Confusingly, there are three types of My Passport SSD, the 2017 version, one called My Passport Go and the 2020 version, the WDBAGF. Given the fact that it is a 10Gbps/USB 3.2 Gen 2 storage device, WD claims that the drive reaches 1.05GBps and 1GB in read and write speeds sequentially and we did manage to hit those numbers in CrystalDiskMark, one of the more popular synthetic storage benchmarks available. Rivals to the My Passport external SSD will be fast (1GBps speeds or more), relatively affordable and quite compact. And there is an option to import data from another cloud storage account or social media account. The SN550 is available in retail under the WD … However, it stumbles where it perhaps matters … As you can see below, that’s actually more than twice as fast as the pre-2020 version. Alas, those require the rare USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 (Superspeed 20Gbps) bus, cost twice as much, and don't fare much better in our 48GB transfer tests. The drives out enclosure is completely made out of metal, which should mean the drive is plenty resistant against shocks and vibrations. With a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, you’ll be limited to 5Gb/s or 625MB/s, which means you’ll be leaving performance on the table. There’s a couple of issues to be resolved before it reaches storage nirvana. 6,999. They have slower speeds, but higher capacities for the same price. We were only able show a consistent read speed of 459MB/s and write speeds of 453MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and when copying data between the My Passport drive and the laptop, we got around 400MB/s average, which is still plenty fast. Freelance contributor, That’s a boon for travelers, but if I’m completely honest, I like things with a bit more heft to them. Other minor niggles include the cable length and the fact that it dissipates a lot of heat which may affect the longevity of the device. For the average user, this is currently the portable SSD to buy. It is worth noting the SN550 tops at 1TB whereas the My Passport SSD goes to 2TB. In ATTO, we got similar scores as CrystalDiskMark. The latter is probably the most interesting of the three as in theory, it allows you to save your data to the drive and a copy to an independent cloud storage service for disaster recovery. On the top right corner of the front is a WD logo that is slightly raised with a rough texture. Marry those two best-in-class attributes to affordable pricing, and you might say that WD has itself a winner. There's also a choice in color—gray, blue, red, or gold. The WD My Passport SSD looks like a mini chocolate bar. 8999 for 500GB, Rs. The drive does feature support for password-enabled 256-bit AES encryption, giving you the capability to secure the data in your drive. North Sydney To access this feature, you’ll need to install the WD Discovery software, which will be included with the drive. The USB implementation is USB 3.2 Gen 2, also known as SuperSpeed 10Gbps, depending on which of the USB Forum’s ludicrous naming conventions you prefer. The 2020 cuvee of the WD My Passport external SSD is a decent one with some salient features like the long warranty and great performance. The latest in their portfolio of external drives is the new My Passport SSD (2020), and here is our review of its 1TB model. The 2020 WD My Passport SSD decimates the older version in terms of sequential throughput and bests two other worthy 10Gbps USB SSDs. It comes in 3 colours — Space Gray, Midnight Blue and Gold. PCWorld |. Internally, this is the SN550E, a PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe drive that pairs an ASMedia ASM2362 bridge with a SanDisk 20-82-10023 controller and SanDisk BiCS 4 96L 3D TLC flash memory. You will receive a verification email shortly. According to WD, the drive is rated to survive drops from up to 6.5ft, which does give us confidence for the durability of the drive. The only faster external USB drives are 20Gbps units such as the WD Black P50 Game SSD or Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD. Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. We’re partial to it as it does the job and improves grip, plus it reduces the chance of causing damage to anything else thanks to its curvy, pebblesque shape. The WD My Passport NVMe SSD is the newest addition to the company’s popular series of portable storage and the first of the series to utilize speedy NVMe technology. On the bottom half of each surface, there are wavy ridges that form a nice pattern, flowing from the bottom edge to the side, giving the drive a bit of texture and improving its grip-ability. The WD My Passport SSD is priced at an MSRP of Rs. The first thing that you notice when picking the drive up is how light it is. By way of comparison, external hard drives average around 10 ms to 12 ms these days. We are positive that if you have a device with an advanced enough internal drive, you will be able to come close to the rated 1GB/s reads and write speeds. However, it stumbles where it perhaps matters the most - pricing - especially as smaller, more nimble competitors are taking the lead when it comes to value for money. TechRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. The SanDisk Extreme Pro is more expensive - at $190, $40 more - than its brethren but is far more rugged with an IP55 rating to back it, making it an interesting alternative (assuming the price difference remains constant). Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! The front surface has a smooth metallic finish while the back surface has a matte finish, and we felt like it hid fingerprints and resisted scratches quite well. The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD v2 and the WD My Passport SSD (2020) use the same internal SSD - the Western Digital SN550E. The older WD My Passport SSD was also 10Gbps, but WD upgraded the internals from SATA (550MBps max over any bus) to far faster NVMe with its own SN550 SSD to deliver a more than two-fold improvement in performance. 4000 cheaper, so if you need higher capacity, the My Passport SSD is definitely the way to go. WD has refreshed its mainstream portable solid state drive, the My Passport SSD, giving it a new design, better internal components and a competitive price tag. It can also go all the way to 2.4GBps which would make it a candidate for a theoretical USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 version of the drive that would adopt a 20Gbps interface (and potentially USB4/Thunderbolt 3). Future Publishing Australia ABN: 96 734 906 323 | PO Box 1077, Mount St, The design is not the only thing that is new with the My Passport SSD, WD also made big improvements to the performance. © No status light to indicate if the device is operating, which is an odd omission. iPhone 12 Pro Max pre-orders: the best deals in Australia, Darkest Dungeon is the best Nintendo Switch game for self-care right now, PS5 usable storage confirmed – and it's much less than 825GB, Zoom is set to eliminate one of the worst aspects of video conferencing, 6 new TV shows and movies on Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO and more this weekend, How overseas app developers can thrive in the Chinese market, This extraordinary laptop comes with features we’ve never seen on a notebook this size before. It is a full waterproof SSD with a striking metallic blue/black colour scheme and a price tag, at least for the 1TB version that significantly undercuts the My Passport SSD. The device is shock resistant and its enclosure is made of metal with a ridged design that WD describes as bold and sleek. Three capacities are available (500GB, 1TB, 2TB) in four different shades (blue, red, champagne gold and grey silver). When it comes to data storage, faster is the name of the game. The My Passport SSD sports rounded corners and seashell sculpting across half the drive. It adds grip and style to an otherwise smooth, low-friction body. 8999 for 500GB, Rs. Until WD’s My Passport SSD showed up on our doorstep, Samsung’s T3 USB 3.1 (Gen 1, 5Gbps) portable SSD was the last word in super-svelte, high-capacity storage. Overall, the My Passport SSD drive feels very compact, solid and durable. However, the market has significantly evolved as well since the My Passport was originally launched in 2017. 15,999 for 1TB and Rs 28,999 for 2TB, but you can get it on Amazon.in starting at Rs. That's more data than the average user is likely to write to an external drive in two decades.In other words, don’t worry about it. Other benchmarks delivered the same range of results but transferring a single 10GB file proved to be slower than expected, far slower at about 280MBps. Note that real world performance is always slower than what you see with synthetic benchmarks. But if you constantly move data around and require the fast speeds, then the My Passport SSD is an easy recommendation. The My Passport SSD is fast, super-light, and nicely priced. You might, I am. Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. WD has given the My Passport SSD top-flight performance in addition to an attractive design and super-light carrying weight. The WD My Passport external SSD runs hot, far hotter than we were expecting. Author Milan Nair … For many of us, when we think of WD drives, words that come into our mind are reliability and speed. Even then it’s not a given. WD My Passport SSD (2020) review: Light, stylish, and twice as fast Switching from SATA to NVMe internals has upped the throughput of this extremely portable 10Gbps USB drive to … Also as expected, the drive can be secured using password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption using WD Security. It is also slightly lighter, weighing in at 45.7 grams. Read our, Learn more about PCWorld's Digital Editions, It's so light you might forget you have it. It acts as a dashboard and allows you to control and install apps like WD Drive utilities and WD Backup. However, the 2TB model is about Rs. According to the spec sheet, the drive has a read speed of 1050MB/s and write speeds of a 1000MB/s, which is in large part thanks to the usage of NVMe technology. With this software, you also get access to My Cloud, which is a useful piece of software to access your data online anywhere. So here we have it, a fast, compact portable SSD with a large capacity and a very long warranty. WD’s latest round of redesigns has spread throughout its portable storage lineup, replacing the bold, bright, sharp design-led identity with rounded edges, muted colours, and simpler plastic bodies. Note that prices can and will vary wildly depending on a number of factors; suggested retail prices are just that, suggested. Copying 15GB of video data to and fro from the device took about 15 seconds, which is super impressive. Now there’s at least … The My Passport SSD also averaged around 564MBps during our 450GB write test, meaning it doesn't slow down off cache. On Amazon, the 500GB and 1TB variants are matched in price with the Samsung T7 SSD (Non-touch), which is an alternative, if you are looking for external SSD drives.