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WD Elements 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive
Digital Storage Capacity | 2 TB |
Hard Disk Interface | ATA-4 |
Connectivity Technology | USB |
Brand | Western Digital |
Special Feature | Portable |
Hard Disk Form Factor | 3.5 Inches |
Hard Disk Description | Desktop |
Compatible Devices | Desktop |
Installation Type | External Hard Drive |
Color | Black |
About this item
- Simply affordable
- Easy to use USB 2.0
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This Item WD Elements 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | — | $54.88$54.88 | -12% $229.99$229.99 List: $259.99 | -15% $169.99$169.99 List: $199.99 | -13% $69.99$69.99 List: $79.99 | $69.99$69.99 |
Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | — | — | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 | Get it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Storage Capacity | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
Tech Support | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Portability | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.1 | — | 4.3 | 4.5 |
Durability | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.1 | — | 4.4 |
Easy to use | — | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.7 |
Sold By | — | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
storage capacity | 2 TB | 1 TB | 12 TB | 8 TB | 2 TB | 2 TB |
hardware interface | usb | usb | usb | usb3.0 | usb3.0 | usb3.0 |
compatible devices | Desktop | Laptop | Desktop | Desktop | Laptop | Desktop, Laptop |
form factor | desktop | Portable | Desktop | Desktop | 2.5-inch | Portable |
What's in the box
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Product Description
Product Description
2TB WD Elements USB 2.0 Ext desktop External Hard Drive
From the Manufacturer
WD Elements™ Desktop External Drive - Simply affordable.
Western Digital's WD Elements Desktop USB 2.0 external hard drives are the right answer for simple, reliable add-on storage. Simply plug one in to a USB port and start saving your photos, music, video, and files.
Features at a glance- Simple add-on storage
- Plug-and-play
- USB 2.0 interface
- WD quality inside and out
- 1-year limited warranty
WD quality inside and out - Designed with the same commitment to quality that made WD external drives the number one selling drives in the world.
Plug-and-play simplicity - Just connect the power and plug it into a USB port to instantly add more storage to your computer.
Designed to save power - Turns on and off with your computer. Enters idle mode when not in use. Utilizes a WD drive with power-saving WD GreenPower Technology™ and an EnergyStar compliant power supply.
Packaging - Packaged in a minimized recyclable packaging made from recycled materials. Preformatted for PCs - Designed for use with Windows-based computers. Can be easily reformatted for use with Macs.
Preformatted for PCs - Designed for use with Windows-based computers. Can be easily reformatted for use with Macs.
Compatibility
Available USB port, Mac OS® X Tiger® or Leopard®, Windows® Vista®/XP
Note: Compatibility may vary, depending on user's hardware configuration and operating system.
What's in the box
USB 2.0 external hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter, Quick Install Guide.
Desktop Storage
Comparison Chart WD Elements Desktop My Book Essential My Book for Mac My Book Studio Simply affordable. Next generation storage and backup. Smart backup and storage for Mac. Pure performance for Mac. Interface USB 2.0 USB 3.0, USB 2.0 USB 2.0 FireWire 800,
USB 2.0 Capacity range 500 GB - 2 TB 500 GB - 3 TB 1 TB and 2 TB 1 TB and 2 TB WD SmartWare Automatic backup Password protection
and hardware encryption Capacity gauge Custom e-label
Product information
Product Dimensions | 7.01 x 4.9 x 1.42 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 2.24 pounds |
ASIN | B002QEBMCI |
Item model number | WDBAAU0020HBK-NESN |
National Stock Number | 7050-01-594-1810 |
Customer Reviews |
4.5 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #2,011 in External Hard Drives |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | September 14, 2009 |
Manufacturer | Western Digital |
Language | English |
Feedback
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the performance, value, and ease of use of the computer drive. For example, they mention that it works flawlessly, is reasonably priced, and is well worth the purchase. That said, they're also satisfied with vibration, size, and storage. Opinions are mixed on quality and speed.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the hard drive. For example, they say it works flawlessly, it's a well-performing product, and has had no problems. Some mention that it works with PCs and TVs without any issues. That said, most are satisfied with the performance and functionality of the drive.
"...It works great as a Time Machine...." Read more
"...aren't the absolute best buy in external drives at the moment... they are very good, and they are certainly worth having...." Read more
"...been done to improve the hard drive, but all in all, the hard drive works very well and definitely serves my purpose." Read more
"...files as this is all this drive was designed for and it does it's job very well.Well done WD well engineered device! -..." Read more
Customers like the value of the computer drive. They mention that it has great performance, is economical, and flexible. The docking stations are also reasonably priced, and convenient. Overall, customers are satisfied with the value and performance of the drive.
"...The speed is what you would expect and is reasonable. A faster speed would be awesome, but the speed is what you would expect from any competitors...." Read more
"...Docking stations are also reasonably priced, and very convenient.My experience with these particular drives has been great...." Read more
"...best in 2TB external storage in today's market, The price is right for an external enclosure, The drive is silent but with occasional seek sound..." Read more
"...USB 2, this little drive has earned my respect for its tenacity, its economy, its flexibility, its portability, its silence, its cool operation and..." Read more
Customers find the computer drive easy to use. They mention it's simple to set up and use, and comes pre-formatted NTFS. Customers also say it mounts with no problem and is ready for immediate use.
"...It's very easy to use...." Read more
"...Docking stations are also reasonably priced, and very convenient.My experience with these particular drives has been great...." Read more
"...I like about this drive: it has plenty of space and it is ALL available for immediate use, it is small enough to hide behind my monitor, and it is..." Read more
"...The drive is 100% plug and play and is nearly silent. The size is nice for so much storage too.Problem:..." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the vibration of the computer drive. They mention that it runs very quietly.
"...The hard drive isn't noisy, which I wouldn't care about anyway, but in any case this one is silent...." Read more
"...They are sturdy, durable, quiet, and good looking. They can be stood vertically or laid horizontally...." Read more
"...use, it is small enough to hide behind my monitor, and it is VERY quiet (I had to touch the drive to assure myself it was running)...." Read more
"...The drive is 100% plug and play and is nearly silent. The size is nice for so much storage too.Problem:..." Read more
Customers like the size of the hard drive. They mention that it takes up little space on the desktop, is absolutely quiet at all times, and is quite compact. They also appreciate the good size and shape of the drive and electronics. Overall, most are happy with the size and functionality of the product.
"...I have no problem with the size. It still fits comfortably in my laptop bag if I need to transport it with my laptop so the size is fine by me...." Read more
"...What I like about this drive: it has plenty of space and it is ALL available for immediate use, it is small enough to hide behind my monitor, and it..." Read more
"...The drive is 100% plug and play and is nearly silent. The size is nice for so much storage too.Problem:..." Read more
"...However, it's nothing like it. It's quite compact, sleek, and stylish. I'm proud of leaving it visible on my desktop.-..." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the storage of the computer drive. They mention that it provides an amazingly large amount of storage for an surprisingly small price, and is an excellent choice for media storage in home theater PCs. Customers are also happy with the speed and availability of the drive. The space, over 500 GB, is available for any client storage, holding a lot of media like iTunes. The drive is extremely fast and will likely never be full. It is a suitable back-up for everything and can just be kept at home desk for use whenever. There are lots of great backup programs available, and it functions as a great media drive for the LaCie media server.
"...They are an excellent choice for media storage in home theater PCs...." Read more
"...It shows up on the computer and it is completely blank and ready to use...." Read more
"...is able to store and stream HD video and also has enough capacity to store tons of pictures and digital files as this is all this drive was designed..." Read more
"...The remaining space, over 500 GB, is available for any client storage, holding a lot of media like iTunes, iMovie and iPhoto libraries...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the quality of the computer drive. Some mention that it's a reliable piece of equipment that holds up well, and is made well. Others say that it has a high failure rate and is buggy.
"This is a great external hard drive that anyone should get if they're looking to backup their computer...." Read more
"...mentioned that this drive had problems with compatibility and a high failure rate...." Read more
"...They are sturdy, durable, quiet, and good looking. They can be stood vertically or laid horizontally...." Read more
"...WD Elements & Win 7, Drive does not appear in Win Explorer-not assigned a drive letter - Simple Fixby bigfish98 a moment ago..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the speed of the drive. Some mention that it has pretty good speed for USB 2.0, read speeds are reasonable for USB, and the USB 2.0 interface is as fast as you would expect it to be. However, others say that it's not the fastest drive on the market, has slow file transfer speeds during file syncing, and that the transfer rates differed quite a bit.
"...The speed is what you would expect and is reasonable. A faster speed would be awesome, but the speed is what you would expect from any competitors...." Read more
"...is silent but with occasional seek sound which is expected, the speeds are okay for a USB 2.0 based drive...." Read more
"...3. These drives connect via USB 2.0. This is a slow type of interface by today's standards...." Read more
"...I used free version of TerraCopy and the copy process looked faster and there were no lags what so ever. So, again the drive looks good as of now...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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The speed is what you would expect and is reasonable. A faster speed would be awesome, but the speed is what you would expect from any competitors. A 700 MB file takes a few minutes to transfer while 31.44 GB takes around 30 minutes. Backing up your hard drive is gonna take a few hours.
It works great as a Time Machine. I have a MacBook Pro and the first thing I did was reformat the hard drive for Mac and then define it as the Time Machine hard drive to always use. Just connect the hard drive, continue working, and a few hours later your entire computer will be backed up. It's very easy to use.
The hard drive isn't noisy, which I wouldn't care about anyway, but in any case this one is silent. What I do care about is how hot it gets and this external hard drive does not get hot. I also have a Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDBAAA5000ABK-NESN (Midnight Black) and a Western Digital WD TV Live Plus HD Media Player WDBABX0000NBK-NESN . Both become very hot so I expected the 2 TB External Hard Drive to become hot as well, but I was wrong. It produces no heat. It never becomes hot to the touch. It doesn't even become warm. At most, in long uses in a non air-conditioned room, it may become luckwarm to the touch. Based on my past experience with WD products, I am amazed that the 2 TB External Hard Drive does not become hot. I am a fan of WD products, but them getting fairly hot was always a drawback so having a 2 TB External Hard Drive that I'm trusting my important computer files to that does not become hot is a huge plus in my book.
For those that may not have used an external hard drive of this size before, note that there is an external power source. Meaning that you have to plug the hard drive into the wall. With the hard drive this large, it isn't a surprise, but just to let you know if you weren't aware. Speaking of size, the hard drive is large and has a little weight. It's about the size of a dvd boxset. I have no problem with the size. It still fits comfortably in my laptop bag if I need to transport it with my laptop so the size is fine by me.
The price is the best you're gonna get with a 2TB hard drive and it's a good buy for your money.
I felt the need to write a review to help people sort through these reviews with a little confidence.
1. ALMOST ALL HARD DRIVES (both internal and external) HAVE POOR REVIEWS. For reference, here are some published figures about hard drive failure rates. These rates are based upon drives sold between October 1st, 2010 and April 1, 2011, and the percentage is how many failed before October 2011. The sample groups for each brand are at least 500 drives. These are the 4 major 3.5" hard drive manufacturers.
Samsung 1.5% failed
Seagate 1.8% failed
Western Digital 2.0% failed
Hitachi 3.0% failed
As you can see, all the failure rates are very low. These figures also include damage caused in shipping, and failures due to abuse. So, you can imagine, that the failure rate of drives that are well cared for are much lower.
2. ALL 3.5" EXTERNAL DRIVES REQUIRE AN EXTERNAL POWER SOURCE (for now anyways). USB 3.0 may be able to provide enough power to feed a 3.5" drive, but I've yet to see it. Thunderbolt may be able to as well (somebody correct me if this is already available). But, for the time being, if you want the massive, affordable storage of a 3.5" drive externally, you'll have to find a wall socket. If you'd rather just plug in a USB cable, and not worry about power, get a "portable" external hard drive. These drive use 2.5" (laptop) hard drives that are capable of running on USB supplied power in most cases. The drives are also more expensive per GB of storage, and are currently only available as large as 1TB (I think a 1.5TB exists, but isn't yet widely sold).
3. These drives connect via USB 2.0. This is a slow type of interface by today's standards. If you're frequently transferring a massive amount of data, you may want to consider a faster interface (such as eSATA, USB 3.0, or firewire). The USB 2.0 interface is more than adequate for media playback, weekly backups, or any task that you're not impatiently waiting on.
4. Many times, a failed external drive still has a perfectly good hard drive sitting inside it. If you've lost important data, or you just want to salvage your drive, you should consider opening your external's case and installing the drive internally in a desktop or installing it in another external 3.5" case. Cheap 3.5" external cases can easily be found on Amazon and other sites. Docking stations are also reasonably priced, and very convenient.
My experience with these particular drives has been great. Neither of the ones I own have failed me in any way. In fact, the only hard drive related failure I've ever had, was a Seagate external drive that I purchased in 2007. The drive itself never failed, but the USB to SATA interface inside the case did. No worries, I pulled the drive out of the case and still got plenty of use out of it (before 500GB became too little to bother with).
The drives contain Western Digital Caviar Green internal hard drives. These drives are very quiet, very cool, and fast enough for anything but a boot drive. They are an excellent choice for media storage in home theater PCs. They are especially quiet inside the Elements design external case, because there is no ventilation. You have to try pretty hard to hear one of these drives.
Western Digital has offered me my full warranty on one of these drives, even after I had opened to case, and removed the external drive to install it internally. Their customer service was knowledgeable, courteous, and efficient.
The interface inside these drives can be used on a variety of hard drives. I've used it with many other desktop hard drives, laptop hard drives and even solid state drives. The one oddity about it is... it absolutely refuses to read any Seagate drive I've tried it with.
The cases themselves are cheap, but that's not necessarily bad. They are sturdy, durable, quiet, and good looking. They can be stood vertically or laid horizontally. I'm not sure what more you could ask of a case.
All in all, while these aren't the absolute best buy in external drives at the moment... they are very good, and they are certainly worth having. I wouldn't pass on a sale to buy another.
Top reviews from other countries
One point to note, which could be a pro and con, is that the device has no activity light on the front. For me having the drive permanently connected under the tv with my Slug it's nice as it's not constantly blinking at me (unlike the damn Story's underlight like something from 2 Fast 2 Furious) but or others this could be an issue.
On the whole, recommended.