Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive
The 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive from Western Digital is a high-capacity external hard drive with an interface that allows it to be connected via FireWire-800, FireWire-400, USB 2.0, or eSATA.
The drive is housed in an elegant design that can at first glance be mistaken for that of a hardbound book. This makes the drive an excellent choice for anyone who would like to have a unique and classy drive to use for external data storage. The drive features built-in power-saving, has no environmental contaminants, and ships in recyclable packaging, making it as friendly to the environment as it is to your data.
The drive comes preformatted with the Mac OS X HFS+ Journaled file system, making it an excellent choice for creative professionals who work on the Mac platform. WD Anywhere Backup software for OS X is included. The drive can also be reformatted for use in Windows. This drive is an excellent choice for anyone who would like to add storage to their computer without sacrificing aesthetics.
- Configure as a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array
- Connects via eSATA, FireWire-800, FireWire-400, or USB 2.0
- HFS+ formatted for Mac OS X, can be reformatted for Windows systems
- Eco-friendly design uses WD GreenPower drives
- User-serviceable design: no tools are required to replace a drive
- Capacity gauge lets you know how much space is free on your drive
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 4TB |
| Interface |
1x USB 2.0 1x eSATA 2x 9-Pin FireWire-800 |
| Drive Speed | 7200rpm |
| Buffer | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Average Seek Time | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Sustained Data Transfer Rate | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Drivers | |
|---|---|
| Supported | Not Required |
| Included | Not Required |
| System Requirements | |
|---|---|
| Operating System |
Mac Windows |
| Hardware | FireWire-400, FireWire-800, USB 2.0, or eSATA port |
| General | |
|---|---|
| Mounting | Desktop |
| Power Requirements | AC: 100-240VAC, 47-63Hz |
| Environmental Requirements |
Operating Temperature: 41-95°F (5-35°C) Storage Temperature: -4-149°F (-20-65°C) |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 3.9 x 6.5 x 6.1" (9.8 x 16.6 x 15.4cm) |
| Weight | 5.2 lb (2.6kg) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 90 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
95%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Large capacity / good size (80)
- Easy to use (72)
- Quiet (69)
- Easy to setup (66)
- Attractive (48)
Cons
Best Uses
- Back-up (71)
- Photo storage (54)
- Additional storage (53)
- Video (49)
- File transfer (21)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Power user (73), Casual user (12)
- Primary use:
- Business (47), Personal (36)
- Computer Platform:
- Mac (18), PC (7)
Most Liked Positive Review
Big storage for good price
I use this HardDrive in Raid-0 configuration, as a full 4TB unit, instead of 2X2TB mirrored one. I like it because it doesn't require a cooling fan, quiet and very fast with ...Read complete review
I use this HardDrive in Raid-0 configuration, as a full 4TB unit, instead of 2X2TB mirrored one. I like it because it doesn't require a cooling fan, quiet and very fast with the eSATA connection. I can confirm an average of about 5-6X faster transfer rates compared to standard USB-2 transfers. The unit has a power-saving mode, so it shuts down when not in use after a while.
There are, however, some things I don't like.
- First, it is big! I mean, really bulky! They should have made it a little bit more compact.
- It is not suitable for slow downloads, like when you try to download large amount of files from the web or an FTP site for days at a time. It keeps clicking every time a small portion of data comes down. It just gives you that uneasy, "let's not even do this" feeling...
- The power switch wouldn't turn off the unit when plugged in. I don't get that why? When unplugged, it shuts down anyways, but when I try to shut it down with the power button, it doesn't do anything. I've checked it on both of my units (identical 4TB ones), but it was the same with both.
- If you are a PC user like me, don't even try to "full format" this drive, because it would take at least 4-5 days if not more! Instead, just do a "quick format" and in a few minutes it will be done and ready to go. By the way, the quick format is also recommended by the manufacturer for PC users.
These are, however, no major issues. My laptop unfortunately doesn't have eSATA connections, but with a dual-head eSATA express card this problem was solved easily and inexpensively. So far everything is good with the unit, and since I don't use it as an "active drive", like video editing and stuff, only as a primary backup unit, mostly it just sits on the table and is used maybe once a week to transfer all new data onto it. If that's how you want to use it, I would most definitely recommend it, especially, if you need a ton of space for your HiDef videos, high resolution photo libraries and other large files.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
So far so good, but Mac SW crashes
I am using the My Book as an archive drive, configured as RAID 1, and connected to my iMac over Firewire 800. No problems with the hardware so far. Performance and features are ...Read complete review
I am using the My Book as an archive drive, configured as RAID 1, and connected to my iMac over Firewire 800. No problems with the hardware so far. Performance and features are as expected, the drives are quiet, configuration was quick and easy, and the price is good. But the Drive Manager software for Mac OS X provided by WD crashed once. After the crash I found that My Book was turned off. A quick search showed that other users already complained time ago for the very same software issue and symptoms (same crash dump data), yet WD did not fix the problem yet. I am monitoring for future crashes, and if any I'll simply disable starting the WD software at logon, and live without any health and temperature indication...
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 90 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-20
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Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I have been using the WD 4TB My Book Studio Edition II on an iMac running OS X Lion Server for a few weeks. The drives came stripped (RAID 0) and changing to a mirrored configuration (RAID 1) was no problem with the supplied software. This device would earn a 5th star from me if RAID configuration was accomplished through hardware rather than software. I use the external drive to host my iTunes-based movie collection and as a Time Machine target for other Macs on my home network. Neither use has encountered any problems. The drive runs quiet and cool. The price-point for this drive is very agressive and I have found it to be a good value.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
- Several connection choice
- Very quiet no fan needed
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I use this drive to back up high res files of large photographic art pieces, and this drive is fast, quiet, dependable, and 4tb large.I gave it only 4 stars because the installation instruction sheet in the box was unclear about how to reformat it from Mac to PC, so I did that wrong. Read the info file on the install CD first. Formatting it using the default Windows 7 disc management tools left me with a single 4tb. drive instead of the pair of 2tb. mirrored drives I wanted. If the instructions had warned me to use the install CD I could have avoided this annoyance.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I backup my important video files on this drive. Fast transfer speed and daisy-chains perfect with my other 2TB Western Digital.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I use PC, was easy to reformat and install, just follow instructions on PDF file. I use RAID1, so far so good.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- RAID
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
The build quality is pretty descent. The only thing I'd say is off is the Firewire ports feel perhaps a little cheap, but otherwise its built well, performs well, and you really can't beat the price.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I use the drive as a mirrored raid to back up my photography library. It works like a charm with my Macbook, and is nice and fast thanks to the firewire capabilities. It was easy to set up with the included software.
The sides of the case are metal and the ventilation is made of plastic, which seems like a possible weak spot cosmetically. Swapping the drives appears to be easy although I haven't needed to do that.
While the drive is in use the LED on the front moves back and forth like the eyes of a Ceylon on Battlestar Galactica, kind of a neat effect.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
- None
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
Out of the box to operational in less than 30 minutes ! I am using the drive to backup my iMac with Time Machine and it works perfectly. The drive is compact and extremely quiet. I would recommend this drive to any MAC user (can't speak for Windows machines).
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I'm using the drive to backup media from my completed video edits. It's fast, quiet and it has an impressive 4TB capacity at a reasonable price. The interface allows for multiple possibilities from Firewire, USB, eSATA.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
Used as backup of Lightroom media files and backup of other files on third internal drive in Mac - slight difficulty installing supplemental software, but overall product is fast and so far very reliable (after only one month of use). Highly recommended!
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I just installed the drive on a 2007 iMac to store video files. So far it has been great, but is only barely used as yet. It was very easy to switch from RAID0 to RAID1.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
It works great and very reliable. A little slow sometimes to connect but no big.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Compact
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
- Clunky software
- Difficult To Use
Best Uses
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I bought this unit to serve as an off-site back up of my photo archive stored on another network drive array. The size and capacity of this unit seemed perfectly suited for redundancy but unfortunately, I couldn't get the full 4tb capacity to be recognized under Windows XP pro or through my NetGear ReadyNas NV+ device.
The file systems, which are 32bit, have limitations as to how big a drive they can recognize when connecting via USB. After trying several methods of formatting the drive, I was forced to return it for another, more compatible drive. My Mac worked really well with this drive via firewire 800 and was incredibly fast. It would make a great periferal or Time Machine drive.
Again, do not use this drive with a 32bit version of Windows XP - only 2TB will be recognized.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
One drive set up for 2T x 2, the other set up for 4T.
Very quiet!
No issues.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
We used two of these to archive a lot of files that we needed to keep, but didn't need on a regular basis. These WD drives are perfect for this. Just copy all the files over to them and keep them in a safe place. Setup was easy and fast. No complaints about the drives whatsoever.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I am giving this 4 stars because it is still relatively new to me so I can't speak on longevity.
Setup was quick and seemless. Plug-and-play with my Mac Pro. This drive is a backup drive for my 4TB Raid Internal.
The provided software did not work with Mac OS X (not sure what version number off hand) so I had to uninstall the software and download the latest software after registering. This took maybe a total of five minutes. Once that was done it immediately began backing up my files.
Case is plastic, looks good, LED is a nice touch and not distracting. I find it difficult to open up to remove the drives, hopefully I won't need to.
This drive is very quiet. All I hear are the computer cases running not this drive.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I purchased the MyBook Studio Edition II to use in conjunction with my new wireless router as a wireless hard drive. I wanted something that was large enough to store a lot of data, have the data secured and setup in RAID 1, and be compatible with both Mac & PC.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
Use it to store my video files , works fast with Imac 800 firewire.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
I am currently using this 4TB TB Studio Edition II in RAID 1 configuration mirroring 2TB of storage and a Time Machine back up on a Mac Mini. I transferred 730 MB of mostly video and audio data, averaging 1 GB / minute with a 400 FireWire hookup. Upgrading to Lion OSX was also flawless and fast with this WD unit running silent, fast and cool !!!
This is my second My Book Studio Edition, the first being a 750 MB unit that is still going strong after 3 years of constant use. I highly recommend this as prime storage device.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
Lots of storage.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Western Digital 4TB My Book Studio Edition II Quad Interface External Hard Drive:
Large capacity, attractive design
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Displaying reviews 1-20
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Cables & Adapters
- Price: $14.62
Host Adapters
- Price: $24.95
Hubs & Adapters
- Price: $24.88
What's in the Box
- USB Cable
- FireWire-800 Cable
- FireWire-800 to 400 Cable
- AC Adapter
- Quick Install Guide
- Software CD-ROM
- 3-Year Limited Warranty
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