Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive
The 1TB 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 | 1TB |
| 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 199 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
98%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Easy to use (178)
- Easy to setup (166)
- Large capacity / good size (153)
- Quiet (146)
- Attractive (84)
Cons
- No power switch (47)
- Slow (5)
Best Uses
- Back-up (155)
- Additional storage (133)
- Photo storage (119)
- Video (69)
- File transfer (62)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual user (105), Power user (85)
- Primary use:
- Personal (147), Business (43)
- Computer Platform:
- PC (19), Mac (12)
Most Liked Positive Review
Excellent- Going to buy one more
[...]I wanted something simple as most hard drives these days come with their annoying built in software which cannot be deleted (like WD Essential Edition). This is a hassle free drive ...Read complete review
[...]I wanted something simple as most hard drives these days come with their annoying built in software which cannot be deleted (like WD Essential Edition). This is a hassle free drive and is not bundled with any of the extra software which is exactly what I wanted. You simply plug it in and it works. It can easily be formatted to work with macs as well. I've been using WD hard drives for years and I own several models of the "essential" and "passport" editions. They are very reliable. When in operation, it is very smooth and quiet compared to other WD hard drives I own. This may be due to the fact that it is closed entirely and there are no holes for ventilation as in other WD models. But this doesn't bother me because I just use this as a backup and don't need it on all of the time. This could (emphasis on "could") be an issue if you are constantly using your hard drive because it may become hot. I haven't experienced this at all, just speculating. If you are just backing up files and, say, watching a movie on your computer which is stored on the hard drive, I think you'll be fine and there won't be any heating issues.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Good general storage
Great inexpensive handy storage for pictures, video, music, etc. (Not so great for video editing as the USB 2.0 interface can bog down.) I am strictly using it for video archiving because...Read complete review
Great inexpensive handy storage for pictures, video, music, etc. (Not so great for video editing as the USB 2.0 interface can bog down.) I am strictly using it for video archiving because of it's price & physical size (stores & stacks easily). If I were to edit with the archived footage I would transfer it to an eSata drive (which are more costly but better for editing).
Note: I had an issue with my 1st 1TB Elements drive and had to exchange it, which B&H did gratefully. (The drive had "internal errors") However, the brand new replacement works perfectly. I believe all drive makers have the occasional lemon, and I've used 20-30 WD drives for nearly 10 years without problem.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 199 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-20
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Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Very easy to use, basically plug-n-play. Even with a MAC the configuring takes seconds.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
- No Power Switch
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I used this to make a backup of my laptop hard drive. It took a while, but everything was backed up and the device never overheated. I would recommend this to someone looking for a nice hard drive.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I bought two as backups for my computer and my wife's computer and I'm very happy with them. No problems at all installing them and transferring the backup info using Windows 7 backup software. Great price, too! I recommended it to a friend and she ordered one a few days ago.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I use this for extra storage of photos and video
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- High Capacity
Cons
- Cumbersome configuration
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Primary purpose is to supplement the drive space available. The original C drive in the computer is about 90% full. Your drive is bulky and cumbersome. The need for external power detracts from its usefulness.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- High Capacity
- Price is great
Cons
- None
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
3rd one I've purchased. No Complaints
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Portable
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
We use these HDs to back up our business computers. I had it up and running minutes after the UPS guy dropped it off. The only thing more you could ask would be a firewire option, but at this price for a Terabyte, I'm not complaining.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Bought this for adding storage to our DISH DVR. It was Plug-n-Play and ready for data transfer in less than 5 minutes.
Pros
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
- No Power Switch
Best Uses
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Easy to use
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
This drive's capacity is outstanding for the price. That being said, this model has a very large form factor and is definitely intended to be sedentary (good luck finding a carrying case for it). When left connected to my primary PC (running WinXP Pro), the external drive will occasionally disconnect itself. Unplugging and reconnecting the USB fixes the issue, but it is tiresome. WD sent a complimentary replacement USB cable in an attempt to remedy the issue. I haven't used the new drive / cable combo enough to rule out an issue with the drive. Therefore, I can't necessarily provide a stellar review, yet I can't exactly disparage the thing either. I'm undecided...
- 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
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I am an IT professional. I used it to backup my work because my old portable drivers are running out of space.
It works very well. It has the right size I need and good price.
Since one of my old drivers is WD, I don't find anything that is different, hard to use or unacceptable.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
Cons
- No Power Switch
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Pros: easy setup
Cons: The image for power adapter shows swappable male plug but it does not come with one that can swapped to your country's outlet mode.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
a great price for a large drive. Immediately reformated it to macosextended without any problems. Using it as an external boot drive for my macbookpro and has worked without any problems for a few weeks so far.
Not the fastest, but the limiting factor may be usb2.
- Primary use:
- Business
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
Cons
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- File Transfer
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
[...] Once opened, the hard drive tested out okay with no problems.
- 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 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Use it as back-up drive
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Pros
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
- Backup
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
This drive could not be any simpler to use. It worked without incident. It doesn't remind me to backup files, but when I remember it's really easy.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
Quiet, large memory, does the trick so far! I purchased after reading all the great reviews online.
Pros
- Compact
- Easy To Setup
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
This device has been very helpful and easy to use once I learned how to format it for a Mac. It did not come with instructions but they were easy to find online, and it steps you through it. I'm not very tech-saavy, so I was nervous, but it seems to be working. I will also need to consult with a friend about just getting specific files transferred. everyone says "drag and drop" but it didn't seem that simple. All in all, I can tell this is a solid piece of equipment for a good price.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- Mac
Pros
- Easy To Setup
- Easy to use
- High Capacity
- Quiet
Cons
- No Power Switch
Best Uses
- Additional Storage
- Backup
- Photo Storage
- Video
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I like this product and it has much smaller profile than the previous versions (which I use at work), but for those looking for portable and light, this is not it. Since it is not designed to be portable (check out Seagate for this) and I bought it to store music and video files from my laptop it works great for me and it was a great price for the storage space. It is quiet and my (much older laptop) had no problem recognizing and transferring files. I have an IBM but I suspect with a MAC there will be issues looking at the instructions that came with the 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
- Backup
- Photo Storage
Comments about Western Digital 1TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive:
I found this product easy to use and perfect size for my personal PC needs. I was able to back up all personal information and the size and space was ideal. I had no problems setting it up and backing up my files.
- Primary use:
- Personal
- Computer Platform:
- PC
Displaying reviews 1-20
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- Price: $19.95
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What's in the Box
- USB Cable
- AC Adapter
- Quick Install Guide
- 1-Year Limited Warranty
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