Customer Reviews

Western Digital 320 GB Passport 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have owned several Western Digital Passport drives and a few other mobile drive brands. This drive is great for backups, as you can hook it up fast without a power supply and store it anywhere. Put it in your briefcase, put it in your safe, take it with you anywhere and keep a copy of your data. It is almost pocket-size and the only thing you have to keep with you is a short USB cable. Some people consider the short cable that's included to be too short, but it's mobile!

Some owners have commented on needing a power adapter or extra usb cable for it, but I've never had that issue. I've used it on multiple desktops and multiple laptops with no issues at all, but you'll have to try it on your own system.

The surface of the Passports (shiny, black material) can be easy to scratch if you throw it around or keep it in your bag with other items. That would be my only complaint, but it doesn't really bother to me.

The speed is very responsive. I've used it on an XP and Vista machine and both have copied data to it fairly quick. I haven't performed tests on it, but it always gets the job done for me. The 320GB version is a great upgrade on the previous Passport models.

Western Digital 320 GB Passport 2.5" USB 2.0 Hard Drive

The 320 GB passport is the largest one available and has a lot going for it. I own several portable hard drives in the Western Digital passport lineup and so far so good. I couldn't be happier. Some smaller sizes are priced more attractively. Passport hard drives also come in a new and slightly thicker essentials version. They are very similar other than the slightly different form factor. Both are great for mobile backups of data, but both are also slower to copy large backups than their A/C powered MyBook big-brothers.

Pros
+ Largest current capacity available in this line of products
+ Nice portable form factor that easily connects via USB
+ USB powered, no A/C required, which is great for portability
+ Works well on Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X
+ Easy to set up disk encryption for security and privacy
+ Nice looks, in my opinion better looking than the new essentials version
+ Turns on and off with your computer or easily ejected via system tray
+ Easy plug-and-play installation
+ Integrates nicely with my growing stable of WD MyBook drives
+ Included software may be useful for some novices
+ 320 GB capacity is just about right for most users

Cons
- Somewhat slow file transfer speeds for larger backups
- Included software not useful for power users
- Shiny body attracts scratch, fingerprints and dust
- Have to spend your cash to get a case that should have been included
- At this price less of a value than the 250GB passport

There's also a newer version that isn't out on Amazon yet and an Elite version.

The Looks

The drive has a nice shiny exterior with an offset shape with a blue activity light. The case can scratch in transit and the surface also attracts fingerprints and dust. But the look is still nice and you can easily purchase a case or holder for the drive if it bothers you. Most versions don't ship with the included case, but you can pick it up for $10 or $15. CaseLogic Small External Hard Drive Case (Black)

The Features

I had no problem connecting this drive to any computer, including Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X. Keep in mind this is a USB 2.0 device so ancient computers may not yield the same results.

Transfer speeds are ok but definitely slower than the A/C powered MyBooks. This guy is still limited by the 480 Mps connection speed of USB 2.0, but performs somewhat slower than this when performing large backups. The USB2.0 speed rating can not really be achieved in production and you will get a fraction of that. But it's a trade-off that's worth it since it's USB-powered.

The software utilities included with this device will be most useful for beginners. I tested the backup software in particular but found it to be slow and impractical. I mean REALLY slow. It works, but cutting and pasting is better. Take my advice: don't use these utilities and just do cut and paste backups and saves to this drive.

Reliability

I've had good luck with the passport line of drives. They seem to have lower failure rates than many MyBook drives, though I also own those and haven't had issues their either. Maybe my gentle care has helped me to get lucky with these guys so far. Maybe it's because these drives are generally off when in transit. Regardless, these guys have held up fine.

Conclusion

This drive is great or those who want a portable drive for backups on the run. You can get this 250GB WD Passport Portable Hard Drive 250 GB/Go version for around $100, versus the $150 charged for the 320 GB. That makes the 250 GB unit a better value than the 320 GB on a $ price per GB basis. Still, some will need the 320GB capacity in one drive. Other than price and capacity there is no real difference between them. If you're like me, once you try these you will end up getting several of them anyway. Get one soon!

Enjoy!

The drive requires at least 650mA's. Suggest getting the booster USB cable from the company if your laptop is like my old one which only supplies its USB with only 500mA's. Otherwise, this drive is AWESOME!!!

I am using this as a back up for all my photos. It will allow me to take all my photos to the store for printing.

When using with my desktop I had to plug it into the PC and not the USB hub. With a laptop I had to plug the laptop into the wall outlet. I think this is due to it being a USB drive and needed the extra juice.

I was looking for a small portable storage solution that would fit into a safety deposit box, and the 320GB Passport worked out perfectly. It runs with just one USB wire plugged into my desktop PC. I reformatted it as NTFS since it is shipped as fat32, and I then used Acronis Trueimage to back up my hard drive partitions onto the 320GB Passport. I am relieved knowing that my data is now safe.

So I finally decided to upgrade from my 80GB portable USB 2.0 hard drive and decided to get this 320GB 2.5" USB Hard Drive from Western Digital. I spent lots of time researching all the different 2.5" external hard drives out there and this one seemed to be the most simple, stylish, and affordable. What can I say? I'm cheap :) Anyways, this external hard drive is great and here's why:

"The Cool" :

-Slim, Slick, Solid, Simple, and Sexy

-Comes with USB to mini-usb cable (which is all you need to use it)

-Nice blue read/write light (tells you if it's working hard or hardly working... idle, I mean :)

-Glossy Piano Black Finish and nice simple and elegant shape/design

-Super Quiet! (in a totally quiet room, you may hear a very, very slight hum... but chances are you won't hear anything at all)

-The Mini-USB port on the drive is protected by a rubber cover or "door"... which you can open or close. ( I wonder if it's water proof?)

-Comes with software included on the drive to back-up your computer files... but you absolutely don't need to use it if you don't want to.

-Pretty fast transfer speed.

-Compatible with PC and MAC computers.



The "Not So Cool":

- It should have come with some sort of zippered case or slip cover... another reviewer had mentioned that they used to include a zippered case with space for the cable. That would've been nice... since this thing was made for portability.

- The way the external hard drive case is designed doesn't make it easy for us Geeks to open it up and "upgrade" it if we need to do so in the future.

Conclusion: This hard drive really is a great little gadget. It does what it's supposed to and looks good doing it. It's also much quieter than I had expected. It's easy for anyone to use... just plug it in to your USB port on any computer, and you're set. So if you're in the market for a very small 2.5" portable USB 2.0 hard drive, this baby does the trick!

I've owned this product for several months and would like to say that I hate it and love it, all at the same time. Let me explain. I love that it's 320GB. I love that it doesn't require an extra plug to get it up and running. I love that it's small and portable.

HOWEVER, what I hate is that often my computer doesn't recognize it, or that it randomly decides to disconnect and reconnect to my computer (in a virtual sense, not physical). This is particularly annoying when I'm listening to music or moving files around. My solution at this point is to physically disconnect it and connect it until the connection sticks.

My fear is that one day I will not be able to access anything on this drive. So, I'm forced to back everything up, perhaps wise, but that means now I have to have 640GB instead of 320GB for the same files.

When I first bought this hard drive I thought "WOW! I can make this like a virtual computer and have access to my files anywhere there is a computer." This has not been the case. It seems the more I disconnect it and reconnect it on another machine, the more problems I have. So, I have to be selective. I don't just take it anywhere "just in case."

So in conclusion, I have to say I love that I can throw this thing in my purse and take it with me to work or vice versa instead of hauling around an entire laptop. I love that this little hard drive has more hard drive space than my laptop. But, it's unreliable, more than normal pieces of technology. So, if you're like me and have a desktop or another hard drive that you can back this up onto or don't wish to use it for your only copy of important documents, then I would go ahead and get it. Otherwise, you're just waiting for a disaster to occur.

This passport drive is ideal for MacBook Air users wanting to use Time Machine for back up. It is an excellent USB Bus Powered drive that has plenty of storage for the mobile Mac User. I have been nothing but pleased with this drive and have been recommending them to my clients and friends. I was hesitant to buy a USB only drive since most of my Macs preference for Firewire drives. However, this has been a solid drive and an excellent experience. I would heartily recommend you pick up at least one.

Doug Hanley
MacTEK Consulting & Training

Just got this WD 320 passport. Great little drive. Works as advertised. Plug&play in USB port. No additional power cable required. Using on IBM Thinkpad T42 with Windows XP. Reformatted NTFS. Highly recommended!

I've got this little gadget about a week ago and am happy with the functionality. I was surprised to find out, that in contrary to the Toshiba HDDR250E02X (250 GB) the WD works on my USB 1.1 Port of my old Thinkpad without any trouble (besides the low transfer speed of cause ;-)). The WD works fine, is recognized immediately by the OP and it is fast.

Besides I am a lttle bit disappointed about a cosmetic aspect. The HDD sits in a neat plastic enclosure with 4 rubber pads (1 at each corner). After the first usage I figured out, that the HDD is rocking on my desktop, caused by the fact, that the housing has slightly twisted (because of the heating up?). Since then my WD does not sit firmly on any flat surface anymore which of course does not have any influence on its functionality but decreases the overall impression.