Western Digital WDH1U1600N 160GB MyBook Essential Hard Drive

List Price: $99.99 Discount Price: $74.99

Features:

• Box Contents - External hard drive, USB cable, AC adapter and Quick Install Guide
• Easy to set up, easy to use - Installation is a snap because you don't really install this drive, you just plug it in and it's ready to use
• USB 2.0 interface - A simple connection that offers convenience and compatibility among multiple computers
• Fits right in - Takes no more space than a paperback book
• Smart and energy efficient - Turns itself on and off with your computer

Customer Reviews:

The New Western Digital MyBook 160 GB - Nice Looking, Decent Performing External HD [Posted on 2008-04-03]
160GB Mybook Essential Edition

The new Western Digital MyBook 160 GB is an attractive update to the Essentials line of external hard drives for the home market. The performance is somewhat improved from earlier revisions of this drive, though not by much.

Pros
+ Works well on Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS X
+ Nice 16 MB buffer for faster copying speeds
+ New sleek, shiny, thinner body
+ Turns on and off with your computer
+ Great price for 160 GB of capacity
+ Very easy installation, virtually plug and play

Cons
- Getting small compared to newer drives coming onto the market
- Included software will only be useful for novice users; not useful for power users
- New shiny body attracts fingerprints and dust, may not appeal to everyone
- Transfer speed still limited by USB only connection
- AC adapter for power, not USB powered

I'm going to discuss Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS, since I have tested this guy on all three. I can also compare this to several other WD hard drives that I have owned. Overall, if you have limited size needs and aren't using this for full backup, this drive is probably up your alley.

The Looks

The drive has a new shiny exterior that is the same shiny plastic that is used on the portable passport drives. Western Digital 160GB 2.5-inch Passport USB Portable Hard Drive Those cases scratch in transit, but since this is designed for home use I don't think that's a big deal. This surface also can attract fingerprints, but the new design has removed the need to touch the drive since the external button is now gone. The cosmetic changes to this drive may not appeal to everybody. For me, I like the new curved look of this drive.

The Features

Removing the external power button was probably a minor change overall, but I liked the old way. In any event, you can still unplug the AC adapter and power it down from behind. As it is, it does power down with your computer, based upon the USB connection. Some may not be crazy about the extra connection for the AC adapter, but these guys perform faster and more reliably than the USB powered ones.

The 16 MB buffer is nice, especially for a external hard drive in the 160 GB range. The 8 MB buffer was common before, but 16 MB is becoming the new standard. Bottom line, this guy is still limited by the 480 Mps connection speed of USB 2.0, but performs very well compared to WD's other drives.

The firmware for the device came updated, something I couldn't say about the old MyBook drives I bought. The software utilities included with this device are cute but not tremendously useful. Take my advice: don't use this utilities and just do cut and paste backups and saves to this drive.

I've had no problem connecting this drive to Windows XP, Vista or Mac OS X computers. The only factor that should change whether or not you get this drive or another one would be size and connection type. Obviously, WD makes Pro and other versions of these drives that have firewire and SATA connectors. For most Mac users, firewire connectivity is a must. Also, as 1 and 2 TB drives are starting to come onto the market, these 160 GB drives seems smaller and smaller by comparison. Check out the alternatives if you need more space or extra features offered by some of the multi-drive configs, including RAID.
Western Digital WDG1C5000N My Book Premium Edition 500 GB USB 2.0/Firewire External Hard Drive
Western Digital WDG1C7500N My Book Premium 750 GB USB2.0/FireWire External Hard Drive
Western Digital My Book Essential Edition 1 TB External Hard Drive
Western Digital WDG2T15000N MyBook Premium II 1.5 TB Hard Drive

Conclusion

This drive is a great value for those who only want to backup a smaller computer or add to a group of existing WD drives. Try to get it on sale. Those looking for extra connectors (firewire, SATA) or a full backup solution for their main computer will most likely want to step up to the next model.

Enjoy!

Good Value, Easy Setup [Posted on 2008-07-03]
Seems to be an inexpensive, easy way to backup my hard drive (I take the MyBook to the basement during storms). Very easy to connect and operate (although it did need formatting to "NTFS"), and transferring new files is very speedy.

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