Western Digital Elements 320GB Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive – Black
Posted by Notcot on Apr 22, 2010 in Handhelds & PDAs |
5 CommentsReply |
MenuLatest GadetsRecent Reviews
Archives
|
Notcot
Gizmos, Gadgets, Noir and Steampunk
5 CommentsReply |
|
Copyright © 2024 Notcot All rights reserved. Theme by Laptop Geek. Site by I Want This Website. | Privacy Policy.
I chose this product as I’ve had good experiences with similar WD drives used at my work, and unlike many other similar drives it stops spinning automatically after a few minutes of idle time. There is a slight delay the first time you try and use it after this as it spins back up, but for my purposes the auto-spin-down is a great feature – I have the drive permanently connected to a Marvell SheevaPlug which I use for automatic network backups.
Another plus point is that the drive is practically silent when in use – the first time I used it I had to pick it up and feel the vibration to convince myself that it was actually spinning! If you’re looking for a drive to use in a quiet room this is definitely one to consider.
Rating: 5 / 5
Very quiet, simple, sturdy. I much prefer it’s matt finish to the finger print magnet My Passport ‘Essential’ line. It also has a decently mounted micro USB port (recessed), a proper drive light (pleasing white LED from deep within) and an efficient auto spin down.
No problems when using it in Mac OS X(Leopard), I run a partition for my Time Machine backup of my MacBook Pro off with space leftover for another partition for general stuff. All easily setup in minutes from Disk Utility.
I’m well pleased with it.
Rating: 5 / 5
I decided to choose the “Elements” over “My Essential passport” due to the £20 price difference. The size was almost the same and as I am keeping it inside a CaseLogic carry case, I can’t see it most of the time anyway. Unfortunately, I have to remove it slightly so that I don’t put strain on the mini-USB connector, but that’s no hardship. It is of good quality and seems sturdy. I like the operating light to give an indication of activity, which I read is not on the newer version. Well happy.
Rating: 5 / 5
Am extremely impressed with this.
Good points:
a) It transfers data very quickly (up to 14MB/second).
b) It’s pretty much silent.
c) It’s sturdy – I dropped it accidentally onto a wooden floor from chest height and no problems at all.
d) It doesn’t need an external power supply, just plug it in to the computer and good to go.
e) It’s light, fits in my pocket and looks good.
Bad points:
Can’t think of any!
Nb/ I’m on Vista, so I can’t comment on Windows 7 compatibility.
Rating: 5 / 5
I have it for about a month now and I am very glad about that. No problems with connecting, fast and cheaper than WD Essential. As a Linux user I only needed to made it work with my system but now it’s working in Linux and Windows ^_^
Rating: 5 / 5