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 2 TB (WDBY8L0020BBK) is no exception. It looks like many other external hard disk drives but it not only conceals a massive 2 TB of storage capacity but also cutting-edge features like a 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 much better when you upgrade to USB 3.0 - you will experience a marked boost in transfer rate of up to 55%. It is definitely the fastest portable 2.5" hard disk drive you can buy in the market today.

The other good thing about this drive is how cool it runs. It is currently the coolest-running portable 2.5" 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.

Right now, this drive commands a price premium because it is the only 2.5" portable hard disk drive in the market to offer a storage capacity of 2 TB. Its nearest competitor is the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex (1.5 TB), which is a larger and heavier drive. If you can afford the premium, you should get the 2 TB My Passport because it is not only 33% more spacious but also smaller, lighter, and runs faster and cooler.

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

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