Need More External Hard Drives? Try These New Models From WD [Tech Tuesday]

I’m a huge fan of external hard drives and although the price-per-terabyte has dropped, file sizes for both still and video have increased, so it’s sort of a wash. And so my collection of hard drives continues to grow. The most recent additions came from Western Digital when a 4TB My Passport portable drive and an 8TB My Book recently showed up on my doorstep.

Both have been redesigned for a more modern look. Half of the front surface is ridged, while the other half is the standard smooth finish. The new My Passport and My Book offer Western Digital’s two-year limited warranty, built-in 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption (you can even add a “return if found” message as the password prompt) and auto backup software.

All Photos Courtesy of Western Digital

I’ve tested both and found that they easily fit into my workflow on a practical level but My Passport comes in an assortment of colors that not only spruce up my desktop but also helps prevent anyone else from picking up the drive by accident when working in a group environment. Available in black, blue, red, orange, yellow and white—with USB 3.0 cables to match—My Passport offers a range of capacities including 1TB, 2TB, 3TB and 4TB, which cost from $65 to $140 direct (MSRP may be higher).

Read and write speeds vary, but when transferring images from an older MacBook Air to My Passport via USB 3.0 (it’s also USB 2.0 compatible), I could move about 9GB in less than two minutes. Not quite as fast as an SSD-to-SSD drive, but more than sufficient for my needs. The drive measures 4.3 x 3.2 x 0.9 inches (the 1TB model is a little thinner at 0.6 inches). While it’s not the smallest or thinnest mobile drive, the drive feels substantial and well constructed. My Passport can be reformatted to exFAT if you, like me, work cross platform and need a drive that’s compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems. There’s also a Mac version, but it is only available in black.

If you’re looking for a desktop drive, My Book is available in basic black, is exFAT formatted and comes in 3TB, 4TB, 6TB and 8TB capacities. It comes with a longer USB 3.0 cable than the My Passport and is bundled with an AC adapter. Transfer speeds are about the same as My Passport in my unofficial testing, and I imagine using this 8TB drive to back up multiple smaller drives. It’s a long term project, so speed isn’t my first concern; I’d just like to have one main backup for other drives.

Not surprisingly, My Book is physically larger than My Passport measuring 6.7 x 5.5 x 1.9 inches—not too large to keep on or under your desk or to move from one desktop to another. Pricing is quite reasonable—ranging from $130 to $250 direct (MSRP may be higher).

If you order direct from WD, you’ll get a 30-day money back guarantee and free standard shipping, so it’s a good deal. Check  out the new drives on the Western Digital site for more information. I think I’ll add a couple of additional 8TB My Book and 4TB My Passport drives to my collection soon—afterall, winter is coming and it’s time to consolidate and back up all my files.

Related Links:

13 Safe and Sound Storage Devices

10 Portable Hard Drives To Go When You Need To Go

Need More Hard Drive Storage? Western Digital Has You Covered