MusicRadar Verdict
A well-made and portable storage solution
Pros
- +
Fast transfer speeds. Easy to use. Installed security software. Compact and lightweight. Good value
Cons
MusicRadar's got your back
With 320GB of space the WD My Passport Essential is great value. Its compact design is supposed to resemble that of a small notebook, which keeps it in the same theme as the larger My Book hard drives.
The difference is this device houses a 2.5-inch laptop drive, which spins at 5400rpm.
The styling is simple with a mini-USB connector for hooking up to your laptop and a small LCD light to indicate when it is active.
It supports both Windows and Mac OS X. When it came to testing, we found it could copy 1GB of files in 70 seconds, which is fast for such a drive.
“One of the concepts we are exploring is whether an artist could continue to create work after they have passed away”: The groundbreaking tech that will shape the future of music production
“If you messed something up on a production, admit it, fix it, and move on”: 8 cost-free tips to improve as a producer in 2025
"I switched to a Stratocaster - I got a really good deal in the middle of the night for $120 - and then in 1972, Lowell George showed me his MXR compressor pedal”: Bonnie Raitt on how she developed her famous slide guitar style