Mybook studio edition review

In practice, this didn't seem frightfully accurate or frequently updated, so it's worth simply checking the properties in Explorer. Quite hilariously, the manual states "do not use My Book as a portable device".

A five year warranty means the external drive is at least well protected should you choose to do so. Performance We tested the 1TB version, which houses Western Digital's RPM drive -- slower than the competing RPM drives, but should also mean it's quieter and generates less heat -- indeed, the My Book Studio Edition is completely fanless, although you can hear the drive crunch during heavy disk operations. While we didn't have a Firewire port to test with, performance over USB2.

Currently Western Digital's only TB drive has a power saving feature built in that varies the spindle speed between RPM and RPM, with a focus on power saving rather than performance -- we can only surmise that this is the cause of the underperforming eSATA results. On the up side -- you get a quiet and cool external drive that's perfect for most people's uses. Craig Simms. One of my favorite design features of the My Book RAID enclosures is the easy-access top panel for simple servicing of the drives.

If you ever need to replace one of the two drives inside the My Book Studio Edition II all you have to do is press firmly on the top panel until it springs open. Next, unscrew the thumb screw holding the metal drive plate and remove the drive plate. Atto is another synthetic benchmark we use to test the performance of a storage drive.

Using CrystalDiskMark we measured an average sequential read speed of Switching to the USB 2. The highlight is the backup program, which lets users configure the way they want to back up their computer.

Backup options include specific files and folders, or the user can specify the type of files they want to back up by category, like music. Once configured the all continues to run in the background, updating the backup as files are modified. Similar to the portable WD external hard drives we just reviewed My Passport Studio , My Passport for Mac the My Book Studio software also includes software to manage a password for the drive, control power settings and perform diagnostics.

The new metal body is a huge step up in terms of looks and durability compared to older plastic models, although it does add some heft if you plan on traveling around with it. In USB 2. In FireWire test, the drive scored We didn't test the drive with FireWire as our test machine wasn't equipped with this type of connection.

Other than the sleep mode issue mentioned above, the drive worked well in our tests. It seemed hot, however, after being used for an extended amount of time. Service and support The length of the warranty is the most important thing for storage devices, and Western Digital delivers.

At the company's Web site, you'll find a section dedicated to the drive where you can find all you need in terms of support. Its intermittently and seemingly buggy firmware and lack of support for USB 3.

Dong Ngo. The drive is fast and affordable. It runs hot, seems buggy at times, and doesn't come with an eSATA cable.