One of the questions we get asked all the time is:
"Which external hard drive should I buy?"
As onsite computer technicians, we work with many different kinds of external hard drives. In this external hard drive review we will show you why we believe that the Western Digital My Book Essential 3 TB USB 3.0/2.0 External Hard Drive is currently the best available for the average computer user.
Any good external hard drive should transfer data quickly, include reliable and easy-to-use backup software, be built sturdily, and have a large enough capacity to last you for years. The Western Digital My Book Essential impresses in all of these areas.
- Transfer Speeds (USB 2.0 and 3.0 compatible) - With its SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port, this drive can move data up to 3X faster than USB 2.0. You can move a 2-Hour HD movie in only 3 minutes instead of 13 minutes.
- WD SmartWare Backup Software - Any software that we recommend to our computer support customers must be simple and reliable. You don't have to use this software to use the drive, but if you do, you should have no trouble setting up your own automatic local backup.
- Hardware Quality - The WD My Book Essential 3TB has an attractive black enclosure that will look great in just about any environment. It looks and feels like it was built with quality in mind.
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Capacity - This external hard drive comes in 1 TB, 1.5 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB sizes. We recommend the 3 TB size so that you won't have space issues for
a while.
We highly recommend taking advantage of the awesome speed of USB 3.0. If your computer is newer, it may have a blue USB 3.0 port. If not, you can purchase an adapter card for your desktop. Look below for the links to purchase at Amazon.com. Scroll down the product page to find info on the USB 3.0 adapter card and USB 3.0 cable, if needed.
