Conclusion

With so many choices in the marketplace, external hard disk drives have become somewhat of a commodity, differentiated mainly by storage capacity and price. Hence, branded manufacturers like Seagate and Western Digital try to differentiate their products by offering value-added features like faster interfaces, E-labels and backup and encryption software.

The Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB (WDBACY5000ABK) is no exception. It looks like many other USB 2.0 external hard disk drives but it sports cutting-edge features like a new USB 3.0 interface and WD's SmartWare backup and encryption software.

The WD SmartWare software is a very useful piece of software. It doesn't just perform simple backups - it can actually perform automatic, continuous backup of files that change as you work. It can also be used to lock and encrypt the drive, preventing its contents from being accessed should it be stolen. Very useful for the security conscious and the paranoid.

Those who are not interested in bundled software will still be impressed by its performance. When used with standard USB 2.0 ports, it boasts one of the fastest USB 2.0 transfer rates we have seen so far. It gets better when you upgrade to USB 3.0 - you will experience a marked boost in transfer rate of up to 92%. Only Western Digital's use of lower density platters prevented this drive from matching the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 500 GB external USB 3.0 hard disk drive in performance.

The other good thing about this drive is how cool it runs. It is currently the coolest-running external hard disk drive in our database in the USB 2.0 mode. Even though its operating temperature increased in the USB 3.0 mode, it was cooler than some USB 2.0 drives.

Best of all, the Western Digital My Passport Essential is priced at the same level as other 500 GB external drives, even those that only support USB 2.0. Therefore, it makes great sense to buy this drive than a run-of-the mill USB 2.0 external hard disk drive even if you do not have a computer that supports USB 3.0. When you finally upgrade to USB 3.0, you will instantly experience the performance benefits of USB 3.0 without the need to buy a new USB 3.0 external hard disk drive.

For the lowest current prices on Western Digital My Passport Essential external USB 3.0 hard disk drives, click here!

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