This post is a review of the Western Digital My Passport Ultra 5 TB External Hard Drive. I have been using it for more than 3 months with no problems, and it builds on my years of experience with multiple Western Digital external hard drives, both HDD and SSD, which all still work.
An external hard drive is vital for anyone working digitally, for backing up and moving files around, and saving space if your computer drive starts to fill up. A good hard drive will last a long time and the expense of buying one is worth it when you consider all the time and effort that goes into the files you have made.
A few years ago, I reviewed the small and versatile Western Digital 1 TB My Passport SSD External Drive, and it is still going strong with no problems. But after upgrading to a laptop with a larger drive, I needed to find a larger external drive for backup files.
While I prefer SSD or Solid State Drives because they have no moving parts, the SSD drives seemed to only go as large as 2TB and I was looking for something larger than that. The Western Digital My Passport Ultra HDD or Hard Disc Drive fit the bill for me, with options from 2 to 6 TB. Based on the price break, I went with the 5TB option at around $140 as opposed to the 6TB option at almost $200.
In my time using this external drive I have found it fast, reliable and have had no problems. It just works when I need it with no issues. As I use a Mac, I partitioned the drive into two parts: a Time Machine backup and a second drive where I can drop large files
The drive itself measures around 4.3 inches x 3 inches x 3/4 inches thick, making it much larger than the WD SSD drive I had been using. But the thickness also depends on the capacity of the drive: the 2TB and 4 TB models are listed at 0.5” thick, while the 5TB and 6TB models are listed at 0.75” thick. My 5TB drive feels like a slightly large deck of cards with a boxy thickness. But the drive still fits comfortably into the side pocket of my tomtoc laptop sleeve.
As mentioned, I prefer SSD drives because they have no moving parts. But I needed a larger drive so I went with this HDD option. It is advised to be more careful with HDD drives; as they have moving parts it is best not to move them while in use. With both types of drives, do your best to not drop or let the drives overheat.
The Western Digital My Passport Ultra HDD drive ranges in price from $89.99 for a 2TB drive to $199.99 for a 6TB drive.
For a slightly cheaper option, you could also look into the Western Digital Elements HDD portable drive. It has a slightly different case and a 2 year warranty, as opposed to the 3 year warranty for the My Passport.
Storage Needs for Artists
As an artist, it’s important to document all your work with high quality images, and store those files along with having a backup. One option is an online backup, or you can back up the files to an external hard drive.
When storing files, it’s good to make a robust file management system. A simple method is by year and month, or by type of work.
Summary
Backup storage of your important files is vital, and an external hard drive is an easy, affordable solution. An HDD external drive is economical and effective. SSD drives are lighter and with fewer moving parts, may be more future proof. Whatever you use, just make sure to back up your important files.
What back up system or external hard drive do you use? Let us know in the comments.