Michal Ždanský While the Thunderbolt interface is so far only a matter for Macs, the slightly slower USB 3.0 is experiencing rapid adaptation, and the new standard can be found in almost every new computer and, since last year, also in new Macs. Western Digital, one of the largest manufacturers of drives, supplies, among other things, a range of external drives for Mac, which are characterized by distinctive design and formatting of the drive.
One of the first drives with USB 3.0 for Mac is an upgraded version My Passport for Mac offered in capacities of 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB (inside there is a 2,5″ disk with 5400 rpm), we in the editorial office had the opportunity to test the middle version. The external drive pleased us both with its speed, as well as its low weight and appearance.
Processing and equipment
My Passport, like the previous generation, has a plastic surface, which is significantly lighter than the aluminum in the Studio version, and the weight was under 200 grams. The drive has also become slimmer by a few millimeters in height, the new generation of the drive has a pleasant 110 × 82 × 15 mm, and you will hardly notice it in a bag together with a MacBook.
Western Digital drives for Mac are characterized by a specific design that seems to have come out of Jony Ivo's workshop. The silver-black color and simple curves perfectly match the current MacBooks, and the drive will definitely not put you to shame next to your computer. On the side you will find a single port, which for the less knowledgeable may seem proprietary, but it is a standard USB 3.0 B, to which you can connect the appropriate cable included in the package (with a length of approx. 40 cm), but it can also accommodate a microUSB connector without any problems , but you will only achieve USB 2.0 speeds with it.
Speed test
The drive is pre-formatted to the HFS+ file system that OS X uses, so you can start using it right out of the box. We used a utility to measure the speed AJA system test a Black Magic Speed Test. The resulting numbers in the table are the average values measured from seven tests at 1 GB transfer.
[ws_table id=”12″]
While the speed of USB 2.0 is comparable to other better drives, for example the one we tested earlier My Passport Studio, the speed of USB 3.0 is above average and almost twice that of FireWire 800, which Apple is gradually abandoning. USB 3.0 still does not reach Thunderbolt, where the speed is for example in the case My Book WD VelociRaptor Duo triple, but this disc is in a completely different price range.
Gallery
Revision of My Passport for Mac with truly portable external drives with fast USB 3.0 and a great tuning design. However, in order to take full advantage of the drive, you need to own a Mac from 2012 or later, which also includes fast USB 3.0 ports. The disc comes to approx 2 600 $, which amounts to CZK 2,6 per gigabyte, plus you have an extra-standard 3-year warranty.
Note: Western Digital offers identical discs without the "for Mac" label, which are intended for Windows (NTFS formatting) and cost 200-500 crowns less depending on the capacity. The difference between discs for Mac and for Windows is an extra year of warranty, which is compensated by just a few hundred crowns.
I would like to ask if its thickness is really 21mm? I found different sizes and an older version with USB 2.0 - the sizes are listed as 15, 19 and 21mm. What is the actual size?
Thank you
Correction – thickness is 15mm, 2mm for 21TB version.
I would like to ask what software was used to measure the speed?
I purchased a WD 3TB USB 3.0 and want to compare speeds.
Thanks for the reply
Not that it wasn't written in the review…
Does HDD also work with Win OS? I assume of course that it needs to be formatted to fat or ntfs, thank you
It works together without any problems.
I can't count or 26 x 1000 = 26000,- ? Otherwise, thanks for the article WD for Mac, I use it and I am extremely satisfied.
I guess the comma didn't click on my keyboard :-)
What is the difference to this?
http://www.alza.cz/western-digital-2-5-my-passport-1000gb-stribrny-d331942.htm#recenze
That's him, only Alza has him in action.
then there is this one http://www.alza.cz/western-digital-2-5-my-passport-for-mac-1000gb-d355623.htm#recenze and I would say that it is him
That's right, they are physically the same drives, but one is formatted as HFS+ and the other as NTFS. The difference is an extra year of warranty, which is not visible at Alza, because it states the warranty period incorrectly.
I assume that few people will be able to start it on Windows, when the disk is intended for MAC, right? I'm talking about the transfer between these two platforms
There is a MacDrive app for Windows, and perhaps a way to do it for free. The drive can also be reformatted to ExFAT, which both systems can work with.