Read more: Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB portable hard disk drive Design Then restart your computer and everything shall work fine with your WD My Passport Ultra drive. Update WD Device Driver from Device Manager: Step 1. Fit and finish are excellent, with no screws needed to hold the case together and no sharp edges to catch on clothing or a bag. WD touts it as the slimmest 5TB drive in the company's portfolio. Platter drive technology is mature enough that there is little difference in performance, reliability, or even price from one vendor to the next for 2.5-inch, 5,400rpm hard drives like the one inside the My Passport case. WD Discovery can download data from cloud storage and social media accounts. Pick up the drive, and it feels like a solid, well-built product. Equipped with USB-C™ technology, the My Passport™ Ultra portable drive offers an easy way to expand your storage with a modern metal design that complements your PC. The My Passport finished a close second to the ADATA HD710M Pro, with a score of 1,783 versus 1,822. Only 4 left in stock. If all you need is 1TB or 2TB of storage, it can go toe to toe with the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch, the winner being the one that's selling for less on any given day. You won't be surprised to see the results were once again extremely close. When the drive is connected and working, you can see a status light near the port. Buy WD 5TB My Passport Ultra USB 3.0 Type-C External Hard Drive for Mac (Silver) featuring 5TB Storage Capacity, USB 3.0 Type-C Interface (USB 3.1 Gen 1), Bus Powered, 256-Bit AES Encryption, Time Machine Compatible, Preformatted HFS+ for Mac, Downloadable HFS+ Driver for Windows, Windows Compatible with Reformatting, WD Security Tools, WD Discovery Software. In addition to the 5TB version I tested, WD offers three other capacities for the Windows version of the drive, with list prices of $59.99 for 1TB, $79.99 for 2TB, and $119.99 for 4TB. However, you might want to skip that convenience. Its combination of solid performance, hardware encryption, and useful utilities makes the 5TB WD My Passport a strong contender for everyday backup of sensitive data or storing a massive collection of videos, photos, and documents. List of all WD firmware and software available for download. Slightly rounded edges and ripples over part of the surface give the My Passport drive the look and tactile-friendly feel of a consumer gadget. Back Up Automatically — The My Passport drive comes equipped with WD Backup software to help make sure your photos, videos, music and documents don’t get lost. His work has also appeared in a number of other print and online magazines and newspapers, including Wired; Computer Shopper, eWeek, and Science Digest, where he was Computers Editor. Unless you need a ruggedized drive to stand up to rough treatment, the WD My Passport checks off all the right boxes for an external portable hard drive. M. David Stone is an award-winning freelance writer and computer industry consultant. How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad, How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill, How to Find Free Tools to Optimize Your Small Business, How to Get Started With Project Management, Read ADATA HD710M Pro External Hard Drive Review, Read Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch Review, The Best Rugged Hard Drives and SSDs for 2021, The Best External Hard Drives and SSDs for Mac in 2020, Seagate Expects to Start Selling 50TB HAMR Hard Drives in 2026, Seagate Confirms World's Largest Hard Disk Drive on Track for December, How to Save Data From a PC That Won't Boot, Early World Backup Day Sale: All-Time Low Prices on Storage Devices From WD, SanDisk. The 5TB My Passport was a tad faster than the ADATA for writes and little more than a tad slower for reads. That often leaves features like built-in data encryption (or the lack of it) and bundled software as the best reasons to pick one brand over another. My Passport SSD is a lot more expensive but it has the added advantage of speed, compatible with USB 3.1 Gen 2. The My Passport offers a strong argument on both scores. My Passport Go is even more expensive yet lacks the hardware encryption. WD online chat says that all are CMR but I am extremely skeptical. If you already have a spare cable, you can buy the Windows version, reformat it for HFS+, and save a few dollars. Assuming it's implemented properly, AES-256 is currently considered essentially unbreakable. Buy WD 5TB My Passport Ultra USB 3.0 Type-C External Hard Drive (Blue) featuring 5TB Storage Capacity, USB 3.0 Type-C Interface (USB 3.1 Gen 1), Bus Powered, 256-Bit AES Encryption, Preformatted for Windows 10, 8.1, and 7, Downloadable NTFS Driver for macOS, Mac Compatible with Reformatting, WD Security Tools, WD Backup & WD Discovery Software, Includes USB Type-C to … Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Both the WD My Passport and WD Easystore can be connected via USB 2.0 and high-speed USN 3.0. All four versions have the same 4.2 by 3-inch footprint, but where the 4TB and 5TB drives are 0.75 inch thick, the 1TB and 2TB devices are a much slimmer 0.44 inch thick, as well as a good deal lighter (4.3 ounces versus 7.4 ounces). He also wrote a column for the Newark Star Ledger for several years. Crystal DiskMark, a test of sequential read and write speeds for straight-line transfers of contiguous data, represents a best-case scenario for platter drives. That equals a cost per gigabyte of 6 cents for the 1TB drive, 4 cents for the 2TB model, 2.8 cents for the 4TB unit, and 3 cents for 5TB. According to the company, this would make the My Passport the slimmest portable 5TB Hard Drive in its portfolio. Another difference is My Passport Ultra is USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible and formatted for Windows 10 to with plug-and-play storage out of the box. All capacities carry a three-year warranty. WD isn't the only maker offering a 5TB portable (Seagate, LaCie, and ADATA also have 5TB portable offerings), but this is the capacity you want if what you need is the roomiest possible pocketable USB storage. Its combination of solid performance, hardware encryption, and useful utilities makes the 5TB WD My Passport a strong contender for everyday backup of sensitive data or storing a massive collection of videos, photos, and documents. CDN$13.99. Pick up the drive, and it feels like a solid, well-built product. The WD element is the standard version whereas the WD My Passport has three other versions. WD 4TB My Passport Ultra Silver Portable External Hard Drive, USB-C - WDBFTM0040BSL-WESN 4.8 out of 5 stars 6. There is no 1TB Mac version, but if you really want a 1TB Mac drive, you can buy the Windows version, find the appropriate cable somewhere, and reformat the drive. Step 7. Which model WD My Passport Ultra drives are CMR or SMR? There are three kinds of capacities for WD My Passport Ultra. Add a choice of colors, a size that can fit in a shirt pocket, a range of capacities from 1TB to 5TB (5TB is the top capacity you can get at the moment for a single-drive portable hard drive), and easy-to-find discounts from list price, and the WD My Passport is a clear standout and our new Editors' Choice among high-capacity portable hard drives. You can optionally set the program to automatically unlock the drive for computers you use regularly. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. WD 4 TB My Passport Ultra, Portable Hard Drive with Password Protection and Auto Backup Software, USB-C ready - Blue - Works with PC, Xbox X, Xbox S, PS4 and PS5 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,313 £101.99 Again, the difference is more or less too small to notice. However, you might want to skip that convenience. In addition to the 5TB version I tested, WD offers three other capacities for the Windows version of the drive, with list prices of $59.99 for 1TB, $79.99 for 2TB, and $119.99 for 4TB. Fit and finish are excellent, with no screws needed to hold the case together and no sharp edges to catch on clothing or a bag. AES-256 hardware encryption with password. The My Passport Ultra (2019) is available direct from WD for $119.99 (4TB), $89.99 (2TB) and $69.99 (1TB) respectively. Back Up Automatically — The My Passport Ultra drive comes equipped with WD Backup software to help make sure your photos, videos, music and documents don’t get lost. Reviews commonly state that the 5TB is SMR and some state that the 4TB is CMR or SMR depending on the year. Assuming it's implemented properly, AES-256 is currently considered essentially unbreakable. David is also an expert in imaging technologies (including printers, monitors, large-screen displays, projectors, scanners, and digital cameras), storage (both magnetic and optical), and word processing. S$160.01. His more than 30 years of experience in writing about science and technology includes a more than 25-year concentration on PC hardware and software. He has been a frequent contributor since 1983, a Contributing Editor since 1987, and Lead Analyst since 2004. 5TB is peak portable single-drive capacity. WD’s My Passport comes in capacities of 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB. If you connect a drive with a mismatched format to your computer with WD Discovery running, you'll see an option to download the appropriate Paragon driver. You can, of course, reformat either version with the other file system to use the drive with the other OS, or reformat with exFAT if you want to move the drive freely between Windows systems and Macs. With a new, stylish design that fits in the palm of your hand, there’s space to store, organize, and share your photos, videos, music, and documents. However, even the slowest drive in the group managed to score 1,148, which makes the difference from top to bottom too small to matter in most real-world applications. On top of that, it's fairly safe to say that WD My Passport is a more popular external hard drive, based on its 10,000+ reviews. There is no 1TB Mac version, but if you really want a 1TB Mac drive, you can buy the Windows version, find the appropriate cable somewhere, and reformat the drive. At list price, the 5TB version has a higher cost per gigabyte than the 4TB version. A WD spokesperson said: “The My Passport drives are the best choice for most everyday consumers. Its performance is on par with the competition; the built-in hardware encryption and bundled utilities enhance its usability; and it doesn't hurt that it looks good, too. The Mac versions of My Passport cost a little more than their Windows equivalents. Based on list prices, the slightly higher cost per gigabyte for the larger drive argues against choosing it, but current street prices make the 5TB model an equal or even better deal. It comes formatted and ready to use and pre-loaded with WD Discovery software for Windows or Mac. The My Passport offers a strong argument on both scores. Format your Western Digital My Passport external hard drive to FAT32 or ex-FAT format so to transfer the data between a Mac and Windows system conveniently. Remove the password and let you use the drive will remove the password by forcing you to enter on... Utility measures a drive 's power use Ultra 1TB, 2TB and 4 TB and tied for first for... Can be connected via USB 2.0 and high-speed USN 3.0 extremely close,! Magazine and pcmag.com for reads USN 3.0 3 a adapter edges and over. Pick up the drive again, the 5TB drive I had for testing fits comfortably in a pocket. 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