Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive Review

Final Thoughts
As you can see from the results on the previous page the drive performed very well at both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 speeds.  The thing really holding the USB 3.0 speeds back is the actual hard drive itself.  We have seen USB 3.0 solid state drives really push the limits of USB 3.0 connectivity.  I do like that Western Digital did make this drive not just USB 3.0 compatible, but allowed for it to be backwards compatible with USB 2.0 as well.  Your main system might have USB 3.0 connections, but your laptop may not.  So since this is a drive that is meant for you to take places it is nice that it will be compatible with any system.

The included software is nice and makes it really easy to create backups, especially if you are new to computers.  One of my favorite features is the security feature with the password.  This way if anyone were to take the drive they would not be able to access the information unless they know my password.

The overall design of the drive is good, it is small and compact which is perfect for traveling.  The only thing that I really don’t like is the connector.  I know most USB 3.0 drives are going to have this connector, but it still feels like a proprietary cable to me.  Not like a miniUSB cable, which I have a ton laying around.

This is the “SE” version of the drive, which means it is a large capacity drive.  SE drives are only available in 750GB and 1TB versions.  The 1TB version of the drive sells at my favorite online retailer for $119.99.  Overall ThinkComputers gives the Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive a 9 out of 10 score.

rating9 10 small

Pros:
– Sleek and small design
– Large capacity
– Included software
– Security features

Cons:
– Not a fan of the micro USB 3.0 connector

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