ra64's Full Review: Western Digital WDXMS1200TN 120 GB USB 2.0 Hard Dr...
Update: I've had this hard drive 1 year and no failure yet. I've kept it on 24/7 a lot of the time.
When the 60 gig hard drive on my desktop computer started filling up, I began looking for an external hard drive that I could store my audio, video and image files on. While initially I planned on getting a full size drive, I found a seemingly good deal on the compact Western Digital Passport 120GB drive in December 2006 for eighty bucks, and went for it. The drive has given me no problems in about a month of use.
The Passport is really about the size of a passport: five inches long, three inches wide and half an inch tall. If I wanted to, I could slip it into my pocket without much discomfort.
The drive, wrapped in a shinny black plastic definitely sports a sleek, modern look. However, one problem is the plastic scratches very easily. Ive put it in my backpack pocket with pens and a few other things and I can now see dozens of slight scratches.
One thing I really like about the Passport is that the drive runs off power from the USB connection to the computer, eliminating an extra power cord. This makes the drive much more portable, and helps with the maze of wires at my desk as well. However, there is a separate USB wire provided; an integrated connection would be nice. One thing I dont like is there is no power button on the device, merely a blue light that looks like a power button. The drive keeps spinning even when its idle, so the only way to stop it is to unplug the USB.
Transfer performance is inconsistent, but averages around 100Mbps for both reading and writing. Ive transferred a variety of data, ranging from 2GB video files, 5MB audio files, and word and text documents smaller then 1MB, with similar performance. This means a 40-minute video file in common compression (350MB) will probably take about 30 seconds to transfer. Access has also been very fast; starting to play a video stored on the Passport doesnt seem to take any longer then starting one on my primary drive. However, I havent filled up more then half the disk yet and the disk isnt very fragmented yet. The drive spins at 5400RPM, which is typical of compact hard drives.
The Passport comes formatted in FAT32, an older file system more efficient for smaller drives, but I easily changed to NTSF using a built in windows utility. NTSF is supposedly more secure, and allows for reading and writing larger files (over 4 gigabytes).
Ive been very gentle with the drive. I havent dropped it, and it seems way too risky to test that. Ive tapped it a few times and the drive hasnt hiccupped. There is no rubber on the sides to absorb impact though. There are four rubber points on the bottom that make setting the drive down smoother and prevent it from sliding around.
The drive has been very quiet. I cant hear it over my computer fan; I can only hear the disk spinning if I put my ear up to it. The drive does make a clicking noise sometimes, which doesnt seem out of the ordinary.
There is absolutely no ventilation in the design, which was worrisome to me at first. However, I havent noticed the drive getting unreasonably warm, or even producing much heat at all, even after playing videos off the drive for hours.
The drive is plug and play with Windows XP machines, connecting using USB 2.0. Ive had no problems with computers detecting the drive. Ive used it on my personal computer and a few computers in a public lab.
Western digital offers the Passport drives in a variety of sizes including 80GB and 160GB models and several casing styles, including back and silver.
Overall, theres not too much for me to complain about. For eighty bucks, this thing has definitely been worth the investment.
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