This is a high capacity external hard drive. The drive measures 4.25”x3.25”x0.75” and weighs 255 gm (9 oz). It comes with a 15” USB C to USB C data/power cable as well as a USB C to USB 3 A adapter. It comes formatted and ready to use and pre-loaded with WD Discovery software for Windows or Mac. The drive is an active hard drive (not SSD), powered through the USB cable; no additional power cable is required. The WD Discovery software allows you to set up auto backup options, password protection, import cloud images and documents for Facebook, Instragra, Dropbox, OneDrive, GoogleDrive, etc. WD recommends this drive for Windows 10, 8.1, or 7 (they have a Mac version for Macs, although it is possible to set this drive to use on Macs as well). You also have the option of not installing the WD Discovery software if you don’t need it. The product comes backed with a 3 year warranty.
I am very impressed with this drive. As a photographer, I need high capacity back-up drives, and I regularly fill big ones like this 4 Tb drive. It has a transfer speed of 5 Gbps when using a USB 3 connection. The disk runs at 5400 rpm, slow for a disk that you use for constant data storage and retrieval, but acceptable for backup storage. This drive has the smallest form factor that I have seen for an external 4 Tb drive, making it easier to carry around and store. Since it is an active drive with moving disks, you do need to treat it with care, protecting it from bumps and drops, especially when running. Basically, before plugging it in, make sure it is in a safe, secure place where it won’t be knocked or dropped. I’ve experienced a lot of disk crashes, and over time, I’ve found that WD drives have been more reliable and less prone to crashing than other brands that I have tried. Overall, this is a smooth running, high capacity storage drive that is easy to use and should provide years of service.
I have 6 brands of backup external hard drives. I've had nothing but problems with the ruggedized Transcends; and every Seagate I have is frustratingly slow and not always recognized on any given drive. But the Western Digital My Passport Ultras -- I've had them in constant use for 3 years, and they have not failed me yet. Last month, I ordered 2 more of the newest model. I could say they work great (because they do), but what I really should say is that they work great and are rippingly fast. This last archive took 1/2 the time it does on the older Passport drives, and 1/5 the time it takes on the Seagates. It's not just the USB 3, either. The old-gen Passports are also USB 3.0. Also, I have USB 3 on several backup media, and their transfer speed is consistent. These new-gen Passports are just really fast. To drop from 15 hours to 3 compared to other brands? Or from 5+ hrs to 3 on the new gens? Either way, i's an impressive improvement, and frees up the system (and me) for more work. It makes backup a chore, but not a full business day loss.
The Passport drives also have built-in security if you want to use it, from password protection to encryption. I feel more comfortable with my data on these drives than on my primary system.
I almost hate to say it, because it might jinx me in a world where a 25% fail rate seems to be acceptable to Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, and the rest of them, but... WD has earned my customer loyalty. This is a very good, reliable product that holds my data without failure and works for years. Also -- and not to be underestimated -- the WD privacy policy actually allows you to opt out of just about all typical data mining for ads, marketing, and "tailoring" of the internet to your click stream. This is a company that actually seems to work for the customer, not just put out a good product.
Considering that much of our lives/livelihoods are now captured in digital, a reliable backup and/or archive drive is critical. These are the best external HDs I've used over the years. All in all, I am very pleased. When I need new media again, I'll be looking at WD's My Passports first.
This is my second generation of Western Digital My Passport Hard Drive and i love the metal case on this one. It seems like a resistant and well built product that will hold on for years. I've got around 131.3mb/s reading and 125.6mb/s writing. Important: The real storage on this unit is around 3.8TB and not 4TB. I really love this product because the price is affordable and with a really good amount of space available. I recommend this product if you are looking for an External HD with no doubt. Also being already USB-C its great because it seems like that's the future connector.
I have 6 brands of backup external hard drives. I've had nothing but problems with the ruggedized Transcends; and every Seagate I have is frustratingly slow and not always recognized on any given drive. But the Western Digital My Passport Ultras -- I've had them in constant use for 3 years, and they have not failed me yet. Last month, I ordered 2 more of the newest model. I could say they work great (because they do), but what I really should say is that they work great and are rippingly fast. This last archive took 1/2 the time it does on the older Passport drives, and 1/5 the time it takes on the Seagates. It's not just the USB 3, either. The old-gen Passports are also USB 3.0. Also, I have USB 3 on several backup media, and their transfer speed is consistent. These new-gen Passports are just really fast. To drop from 15 hours to 3 compared to other brands? Or from 5+ hrs to 3 on the new gens? Either way, i's an impressive improvement, and frees up the system (and me) for more work. It makes backup a chore, but not a full business day loss.
The Passport drives also have built-in security if you want to use it, from password protection to encryption. I feel more comfortable with my data on these drives than on my primary system.
I almost hate to say it, because it might jinx me in a world where a 25% fail rate seems to be acceptable to Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, and the rest of them, but... WD has earned my customer loyalty. This is a very good, reliable product that holds my data without failure and works for years. Also -- and not to be underestimated -- the WD privacy policy actually allows you to opt out of just about all typical data mining for ads, marketing, and "tailoring" of the internet to your click stream. This is a company that actually seems to work for the customer, not just put out a good product.
Considering that much of our lives/livelihoods are now captured in digital, a reliable backup and/or archive drive is critical. These are the best external HDs I've used over the years. All in all, I am very pleased. When I need new media again, I'll be looking at WD's My Passports first.
With very good experience using WD drives, bought this 4TB model of the Passport because of A> great price, on sale for $99 and B> advertised as usable on either PC or Mac formats. Like most drives which come pre-formatted in NTSF, I expected to have to reformat for the Mac OS, then partition with a FAT section to use with PC. Nice surprise - WD has their own (at least first I've seen of such a feature) "Discovery" utility which allows you to format the Passport drive in a special version of NTFS which works fully on the Mac as well. So far, works flawlessly. Great alternative to the frustrations of dealing with incompatible formats or paid work-around utilities. The drive responds very quickly with the Thunderbolt connection to the 2017 Macbook Pro, and can't tell any difference on using with usb-3 on PC. Can't see anything to deter multi-format users from this great advantage. Only problem I had was not with the item but with Amazon: they listed at checkout the option of "6 monthly equal installments" rather than full pay, but I was charged the full amount on my card. After over an hour on the phone with Amazon's customer service, they refused to credit me for the full charge and set up the installments. 0 POINTS for Amazon customer service.
Feature Product
- USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible
- Innovative style with refined metal cover
- Password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption
- Formatted for Windows 10
- 3-year manufacturer's limited warranty
Description
The My Passport Ultra is trusted, portable storage in a design that brilliantly pairs metal and matte finishes to create a sophisticated style. It has plenty of space to store all the content you love. Social media and cloud storage import, WD Backup software and password protection help keep all your memories safe and secure. Easy to use, just plug it in to start saving and backing up. Compatible with: WD's My Passport Ultra delivers quick and easy storage for your Windows 10, 8.1, or 7 system with its 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 Type-C port, while the included USB 3.0 Type-C to Type-A adapter helps ensure compatibility with older machines. This drive is also compatible with Windows 8.1 and 7.• System Requirements: Windows 10, 8.1 or 7 • Downloadable NTFS driver to read⁄write on macOS. • Reformatting required to use Time Machine on macOS. Compatibility may vary depending on user’s hardware configuration and operating system.Interface: USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible
Good inexpensive portable storage. I like that they don’t require separate power. Have bought seven WD Passport external hard drives in the past year. Two of them are these silver 4Tb drives. Overall happy with them. One star off because they are a little slow when copying files, and seem to never power down / sleep if they are mounted but not in use. (On a MAC, freshly formatted ExFat, Spotlight-excluded). To avoid them getting too warm, I unmount the drive when I want them to stop churning. (Note: I accidentally unplugged one of my Passport drives while it was not in use, but still mounted, and it required an overnight disk repair with Disk Utilities app to recover it.)
I needed something that was large enough to back up both my wife’s & my new Mac laptop with the new USB type C connectors and was small enough to take with us when we travel. These drives fit the bill just right. With the type C connector and the small foot print, these drives are just right. The back up time is much better than our old drives and they are small enough that they don’t take much room in our computer carrying cases.
I bought again an HD from WD, this is the third.
Compare to the others (1 TB, 2TB) this is a bit heavier, but is 4TB !!
Fast for the technolgy, and with a usefull software, like password and Encryption.
I don't know if the finishing on the case will last long (seems spry painting...).
Anyway ,it works well . Easy to use. Keeping your data safe.
High Sierra 10.13.6. Connection to front or rear USB - power lights up, OS does not see the disk. However, after a few minutes the disk does appear. You may have to be patient. Also, disk is formatted as NTFS (perhaps that is what makes it slower to be recognized) so it is not writable under Mac OS so you will have to use Disk Utility and first unmount the volume and then erase it as either Apple-compatible file system or FAT is you need to move files between different operating systems.
Typical great quality from Western Digital. However I give 4 stars instead of 5 because this model requires an unusual type of cable that I wasn't aware of until I received it.
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