HDD Review - PC Guide https://www.pcguide.com Practical Guides to PC & Tech at Home, Work, and Play Tue, 28 May 2024 12:32:38 +0000 en-US https://www.pcguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/PCguide-favicon-75x75.png HDD Review - PC Guide https://www.pcguide.com 32 32 WD Blue 1TB SATA Hard Drive Review About the WD Blue 1TB SATA Hard DriveFirst, there was IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), then there was SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). This is a serial link that allows communication to happen at faster speeds, making it a true technological advancement over the older ATA/EIDE systems.Technology is always advancing and currently, we’re wading through our to-do list of reviews for SSDs and PCIes, which should give you some perspective of this particular hard drive.When deciding on a hard drive for data storage, there are three things to look for: Capacity – how much Speed – how fast Access – from where

Capacity

Capacity refers to the amount of space you need for your data, which includes document, emails, photos, music, apps, video games, and everything else currently on your computer. The larger your files, the more storage space you’ll need. And the bigger storage space you have, the less bogged down your hard drive will get, helping your entire computer to run at a peak performance.

Speed

Speed refers to the internal speed of the hard drive as well as the speed of the connection between your computer and the drive. This will affect how quickly you can save, load and transfer files. Think of speed in terms of efficiency, where the greater speed you have, the easier it will be for your hard drive – and all of the parts of the computer affected by it – to run.

Access

Access refers to where your files will be stored on your mobile device or desktop. Do other people need access to some of, or all of the files? Are there files that need to move between different computers? Do you want to be able to access music or images remotely? Is there cloud storage available? Can you see and look at your files if you don’t have direct access to your internal hard drive at the moment?

About Western Digital

Western Digital (WD) pretty much set the standard for hard drives and has been around since 1970. Chances are if you’ve had any dealings with hard disks and drives you would have used a WD Blue or Green, or at the very least, you would have heard of it. You can never go wrong with a Western Digital Product, and while they certainly don’t always provide the latest or greatest bells and whistles, they are always super reliable and can give computer users exactly what they need for a peak performing computer.The brand isn’t known for its cutting edge-hardware, after all, we’re talking old-school here, but it’s definitely one of the most reliable and sensible. In the past, WD hard drives were also among the most affordable, but that has changed recently, which is maybe why the WD Blue 1TB SATA hard drive gets a fair to mild, not fantastic, review from us. It is still worth reviewing due to its affordability and basic functionality, so consider this hard drive if you are looking for something on a very tight budget.The WD Blue 1TB SATA Hard Drive is a bit of a tough one: while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, there’s nothing particularly extraordinary about it either. It’s safe, reliable and you know what you’re getting, like when you order a vanilla milkshake.Another way of describing the WD Blue 1TB SATA Hard Drive, according to one of our female panel members, is like being on Tinder Premium, where you’ve swiped left, but haven’t seen anything else you like more, so you ‘rewind’ to give it another chance. In other words, it’s not ‘Mr. (Right) Hard Drive’ but it’s ‘Mr. Hard Drive for (right) now’. Which is exactly why it fits the mold as a budget piece. If you’re building a tower from scratch, and you just need something reliable with okay storage capacity in the meantime, while you save up for one of the more powerful beasts out there on the market, then this is a practical and wise choice for you.

SATA Compatibility

The WD Blue 1TB SATA hard drive has been made to deliver on three things: reliability, affordability and sufficient speed. It has SATA compatibility, which offers enough bandwidth for general use, but it’s not going to compete with the new kid on the block, the PCIe or PCI Express drives. Sadly, this kind of drive won’t work in every situation. The hardcore PC gamers will definitely not find this SATA compatibility to be enough bang for the buck, especially when trying to run a high-capacity PC with super large video files.The WD Blue 1TB is available for desktops and mobile devices, which are 3.5 inches and 2.5 inches respectively and have three storage capacities; 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB. Many users are surprised at the mobile device compatibility, but really this feature has become a standard over the past few years. This is why it’s difficult to place this drive in terms of rating, because while it has some specs which surprisingly stand the test of time, other features (or features NOT included) just really fall short when compared to what’s on the market now.Western Digital offers hard drives in different color categories: Blue – solid and reliable performance for your day-to-day usage Green – secondary storage for people who need additional space for their data Black – the black range is for gamers, creatives and people want the very best in storage solutionsThe WD Blue 1TB SATA Hard Drive is available in different color categories, and while some drives offer better performance than others based on color, neither of them are the best options on the market. Again, you should think about what you want to build before investing in a drive like this. If you’re a true creative but you need something cheap, go for the Black quality for now. Otherwise, if you just need something that will hold your PC together every day until you can invest in more, there’s no reason to go past the Blue level, which is what’s being reviewed here.

WD Blue 1TB SATA Hard Drive Access

Let’s take a look at the access capacity of this particular hard drive. How can it be accessed? How many places can it be accessed in? While it doesn’t have spectacular amounts of access, it is still fairly reliable when buffering or playing a game. Plus, with the mobile device connectivity, it may be easier to access your files in a variety of different ways than ever.There isn’t much going on in terms of protection or encryption, so you will definitely want to invest in your own set up backup systems and plans in case you ever lose your files. Having a portable or external hard drive may not be a bad idea in this case. Since it only has 1TB of space, the WD Blue is not the most reliable in terms of storage. But it can still be easily accessed by the PC user.

Speed limits

If you use hard drives for storage, you know that speed is key when measuring its performance. Given that most hard drives look the same, there are usually three ways to determine which you prefer; access, capacity, and speed, with speed and capacity being the most important. Since we’ve already covered capacity and access, it’s time to go over speed. Let’s see what this thing can do.As far as this particular WD Blue hard drive goes, the speed is limited by the SATA connection, which means it’s probably more suited to an individual or small home office set-up, rather than multiple users needing fast connectivity and large storage. The speed is really nothing to be in awe over, and while it isn’t the worst, it truly isn’t the best either. If you’re working in a productivity setting, let’s say you are operating office software while viewing a video and running Google Chrome, you will have more disk writing activity when compared to reading activity. It typically has less than 15 MB/s of speed, which will work for the bare minimum essentials that you need. However, the fact that it’s 1TB of storage is a definite advantage, especially within this price range. While newer hard drives are allowing for up to 4TB of storage capacity, 1TB is still enough to satisfy most average consumer’s needs.  

Final Verdict

Overall, the WD Blue 1TB SATA Hard Drive is just okay. It’s a little bit older, a little bit more traditional, and certainly not as fancy as some of the newer models being released these days. While it has decent access and capacity, the speed falls a little bit short.The WD 1TB SATA drive is a decent data storage solution and will serve you well. It comes with a two-year warranty and is PC and MAC compliant, although there might be some formatting needed when it comes to a MAC. It’s better off formatting this internal drive with a PC. However, it should work in a variety of average situations, where you just need a little something to get your computer going while you save up for the heavy hitters.This is a safe purchase, where you pretty much know what you’re getting in terms of speed, reliability and storage space. It can help to get the ball rolling, although it doesn’t have a ton of new capacity or compatibility features. But it is definitely a safe buy, one that can last a few years, and at its current price we think it’s worthwhile.]]> https://www.pcguide.com/hdd/review/wd-blue-1tb-sata-hard-drive/ https://www.pcguide.com/?p=3886 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 07:16:13 +0100 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive Hard Drive Review Pros and Cons: A Quick Overview

 What we like:

Sleek design, doesn’t date Very fast transfer speed Backup software available

What we don’t like:

The Seagate Backup Dashboard doesn’t allow to keep different versions of data The warranty isn’t great Some have said design is a little boring

About the 4TB Seagate Backup Plus

I’ll never forget my mom telling me about her very first job, where she was shown ‘the computer room’. “But mom,” I asked, “what was the computer room?” To which she replied, a room that literally housed one computer. That was way back in the 60s and trying to imagine not having a laptop the size of an A4 book now is impossible, let alone a portable hard drive, the size of a mobile phone, that has a 4TB capacity. Back then, it took an entire room to store a miniscule amount of data, which was often kept in storage and only shared within the confines of the company or the building. Thinking about how far we’ve progressed, and how that same kind of storage capacity can now fit on a microscopic chip, is quite impressive.It’s only been a recent development, as in the last two years, that if you needed a portable hard-drive with more than 3TB of capacity, you would have to buy something along the lines of the Seagate Backup Plus fast, which combined two 2TB hard disks, using one chassis, resulting in a 4TB portable hard drive. While an ingenious design, this particular hard drive was a little chunky for some, detracting from the portable part. Not to mention it wasn’t always worth the dip in affordability for most people. But now, the Seagate 4TB Backup Plus Portable Drive Hard Drive has been released, helping you say good-bye to the old Seagate Backup and difficult compatibility issues. Now, it’s easier than ever to add more storage to your repertoire. Not to mention, the performance capabilities won’t break your computer.Check it out!

Hello Seagate 4TB Backup Plus Portable Drive

The first thing we want to point out about the Seagate 4TB Backup Plus Portable Drive Hard Drive is that it costs almost half as much as the Seagate Backup Plus per gigabyte. That means that even if you are just looking for an external hard drive to use for basic backups and plenty of storage room, it’s still the top choice.The Seagate Backup Plus is a long-overdue portable hard drive, with 4TB of storage capacity in one body, which means it’s about 10% slimmer and 20% lighter than the Seagate Plus Fast. Besides the size, the 4TB is ideal for most people because it combines price, speed, and portability. While it’s hard to imagine how anyone can fill up 4TB so fast, the hardcore gamer understands very well what it’s like to run out of space and require more room on the hard drive.After a lot of research, asking around and making use of our review panel, we found the 4TB Backup Plus, which is available in black, red, blue and silver, to be the most cost-effective in comparison with competitors, and while no hard drive is 100% failure-proof, the 4TB, with thousands of sales each month, has a very low failure rate, of around 2.8% annually. This makes it the most reliable portable drive on the market, and certainly a must-have if you are a PC gamer who needs to back up and store large files.

Backup like no other

Seriously, this new Seagate model offers a new kind of backup that is rare for the average consumer market. The Seagate 4TB Backup Plus is suited to anyone looking to back up their data, and quite frankly, that should be everyone. Whether you’re a business owner, an IT technician, a pro gamer, or just someone who is super avid about having great backup options, you truly need a device like this. You don’t want to risk losing your data and wishing you had invested in this 4TB drive sooner.But what truly sets it apart from its competitors is its software. It is possibly the most comprehensive software around and allows you to save everything locally, and in the cloud, as well as your images, videos, and even your mobile devices. That means you are experiencing simultaneous storage, helping you to have your files in multiple locations at once. There’s nothing wrong with doubling up on your security and safety features!

No bells and whistles, just backup

If you’re looking for a portable hard drive that’s going to get your heart racing faster because of its looks, then Seagate’s 4TB Backup Plus isn’t what you’re after. It may not look like the fanciest or prettiest portable drive on the market, but that’s because its creators spend all of their time focusing on top performance, quality, and efficiency, rather than giving it a pretty cover. It does however come with a black satin finish on the lid, and a disk activity light that lets you know when it’s working. It’s engraved with Seagate’s logo and is based with panel molding. It weighs about 8.6 ounces total, and measures 0.8” x 3.1” x 4.5”, a small and conveniently-sized hard drive.Simplicity is what it’s all about, with speed, storage, and reliability being the hard drive’s most important, and sellable, features. We also like that there’s a backup feature that takes about 10 – 15 minutes to install but saves you loads of time (and stress) down the line, sending files to the hard drive and encrypted cloud, automatically, without you having to remember to do it. While any kind of 10-15 minute process seems like it’s in the Stone Age now, we promise you it’s all completely worth it. You can go through this process now and you’ll forever have a reliable backup option that will save you from losing your files down the line.Not to mention it comes with a micro-USB 3.0 port on the side, as well as a Thunderbolt adapter capacity with the USM connector. Although USM is no longer in use, there may still be times where a connectivity such as this is needed.

Big Advantages

The 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive Hard Drive has several advantages over other models of its kind. The biggest feature that we noticed was the fact that it beats the Backup Plus Fast, the Toshiba Canvio Connect II, and the Western Digital My Passport Ultra in terms of performance and speed. After a simple drag and drop test, the 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Hard Drive only took 12 seconds, which is currently the fastest you can go with USB 3.0 drives. The other drives mentioned took 13 seconds or more to complete the same task.In terms of pricing, this one has a big advantage too. It is half of what the Seagate Backup Plus Fast costs, and even less still of what the Western Digital My Passport Ultra costs. Plus, the Western Digital My Passport Ultra is only 2TB for the price. The capacity and affordability of the Backup Plus is unmatched, and quite unheard of until now. It’s easy to see how this drive has quickly become the favorite among people such as our review panel, professional reviewers, and most hard core gamers.Gamers have sometimes had a hard time choosing to go with portable drives in the past, but with the major accessibility and backup frequency of something like the 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive Hard Drive, it’s easy to see how using portable drives is become a much more mainstream option. Plus, with synchronized cloud storage, it can even be made to secure your files even better.

A Few Drawbacks

Of course, as with any products, there are a few drawbacks that should be mentioned. This typically doesn’t deter users from pursuing it anyway, but they are worth mentioning as they may affect you and what you are specifically after on the portable hard drive market.The first thing we noticed is that it isn’t always faster than the Seagate Backup Plus Fast when it comes to some benchmark tests, but that is more than okay. It is still way more affordable than the aforementioned model, making it a worthwhile purchase in almost every single situation unless you are literally just looking for something to be a scratch disk.Next, while it’s definitely not a deal breaker, and more of a ‘would be nice to have’, the Seagate 4TB Backup Plus doesn’t include hardware encryption to keep your data safe. We’re not sure if it’s not a feature to keep costs down, or because there are encryption tools already available like VeraCrypt (Windows/OS X/Linux), AxCrypt (Windows), BitLocker (Windows), GNU Privacy Guard (Windows/OS X/Linux) and 7-Zip (Windows/OS X/Linux). Again it isn’t a deal breaker, since it’s easy to invest in third-party encryption services on your own, but it would be nice if this were included to make it on par with some of its competing models on the market today.

Summary

When it comes to portable hard drives the Backup Plus is sold with 200GB of OneDrive storage, which is valid for two years. You are also able to connect the hard drive to Lyve, an app that pulls all your photos and videos together, organizes them in the cloud and lets you manage your videos and photos like a pro. What a great way to incorporate mobile devices to allow you to access and view your files at any time, even when you don’t have direct access to the portable drive itself.  If you’re on various social media and sharing platforms, you’ll appreciate the added connectivity for Dropbox and Google Drive, as well extra backup for Flickr and YouTube.Something else we like is that it doesn’t discriminate – it’s easy to use on your PC or Mac without having to reformat anything. It’s as simple as installing NTFS drivers on your Mac. This is a nice breath of fresh air for Mac users, who historically have had a very hard time finding a powerful and compatible drive that can work with them. The needs of a Mac user are sometimes more specific than that of a PC user, making it even nicer that this Seagate model is built to be available for all. This can truly help you take your PC gaming to the next level.It is undoubtedly one of the largest capacity portable hard drives available, and while there is room for improvement, it’s still a far more affordable way of storing your files locally rather than using cloud-based services or buying a NAS (Network Attached Storage) unit. While local file sharing and storage is sometimes seen as an outdated method, it is still very much required in some gaming, industry, and professional business environments, making the 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive Hard Drive more relevant than ever.For us, our review panel, and the thousands of 4TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive Hard Drive users, it has been and will be for some time to come, the top choice for portable external hard drives. If you need more bang for your buck, reliable storage, and extremely fast drag and drop times, this is the right drive for you.]]> https://www.pcguide.com/hdd/review/4tb-seagate-backup-plus-portable-hard-drive/ https://www.pcguide.com/?p=3903 Thu, 20 Jun 2019 07:15:52 +0100