Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive
The 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive from Western Digital is a high-capacity desktop hard drive with a no-frills design. The disk is housed in a compact metal enclosure, and boasts the ubiquitous USB 2.0 interface.
The drive is preformatted for use in Windows, and can be reformatted for use with Mac OS X using Apple's Disk Utility application. The drive is ready to use right out of the box -- you won't have to load any software from a CD to get the drive to work. It is an excellent option for users who would like to add storage capacity to their system.
- Designed with the same commitment to quality that made WD external drives the number one selling drives in the world
- Plug-and-play design allows you to connect the power and plug the drive into a USB port to instantly add more storage to your computer
- Turns on and off with your computer. Enters idle mode when not in use. Utilizes a WD drive with power-saving WD GreenPower Technology and an EnergyStar compliant power supply
- Packaged in a minimized eco-friendly, recyclable packaging made from recycled materials
- Designed for use with Windows-based computers. Can be easily reformatted for use with Macs
Go To
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1.5TB |
| Interface | 1x USB 2.0 (mini B) |
| Drive Speed | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Buffer | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Average Seek Time | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Sustained Data Transfer Rate | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| System Requirements |
Windows XP, Vista, 7; Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5, 10.6 USB 2.0 port |
| General | |
|---|---|
| Mounting | Desktop |
| Power Requirements | AC: 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz |
| Environmental Requirements |
Operating Temperature: 41-95°F (5-35°C) Storage Temperature: -4-149°F (-20-65°C) |
| Dimensions | 4.59 x 7.01 x 1.42" (11.65 x 17.80 x 3.6 cm) |
| Weight | 2.2 lb (1kg) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 273 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
96%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Easy to use (239)
- Easy to setup (224)
- Large capacity / good size (224)
- Quiet (216)
- Attractive (138)
Cons
- No power switch (76)
- Slow (17)
- Unreliable (4)
Best Uses
- Additional storage (211)
- Back-up (209)
- Photo storage (162)
- Video (137)
- File transfer (89)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Power user (133), Casual user (131)
- Primary use:
- Personal (225), Business (41)
- Computer Platform:
- PC (42), Mac (10)
Most Liked Positive Review
So far So Good
I bought this hard drive to use with my MacBook Pro Time Machine. The drive had to be reformatted first, which was easy using the Mac Utility program. I found a video on YouTube...Read complete review
I bought this hard drive to use with my MacBook Pro Time Machine. The drive had to be reformatted first, which was easy using the Mac Utility program. I found a video on YouTube on to use the program. Once it was formatted, is was just a matter of plugging the drive to my computer and the back up began. Finally, the price for a 1.5 TB was great.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Works as claimed
I use this as a tertiary backup for video files - mainly as a convenience so in case something goes wrong with my primary storage I don't have to reconstitute my working files from 160 ...Read complete review
I use this as a tertiary backup for video files - mainly as a convenience so in case something goes wrong with my primary storage I don't have to reconstitute my working files from 160 back-up DVDs. I would NOT use this for primary video file storage as it is USB 2.0 or as primary back-up without some other back-up solution.
Reviewed by 273 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-20
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Pros
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I bought this 1.5 TB drive specifically to be my Time Machine backup for my 1 TB iMac. I wanted the extra .5 TB so that Time Machine had some extra space for the backups and since I have nearly all of my iMacs hard drive filled.
So far the Elements drive is working flawlessly and the Time Machine churns away in the background with it in perfect harmony.
Western Digital provides a tutorial on how to format the drive for a Mac before you use it as well. It was very easy to do in Mac's Disk Utility.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Love it
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
After reviewing several external drives, I decided to go with this one because of the good reviews. It's small size is a great space saver. It is absolutely quiet and does a fantastic job. I am very happy with this product. Shipping was fast too!
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- High Capacity
- No burdensome software
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
- Nothing yet
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
My external hard drive arrived when expected and in great condition (packaging). It was a little heavier than the Seagate I have, but that's ok. It won't be moved from office. I ordered this large drive for my fiance's laptop, to use as a backup for important files, and to store excess files not being used but once in a while. I needed the 1.5TB because of audio recording files, which are very large and almost wiped out the laptop's small hard drive space. It was a very easy setup, no problems. I was delightfully surprised that I didn't have to deal with WD software telling me what to do, how to setup for backups, etc. I wanted to have full control, and that's what I got. I'm very happy with my purchase, so far. Haven't had for more than a couple weeks, so we'll see how it goes. First WD purchase.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Product works great. Good basic hard drive. The only problem i had was that when i restarted my computer i had to go into bios to configure the computer to read my external hard drive after my internal hard drive. My computer would just show a black screen when i rebooted with the external hard drive hooked up. Simple fix tho. Just google it.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
So far it works exactly as expected. Transfer rates quite reasonable and lots of capacity for the price.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Compact
- Easy to use
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
We loaded pictures and all personal files to unload a computer that was running slow. The has given my computer a new life.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
It is a really great Hard drive
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
- Slow
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
This drive has the best price to size ratio I could find. Sure, its a little slow, but what do you expect from a drive this cheap? This drive is just what I wanted, and I have high hopes that it will continue being as awesome as a drive as it is now in the future.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- PC
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 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Great price for an external drive, but can also be used as an internal drive, just remove it from the external enclosure. By the way, this external enclosure is very well padded and protect the drive with high quality rubber padding. Great!
Just on thing, the disk is housed in a compact plastic enclosure, not metal.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I use this to back up large files, fairly infrequently. I also don't travel with it. It has performed well so far, and is actually slightly faster than I expected.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I bought it to hold my movies and its doing its job
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Less than 5 minutes to set-up. Just plug-in and forget about it. Backs-up computer on schedule you set-up. Capacity is more than enough space for most users.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- Quiet
Cons
- No Power Switch
Best Uses
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I run a MacBook Pro 10.6.8. The install was easy and it runs perfectly.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
Cons
Best Uses
- Backup
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I use the drive to back up my laptop and I use another partition to archive all my photos. It isn't USB 3.0 but it is plenty fast when transferring data. I haven't used it for very long but so far so good. I like that is doesnt come preloaded with WD software.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
Cons
- Unreliable
Best Uses
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
After the first day of use, this drive would not be recognized by the same or 2 other computers. It had power but would not connect. I tried different power and USB cables, and searching my computer for it to assign a new drive letter, but ended up having to return it. I have other WD MyBooks that have worked for years, but I wanted a very basic one to back up files to periodically. Others have mentioned similar issues with these "green drives" - read the WD forums.
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
- Runs on the warm side
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I use these drives to back up my music files (mp3) and a place to keep transcoded movies for my iPod (mp4). I like that they are pre-formatted to use with Windows (works with XP, Vista, and Windows 7). Plenty of space for my requirements, and there is that Western Digital quality that I can always count on.
They tend to run a little on the warm side, so make sure there is plenty of ventilation around it. Otherwise, a great drive!
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
HD video and RAW images were eating away at the memory on my computer hard drive. This desktop hard drive was very easy to convert for the use with my macbook and i had all my data onto it in no time. Seeing how i got a lot of storage space for not a lot of money along with the fast transfer of my data onto it i would highly recommend this hard drive.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Backup
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I am a amateur photographer,I take lot and lots of photos.I needed a device to store thousands of pics.This product met my need and at a very good price.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Attractive Design
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
- None
Best Uses
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
super fast!!!
- 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 1.5TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
The HD came quickly, in perfect condition. Works great!
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
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Hard Drive Sleeves & Cases
- Price: $19.95
Hubs & Adapters
- Price: $4.95
Surge Protection
- Price: $11.99
What's in the Box
- USB Cable
- AC Adapter
- Quick Install Guide
- 1-Year Limited Warranty
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