WD My Book Essential 500GB USB 2.0 3.5" External Hard Drive WDG1U5000N
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Reviews(380)
Good looking enclosure.
Basically silent.
Turns on and off automatically with windows.
Plenty of space.
Doesn't seem to overheat at all.
Seems a little slow. Not ultra-slow, but when copying large files it seems to take somewhat noticeably longer than my previous external drive.
The drive inside turns off after a period of idleness which causes a delay when accessing it again.
Comes pre-formatted to FAT32 for compatablity. If you're running Windows XP converting it to NTFS is reccomended and doesn't take much effort. Control Panel > Admin Tools > Computer Managment > Storage > Disk Managment. Right click the drive and format. Due to it's size, I'd recommend a quick format. All the full format does is search for bad sectors on the disk and recover/disable them.
I'll probably buy another of these for its looks and quietness when I need more storage.
Good storage GB/per$, nice form factor (subjective I suppose).
Very slow compared to other external USB drives, throughtput is approximately 60% of that of Mxxxor and Buslink devices I own.
They tent to "forget" their on/off state, which is supposed to be automatic.
I purchased 2 of the 500GB drives, to compliment my already large assortment of Mxxxor and Bxxxink devices. Both devices worked properly upon installation.
Upon initial setup, I tested bandwidth and found both devices almost identical to each other (a good thing), but could only achieve approx. 60% of the throughput of my other external USB drives. In fact, data transfer on these devices is only about 15% faster than my Mxxxor "network shared storage" drives (400GB each, connected via 10/100 ethernet). Large backups consistently take almost twice as long on the WD than on any of my other USB drives (24 total), and 4 times longer than my fastest USB drives.
My other "complaint" - and not a big deal - is that they seem to run unusually hot, and their little external power adapters run *really* hot, which I believe will shorten their life span. I've already contacted WD about purchasing a couple spare power adapters, as I believe the drives will outlive the adapters.
Warranty & Returns
Warranty
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Manufacturer Contact Info
Website: https://www.westerndigital.com/
Support Phone: 1-800-275-4932
Features & Details
- WDG1U5000N
- USB 2.0
- 3.5"
- 1 year limited
Specifications
| Brand | WD |
|---|---|
| Series | My Book Essential |
| Model | WDG1U5000N |
| Interface | USB 2.0 |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 500GB |
| Cache | 16MB |
| RPM | 7200 RPM |
| Average Seek Time | 8.9ms |
| Features | Easy to set up, easy to use -- This drive is all about simplicity. Plug it into your computer’s USB 2.0 port and start saving. Intelligent drive management features — The My Book drive turns itself on and off with your computer Smart design — The elegant case, iconic of a book, takes up less space on your desk, stacks horizontally, and allows two or more drives to stand neatly together like volumes on a shelf. High quality hard drive — Inside the case is an exceptionally fast, ultra quiet, cool-running hard drive from Western Digital. Free Google software — Search your drive, manage your photos, and simplify Web searches with included Google software. |
|---|
| Form Factor | 3.5" |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6.7" x 5.6" x 2.3" |
| Weight | 2.9 lbs. |
| Package Contents | 500GB External Hard Drive 1 x USB Cable Power Adapter and Power Cord |
|---|
| First Listed on Newegg | April 13, 2006 |
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