is there any significant difference between having a hard drive with an "all metal frame" as opposed to one that doesnt?
360531
This drive is actually a bit slimmer compared to the normal wd passport. Overall it feels a lot more solid compared to the plastic drive. Like iPhone 5 vs iPhone 5c. It serves more of an esthetic than functional one. For the same price you can probably get a normal wd passport with higher capacity. Personally I wish that all wd passport had metal casing.
360532
Durability, most of all. The only drawback is that it does retain heat, but so do all EHDs. If it were larger, it might make a difference in weight, but as it is, it weighs about the same as any smartphone. I also like knowing if I drop it or accidentally step on it, it stands much more chance of survival than a plastic shell would.
1119902
I'm sure that's the shipping weight including packaging. Empty it weighs the same as or less than a typical optical drive. With a traditional hard drive mounted it will weigh slightly more. If you use an SSD drive the weight difference is probably not enough to notice.
1314120
I did add a second hard drive, but I am no pro. The metal plate blocking the slot is a knock out, so I got pliers and ripped it (gently,) out. I had to go buy a cable (I bought a longer version of the cable that attached the drive to my old computer) and simply installed it in the same way my old drive was installed. I may simply have gotten lucky. I remember an old conversation about making one drive a slave to the other, but I didn't do anything like that, and the drives are both working, so maybe I did get lucky. You are better off talking to a real tech guy, and someone who is 20 years younger than I am. I did add a second hard drive, but I am no pro. The metal plate blocking the slot is a knock out, so I got pliers and ripped it (gently,) out. I had to go buy a cable (I bought a longer version of the cable that attached the drive to my old computer) and simply installed it in the same way my old drive was installed. I may simply have gotten lucky. I remember an old conversation about making one drive a slave to the other, but I didn't do anything like that, and the drives are both working, so maybe I did get lucky. You are better off talking to a real tech guy, and someone who is 20 years... » Read More I did add a second hard drive, but I am no pro. The metal plate blocking the slot is a knock out, so I got pliers and ripped it (gently,) out. I had to go buy a cable (I bought a longer version of the cable that attached the drive to my old computer) and simply installed it in the same way my old drive was installed. I may simply have gotten lucky. I remember an old conversation about making one drive a slave to the other, but I didn't do anything like that, and the drives are both working, so maybe I did get lucky. You are better off talking to a real tech guy, and someone who is 20 years younger than I am. « Show Less
2092692
There really isn't any comparison. The Department of Defense conducted a laboratory study on the reliability of available media to use for backing up data.It found that virtually all media can only be relied on for 5-7 years before deterioration began and data started to become lost.The exception was the M-disc which tests estimated their reliability to be approximately 1,000 years. They are not subject the separation of the coating media (such as the gold) from the plastic body of the disc, and are impervious to variations in temperature and light.There may not be anything used in 1,000 years to read an M-disc, but the data will still be there if there is. There really isn't any comparison. The Department of Defense conducted a laboratory study on the reliability of available media to use for backing up data.It found that virtually all media can only be relied on for 5-7 years before deterioration began and data started to become lost.The exception was the M-disc which tests estimated their reliability to be approximately 1,000 years. They are not subject the separation of the coating media (such as the gold) from the plastic body of the disc, and are impervious to variations in temperature and light.There... » Read More There really isn't any comparison. The Department of Defense conducted a laboratory study on the reliability of available media to use for backing up data.It found that virtually all media can only be relied on for 5-7 years before deterioration began and data started to become lost.The exception was the M-disc which tests estimated their reliability to be approximately 1,000 years. They are not subject the separation of the coating media (such as the gold) from the plastic body of the disc, and are impervious to variations in temperature and light.There may not be anything used in 1,000 years to read an M-disc, but the data will still be there if there is. « Show Less
94953
External drives are better in quality and durability. I have both and prefer the external.
1835038
Thank you. Is there any rubber or other stuff around the hard disk? I will be installing it on my desktop which will be very close to me in a silent environment, i am trying to find a cage that can eliminate all the vibration from the hard disk.
1916496
It comes with the cable, store packaging, written materials, etc. The opposite is a bare drive which comes in a plain package of just the drive itself. If you are building a PC from scratch, many people buy the retail package. If you already have a drive cable to connect to the motherboard, drive rails, etc. then a bare drive kit is cheaper.
544505
There is an article on Ars Technica you may want to read called "Putting hard drive reliability to the test shows not all disks are equal". I don't think Amazon allows URLs to posted here so you can use Google to search for the web page. There are interesting results shown for the different drive manufacturers.
1128739
They are both very good drives., and have the same 2 year warranty. About the only difference that I know of, is that the seagate drive is said to be an "energy saving" drive, where the western digital is said to be designed as a primary drive. If your going to use it as a storage only drive, and not for an operating system, then either one would be great. If you are going to load an operating system, I'd say go with the western digital. Unless one is way cheaper than the other. But really, you can't lose, and won't be disappointed with either drive. Good luck! ;)P.s, I just replaces my seagate 1TB, which lasted about 5years of continuous use, with another seagate, but a big ol' 2TB! They are both very good drives., and have the same 2 year warranty. About the only difference that I know of, is that the seagate drive is said to be an "energy saving" drive, where the western digital is said to be designed as a primary drive. If your going to use it as a storage only drive, and not for an operating system, then either one would be great. If you are going to load an operating system, I'd say go with the western digital. Unless one is way cheaper than the other. But really, you can't lose, and won't be disappointed with either drive. Good luck! ;)P.s,... » Read More They are both very good drives., and have the same 2 year warranty. About the only difference that I know of, is that the seagate drive is said to be an "energy saving" drive, where the western digital is said to be designed as a primary drive. If your going to use it as a storage only drive, and not for an operating system, then either one would be great. If you are going to load an operating system, I'd say go with the western digital. Unless one is way cheaper than the other. But really, you can't lose, and won't be disappointed with either drive. Good luck! ;)P.s, I just replaces my seagate 1TB, which lasted about 5years of continuous use, with another seagate, but a big ol' 2TB! « Show Less
2069258
I open both inside is same hard drive very fat sata hard 16.5 mm drive 5400 rpm that will not fit on any of the laptops that I try. software inside is the same ,only difference is the outside case one is a little smaller, also sometimes there is a big difference in price, one is shiny , difference maybe software?
1283663
I don't think you should need any extra hardware if these are physically the same dimensions. I replaced an old hard disk in a Toshiba Laptop with this larger capacity version and I just reused the frame around the old hard disk.
504793
The drive would be compatible, but I am not seeing a dramatic increase in performance.
326666
Maybe it is luck of the draw. I ordered directly from Amazon and received the bad cardboard packaging. I have not got around to installing the drive yet(hopefully this weekend), so do not know if there will be issues.
1327628
Absolutely! Solid state drive doesn't have moving parts like a traditional HDD. This allows much greater performance and greatly decreases risk of failure....
149489
It's plastic. I wouldn't recomend this drive. Many many people are having them fail and lose all data.
474696
Great question. Simple answer, performance will be about the same, so go with the lower cost with higher reliability drive. For me, the choice was easy as it was quite a bit cheaper than the 7,200 models. A year later, I still love this little drive so I don't think you will have any issues if you follow in my tracks.
300349
No the drive is completely enclosed, but you should check to see if your unit is EIDE (ATA) or SATA (serial ATA) adapters are available should you need one.