Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Western Digital’sMy Passport Essentialis a portable hard cause that fits well into your jeans pocket . It ’s unproblematic to use , really quiet , and provide interpret swiftness that tight rival other drives in its category .
form like an iPod classic and with rounded corners for a clean look , the machine measures 4.3 by 3.3 by 0.5 inches and count just 0.4 pounds . Only three clues let you know you ’re dealing with an international drive : the Western Digital logotype on the bottom correct corner , a pinhole - sized activity spark on the left , and the USB 3.0 port on the bottom .
While I like the shiny plastic casing that house the thrust in spite of appearance , it ’s unfortunately prone to smudges and scratches . Avariety of casesare available for the thrust , including theWD Nomad Rugged Case . Western Digital offers the driving in five colors ( black , gamey , red , ash grey , and snowy ) , but only in a 500 GB capacity . Western Digital also includes a USB 3.0 overseas telegram ( which you may plug into a Mac ’s USB 2.0 port ) , a two - year limited warrantee , and technical support and warranty information .
A PDF exploiter manual for the drive add up loaded onto the crusade itself , along with computer software that ’s actually utile . The WD Quick Formatter program prepped the Windows - formatted My Passport Essential for the Mac use in just a few clicks . The drive also ships with WD SmartWare , a utility that get you prefer the type of files to backup , password - protect the drive , run elementary diagnostics prick to check the wellness of your drive , and control when the thrust goes into light mode . The software was loose to setup and use , but note that it changes the icon of the My Passport Essential parkway .
As for the My Passport Essential ’s execution , it performed admirably , particularly in our USB 2.0 file interpretation tests . It show a 2 GB folder at speeds of 37.2MBps , close to the 37.7MBps by the G - Drive Mobile USB ( ) , and copied a 2 GB data file back to our test seam at 39.4MBps , once again close to rival the G - Drive , which had a mark of 40.0MBps .
In the AJA system of rules tests , the 38.2MBps speed it obtained in the read portion force it near the top of the course of parkway that we ’ve tested . As previously mentioned , the My Passport Essential offers USB 3.0 , which is unfortunately not supported by the Mac , but will work with the Mac ’s USB 2.0 ports .
If you ’re sensitive to noise , you ’ll be glad to cognise that the My Passport Essential is one of the quietest hard drives we ’ve tested . Only when I held it up to my ear ( when is anyone really going to do that ? ) could I hear the drive working .
Macworld’s buying advice
The My Passport Essential gives you plentifulness of hard thrust blank space in a compact and lightweight gimmick , making it much more convenient to keep your important information as close as your pocket .
