Western Digital 12TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 external hard drive for plug-and-play storage - Western DigitalBWLG0120HBK-NESN

I bought this a couple of years ago because I was tired of moving things to a flash drive in order to free up space on my laptop and trying to remember what flash drive has what files. This is simple plug and play. I have it connected to a USB port extender and there is no noticeable latency when accessing files and unlike other external drives that I have used it is completely silent. I moved everything from all of my flash drives onto it and now instead of saving files to the laptop I save it on the external drive. I have files that date back over 20 years and I still have plenty of space left, over half of the total drive space. When I bought a new laptop I didn't have to spend time moving my files, I just moved the drive. This being a piece of computer equipment it will eventually fail. When that happens I will definitely buy another one. But for right now I love it.

When I was doing research on external hard drives to use with PS3, this one popped up in a forum. The high capacity is really nice but PS3 externals use MBR partitions, which usually limit the HDD to 2tb of usable space.This drive, when using the WD Quick Format Tool, actually allows for all 5tb to be usable. When using the format utility be sure to select Windows XP compatibility.It feels like a solid enclosure that adequately protects, doesn't overheat, and transfer speeds are fine. Not ssd speeds, but good for the use case. It's basically plug and play. Recommended for a good storage solution.

This Western Digital 8tb drive is replacement for a 10 year old WD drive that started to fail. As always this new drive works great, and handles all of the functions of my primary computer system backup. The data transfer speed is great for a disc based system and I prefer the quality of WD over other disc based external backup hard drives.

To enhance my media playback experience, Instead of transitioning to a NAS system I decided a more simple solution, a WD compact hard drive with 13 TB of storage capacity. This decision was driven by the desire for a more straightforward setup and seamless integration with my Zidoo media player. The installation process was seamless, and the video playback through the hard drive was flawless. The system effortlessly updated the video posters, resulting in an overall enhanced visual and auditory experience. The ample storage space provided by this hard drive allows for future expansion, and I may consider investing in a more extensive NAS system in the future. But for now, I wanted to keep it simple and less costly and I achieved both.

Looking for a large storage device to hold all of my media this works great. I would not use it as direct storage on your PC however, as this requires an external power brick and is kind of a pain to place because of the size. The noise it emits is also annoyingly loud if you care about having a somewhat silent setup. Otherwise, it works perfect for storing TV shows and movies for your theater. So far it has not died on me or shown any signs of degradation. The transfer speeds are also pretty good (as long as your device supports the USB3 port).

Great drive, easy use and setup. Fast transfer of files, worth the money

This product is well-made, performs well, and can do more than I expect. The design is modern and simple.

First order of business: I ordered this drive (WD Elements 5tb) and received it in about 18 hours. I checked the shipping label, and it is their proprietary delivery service. USPS, take note.The box it came in was pretty regular, no fancy presentation. Which is fine. I don't like paying for felt lining.It has one port on the back, and comes with a USB cable. I plugged it into my laptop and checked it out.Drive capacity actually reads 4.54 Tb. Which isn't unusual for larger volumes. It came formatted as NTFS. Which is great, because FAT32 has a file size limit of 4gb.Next test: I plugged it into a 3.0 Anker USB Data Hub. The drive revved up, then started clicking. I recognized those clicks as motor failures from a power drop, so the USB hub is not going to do it. This beast of a portable drive needs a main-line. It can be used in USB 3.0 or 2.0 But I highly encourage 3 for faster speeds. Especially with a volume this size (You are buying it for a reason, right?)Next test: A phone mount. Similar to a Samsung Dex setup, the device I used is a Baseus USB C mount. It connects my Note10+ phone to HDMI, and...for this test...a USB 3.0 port. I wasn't sure if it would work, because the hub charges the phone, and would have to "lend" some power to the 3.0 port to power the drive. It worked. I plugged it in, and my exFAT/NTFS app fired right up. It recognized the drive, mounted it, and was ready to go. For the technical folks out there, this was by powering the phone dock with a samsung travel adapter that came with my phone. It has a variable output, but can pack a whopping 11v-2.25a (24 watts) at its highest. This 24 watts was enough to fast charge my phone, AND have the drive running.Final test: Directly into the note10+. I used a USB C - USB A adapter that came with my phone and connected them together. It worked. My phone was powering the darn thing.So there we have it. This little pocket sized drive (seriously, my wallet is larger) can be plugged into 3.0, 2.0 or directly into my phone. It came formatted NTFS, just the way I prefer.Description: I purchased a black one. As I said, it is wallet-sized. It has one port for the cable, and a small status light. The light appears to stay a solid color for both standby and active. A power failure results in a blinking status light. When the drive is spinning, you can feel a humming purr, barely audible. The casing is plastic, but solid and sleek looking. It has four non-slip dots on the bottom.Pros: Huge storage for the price, powered through USB only, NTFS formatted, small.Cons: None discovered yet.Recommended Uses: This would be a perfect drive for home network storage, office/school/home work. It would also be ideal for gaming consoles even as modern as the XBox One X. Or a handy volume for torrents. Or a handy volume for backing up a system or family photos.Possible Uses: It runs on 3.0. While Pro Gamers might chuckle at the idea, it could be used as a Steam Library. Initial load times might be slower than a built in solid state drive, sure. But so what? This is 5Tb. Portable. For under 120. It could also be used for beginner-level production. Again, it is slower than a dedicated solid state drive, of course. But for a new youtuber, or designer, or developer...this can store a lot of content.