Western Digital My Passport Studio 320GB
A handsome pre-formatted drive that could use some toughening up
This is the third version of Western Digital's My Passport Studio pocket drive, and it should appeal to anyone who needs a drive for backing up data on the road. Just slip it in your suitcase and away you go.
Three different types of Passport drive are sold by Western Digital; the other two being the Elite and Essential versions. The Studio is the only version pre-formatted for Mac, and the only one with a FireWire 400 option.
This drive has a clever port array that lets the FireWire 400 cable split where it joins the drive; one part supplies the power and the other ferries the data. We tested the read and write speeds of both FW400 and USB protocols and found them to be in line with predictions, and acceptable.
MusicRadar Rating
Pros
Large capacity but pocket-sized. Bus-powered. Good looks. Long warranty
Cons
Not the cheapest. Creaky build quality
Verdict
This pocket drive has good looks, a chunky amount of storage and a long warranty
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
Specification
OS requirements
Apple Mac OS 10.4 or later Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows Vista
Capacity
320
Internal/External
External
Interfaces
Firewire USB
Drive speed
5400
Cache size
8
Features
5 year warranty
