Western Digital My Passport SSD External Hard Drive — The Studio Manager
Matt M-H
An external hard drive is a must have these days for backing up your hard drive and storing large files. This is especially true for artist and creatives, who probably have higher than average storage needs for photos and videos. (You are documenting and archiving images of your work, right?)
The good news is that an external hard drive doesn’t have to be a huge expense and when handled carefully, they are durable and will last for years.
In a 1 to 1 comparison, the SSD drive at left is much smaller than the HDD drive at right. Both drives have 1 TB capacity.
This review is not a comprehensive look at external hard drives, but I wanted to share my years of experience using Western Digital external hard drives with no issues. More than a decade ago, I used other brands (cough cough LaCie cough cough) only to have one hard drive overheat and fail. At that point I moved on to Western Digital and am now on my third external hard drive from WD. I have not had any problems with any of the WD external hard drives I’ve owned and they are all still working.
My most recent upgrade was to a 1 terabyte Western Digital My Passport SSD or solid state drive (shop at Amazon). It’s essential like a huge thumb drive that you plug in to your computer or laptop, and it runs off the power from this connection. While I’m usually in no great rush, file transfers are much faster with the SSD drive. I’d say at least 50% faster to almost double the speed of my older WD MY Passport Ultra HDD. (This older drive has been going strong for 6 years now and is also pictured here in this post.) The WD My Passport SSD has one USB-C port and it comes with two cables, a USB-C to USB-C (perfect for Mac laptops) or a USB-C to USB-A.
With no moving parts, smaller size, and faster speeds, I’d recommend an SSD drive to anyone looking for an external hard drive. The only drawback is they are more expensive. For comparison sake, at the time of this writing the WD My Passport SSD 1 TB external drive was around $130 while a comparable WD Elements HDD 1 TB drive was around $50.
Shop WD My Passport SSD at Amazon
Shop WD Elements HDD at Amazoon
More Info on External Drives
External hard drive are available in all sorts of configurations and storage sizes, including powered models that will back up wirelessly, and smaller plug in models. For space considerations, I’ve switched to the smaller plug in models. The are powered via the USB plug, and have worked great for regular back ups and file storage, including with drive partitions.
SSD vs HDD
A HDD or hard disk drive has a spinning platter where information is stored. You will feel slight movement when the drive is active and hear a humming sound.
These hard drives have a long history and are more economical. There is some concern that the drive can be damaged, especially if dropped when in use. (Often the comparison is to moving a record player while it is in use). Because it has moving parts, there is also more of a concern with heat. My one experience with an external hard drive failing was a HDD drive that overheated in summer heat.
Shop HDD External Hard Drives at Amazon
An SSD or solid state drive uses flash memory, similar to what you find on a thumb drive. There are no moving parts so the drives are smaller, lighter, and hopefully less likely to be damaged. This is the same memory storage you find in smartphones, hence the small size. You will pay more, but an SSD drive is much faster and lighter.
Shop SSD External Hard Drives at Amazon
Storage Needs for Artists
As an artist, it’s important to document all your work with high quality images, and store those files along with having a backup.
One option is an online backup, or you can back up the files to an external hard drive. Or both! Yes, there is an expense involved but you need your files.
When storing files, it’s good to make a robust file management system. A simple method is by year and month, or by type of work.
Backup storage of your important files is vital, and an external hard drive is an easy, affordable solution. An HDD drive is economical and effective. An SSD is faster, lighter, and the best option in my opinion. Whatever you use, just make sure to back up your important files!
What back up system or external hard drive do you use? Let us know in the comments.
In Tool Reviews
Tags Western Digital, External Hard Drive, Digital Storage
The 4 Best Western Digital External SSD Drives to Consider for 2023
The editors at Solutions Review curated this list of the best Western Digital external SSD drives for portability.
Western Digital (WD) offers data storage solutions that enable individuals and organizations to manage and preserve their digital content.
The company markets Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and Solid-State Drive (SSD) products for desktop and notebook computers, as well as high-capacity performance drives for enterprise use cases. Western Digital is also a manufacturer of hard drives used in popular consumer electronic brands and products like DVRs, security surveillance systems, and gaming consoles.
Whether you’re looking for one of the best Western Digital external SSD drives for personal or professional use, there is sure to be an option for you. The company has recently begun to branch out its product line to offer solutions for a wider variety of devices (like next-gen gaming) and personas (like color combinations and construction materials). It’s with these things in mind that Solutions Review editors assembled this list of the best Western Digital external SSD drives to consider.
Note: The best Western Digital external SSD drives represent WD’s current line of options in this product category.
WD My Passport SSD Portable External Solid State Drive Password Protection with Hardware Encryption
OUR TAKE: WD’s flagship portable SSD line offers four capacities (500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB), comes in five different colors, and includes some protection from common damage, making it an interesting personal or professional backup option.
Description: The My Passport SSD lets you save, access, and protect the content that matters to your most by offering read speeds up to 1050MB per second and write speeds of up to 1000MB per second. The product line also features password-enabled 256-bit AES hardware encryption and simple backup. My Passport SSD has a metal, shock, and vibration resistant design, as well as drop resistance from 6 feet.
GO TO AMAZON
WD Elements SE – Portable SSD, USB 3.0, Compatible with PC, Mac
OUR TAKE: The WD Elements SE offers USB A connectivity and works with PC or Mac. This model comes in four different capacities ranging from 1TB to 5TB. Several reviewers report great compatibility with gaming consoles as well.
Description: The WD Elements SE SSD offers high-performance and a pocket-size design, as well as speeds that are up to three times faster than the comparable HDD version. It touts read speeds up to 400MB per second so you can move large files fast and includes plug-and-play functionality that makes it easy to integrate into your current workflow.
GO TO AMAZON
WD My Passport Go SSD Cobalt Portable External Storage, USB 3.0
OUR TAKE: WD’s My Passport Go is an Amazon’s Choice and popular option for portable, secure, and reliable content backup. It’s available in a storage-only model up to 2TB and a storage + 4TB hard drive option.
Description: My Passport GO is a tough SSD drive designed specifically for travel, featuring a rubber protective bumper on the outside and a built-in cable. It’s drop-resistant up to 2 meters and has no moving parts. Whether using a PC or Mac computer, your My Passport Go drive works easily right out of the box and includes automatic backup software for Windows and is also Time Machine compatible for Mac backup though formatting is required.
GO TO AMAZON
WD_BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD – Portable External Solid State Drive, Compatible with Playstation, Xbox, & PC
OUR TAKE: The WD_BLACK portable and external SSD game drive is available in three capacities: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
It’s an Amazon’s Choice for its class as well and is available for all major gaming consoles.
Description: The WD_BLACK D30 game drive SSD offers optimized speeds up to 900MB per second. This model also touts compatibility with an array of game consoles including PlayStation 5 (play and store PS4 games/archive PS5 games) or Xbox Series X|S (play and store Xbox One games/archive Xbox Series X | S games).
GO TO AMAZON
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Tim King
Executive Editor at Solutions Review
Tim is Solutions Review’s Executive Editor and leads coverage on data management and analytics. A 2017 and 2018 Most Influential Business Journalist and 2021 “Who’s Who” in Data Management, Tim is a recognized industry thought leader and changemaker. Story? Reach him via email at tking@solutionsreview dot com.
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SSD external storage. Which to choose?
Nowadays, a rare person does not know what an external hard drive is – it is a cache memory, which is used both to reduce the load on the computer and to store copies of the most important information. It is also a reliable way to store large amounts of data that you can access anywhere, anytime. When considering which external hard drive is best, SSD is mentioned very often, which can offer many significant benefits. This time we will talk about their benefits and give you tips on what to consider when choosing the right option.
External SSD – is it worth it?
Many people are probably considering investing in external SSDs when there are cheaper models of traditional hard drives on the market (cheapest ones start at $27 and an SSD will cost $58-70). However, as reality shows,0003 semiconductor models guarantee not only much faster data transfer, but also a high level of security, which is extremely important for external drives.
Their “life expectancy” is longer, offsetting the costs incurred.
Although hard disk drives (HDDs) continue to dominate the market, they are gradually being replaced by solid state drives (SSDs) for more efficient and secure operation. All this thanks to the flash memory used. Unlike HDD models, SSDs do not contain any mechanical moving parts, making them are much more resistant to mechanical shocks and vibrations, , which in the case of HDD drives can cause problems with writing or reading data, or even serious damage to the structure.
SSD is also significantly faster. They guarantee a huge leap in quality, seen primarily in the operation of the operating system. Other advantages of these devices include their quiet operation, low power consumption and high resistance to temperature fluctuations.
Worth knowing!
External SSD is a portable storage device with a USB interface that allows you to connect it to other devices – laptops, PCs, game consoles.
So it works on a principle similar to the classic flash drive.
Which external SSD should I choose?
If you decide that all you need is to buy an SSD, another important question awaits you, which one to choose. The criteria for purchasing this device is very similar to those we use when selecting internal SSD models. The differences are mainly related to the interface . For standard drives, we select devices that support, among others, the SATA III, mSATA or M.2 standards. In the case of external SSDs, USB-based models are the most common.
It’s easy to guess that the newer the disc, the better. Why? Because it guarantees faster data transfer. When buying a USB C drive, you can expect something more, but these are expensive devices (120 GB models cost about 82 euros). USB 3.1 and 3.0 drives have good performance. They are usually half the price of those that support USB type C.
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What else needs to be checked?
Capacity – its size should be selected depending on the purpose of the disk.
If you only need to transfer standard files such as movies, graphics or documents, you can use it as a slightly larger flash drive – you will probably need 128 to 256 GB . The cost of such external drives starts from 58 euros.
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The drives described are often used as portable backup storage or as devices that increase the capacity of a standard or laptop drive. In this case, it is worth buying high-capacity drives. The choice is very wide: 512 GB, 1 TB and even 2 TB models have been available on the market for a long time.
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Size. We usually see 2.5-inch drives in stores, which are much larger than regular flash drives, but provide a much higher level of security. The products of well-known companies have additional reinforced cases to protect them from weaker impacts. For fans of miniaturization, 1.8-inch drives are available.
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Body Material – Although plastic discs are the most common, there are many different materials that speak to their durability.
Rubber and silicone have the highest resistance, while aluminium, metal and steel are slightly behind. However, if impact resistance is your priority, you should look for this parameter in the specifications of a particular model.
Case protection – Manufacturers are constantly looking for new solutions that can not only strengthen the disc structure and protect the device from shock, but also make the disc water resistant . These solutions are usually designed for people who travel a lot. Such devices will be safe for use in various conditions.
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Application – Although universal models are usually sold on the market, it is still worth checking whether the purchased drive can be connected to devices other than a computer. First of all, we mean game consoles. Since games, as is known, take up a lot of space, often happens that the hard drive built into the console is simply too small, forcing users to use external models.
Additional features of the include data encryption and backup software.
With all these criteria in mind, you can easily decide which external SSD is best for you. You can find a large selection of them in email. Pigu.lt store – here you can buy external drives at a good price.
XS2000 External SSD – 500 GB to 4 TB – Kingston Technology
XS2000 External SSD – 500 GB to 4 TB – Kingston Technology – Kingston Technology
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XS2000
Buy
The
Kingston’s XS2000 Portable SSD delivers USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds to bring a new level of performance to a compact external drive.
With the highest data transfer rates (up to 2000 MB/s), the 1 XS2000 boosts productivity without hindering your work. The XS2000 is a high-speed storage option that lets you upload and edit high-resolution images, 8K video files, and large documents in the blink of an eye. With capacities up to 4 TB 2 Store your favorite games and media files on this portable storage device without compromising performance. The drive is designed with future storage requirements in mind and is natively compatible with most devices. It works like a hard drive, but uses NAND flash technology for data storage. The connection uses a USB Type-C® interface 3 . Thus, content creators and gamers will be able to access their data anywhere. Whether you’re working, relaxing, or building your dream project, the XS2000 includes a detachable, rugged drop cover and is rated IP55 
N63996}}”> 4 is water and dust resistant, making it the perfect companion for outdoor photo shoots or your adventures.
- Speeds up to 2000 MB/s 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2×2
- Capacity up to 4 TB 2
- Compact pocket size form factor
- Degree of protection IP55 4 , removable rubber boot
Small and portable
Compact and lightweight form factor for easy storage on the go.
USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 performance
Industry-leading read/write speeds up to 2000 MB/s 1 .
High speed and capacity
Up to 4 TB capacity 2 holds your entire library of your favorite photos, videos and new games.
Durability
Tested for waterproof, dustproof 
N63996}}”> 4 and shockproof with included rubber boot.
- Specifications
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 |
| Speed 1 | 2000 MB/s (read), 2000 MB/s (write) |
| Container 2 | 500 GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Dimensions | 69.54 x 32.58 x 13.5 mm |
| Weight | 28.9 g |
| Housing material | Metal + plastic |
| Operating temperature | 0 to 40 °C |
| Storage temperature | -20 to 85 °C |
| Warranty and technical support 5 | Five-year limited warranty and free technical support |
| Compatible with | Windows® 11, 10, 8. 1, macOS (v.10.14.x+), Linux (v. 2.6.x+), Chrome OS™ |
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External Hard Drives and Solid State Drives Guide
We’ll help you choose the right external storage.
What is the difference between USB 3.1 Gen 1, Gen 2 and USB 3.2?
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Frequently Asked Questions About Solid State Drives
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Deciphering the catalog numbers of solid state drives
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Contact technical support
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Kingston SSD Manager
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Dictionary Kingston
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1. Speed may vary depending on hardware, software and usage patterns.
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2. Part of the listed capacity of flash storage devices is used for formatting and other functions, and therefore is not available for data storage. As a result, the actual available storage capacity is less than indicated on the packaging or product surface. For more information, please refer to the Kingston Flash Memory Guide located at Kingston’s Flash Memory Guide
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