bus Transfer Rate (USB 2.0)480 Mbits/s (Max)

Form Factor 2.5”

What do I think?

Overall, I’m extremely satisfied with this purchase. The amount of storage is perfect for backing up all my digital pictures from the past six years, and I have over 14,000 songs stored on it, along with various movies and TV shows (and room to spare). It caters perfectly to my need for storing media that I don’t really want bogging down my laptop’s internal HDD and sits neatly on my desk when in use, and tucks away in a desk when not.

It’s no bigger than my hand, so it truly is small and convenient, with a great design. The end.

--alyssa

P.S. Drew and I named it the Assport3000.

[Dread]

Nice review, concise, I liked.

[drew and not u]

3 Cheers for the assport3000!

I still can't believe what a deal you got on that thing. I was so proud of my 120GB passport, but now I feel really lame. Thanks a lot.

[garetjax]

Woot! Glad to see you got something that you obviously enjoy very much. The price you paid is a real bargain as well, but then again, Newegg is the one place you can go for good selection, prices, and shipping. Grats on your new toy!

[alyssastep]

thanks guise, especially the ones who helped me come to this epic decision

[drew and not u]

Assport.org

[alyssastep]

Originally Posted by drew and not u

Assport.org

did you just google assport and post the first thing that appeared?

[screwballl]

looks good... glad we could be of help in pointing you in the right direction.