WD Elements SE Portable 500 GB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive - WDBPCK5000ABK-NESN

I use this 500 GB drive as a Time Machine with my 2012 Macbook Pro (the 15" with Retina display, simply for reference). I have been very happy with every aspect of its functioning: it is quiet, it runs cool, and the transfer speeds are quite fast (I rarely notice that the 'Time Machine clock' is spinning).As it comes, you need to reformat it for use with a Macintosh computer, but with Disk Utility, this is not a problem, and the drive responds well to being reformatted. I set the drive up with two partitions, one for a drag and drop compatible with Windows, and one for Time Machine. Since the unit is very light, and yet feels safe and sturdy, I've been able to carry it around on occasion with no problems. Of course, it is a portable drive, so this is to be expected!When I first set the drive up as a Time Machine, it needed to transfer approximately 42 GB of data, which took about 25 minutes. This corresponds to a relatively slow transfer rate (on the order of 25 MB/s or so), but as I've not noticed subsequent incremental backups, I'm very happy with the speeds under my usage conditions. In a test transfer of a 840 MB file to the drag and drop half of the drive, it took 29 seconds, or 29 MB/s, *while the computer was also continuously accessing the drive*, and this is acceptable for my usage patterns.The cable is sturdy, though a little on the rigid side and the connectors at the end of the cable are both long (an inch or more), which shortens the nominally bendable range of the cable by a couple inches total. I don't have a ton of room on my desk, and so I'm glad that the cable loops easily. The hard drive enclosure is matte on top and glossy on the sides and while buying a HD in part for its 'stylishness' seems silly, I can't say I'm displeased with the way it looks next to my Mac! Being such a small enclosure, the drive is unobtrusive and convenient for smaller workspaces.All in all, this is a wonderful drive for use as a Time Machine (and for random storage). It works well with a Mac (during and after reformatting), is compact, light, quiet, cool, and fast. I happily recommend it!

This a great budget hard drive, with not-so-budget performance. I bought this for my wife's Time Machine backups and the USB 3.0 is FAST. It certainly outperforms the platter drive on the inside, so it's limited by that and is as fast as you can possibly expect it to be without stepping up to SSD.The body is small and feels solid. It's plastic, but I don't think that's a problem—it keeps it light. There's only a USB 3.0 connection, but it works with USB 3.0 or USB 2.0. It comes supplied with a VERY short cable. Pathetically so. It works well for portable situations, but I'm going to pick up a longer cable for at my desk.I have a MacBook Pro Retina, and I'm going to pick one of these drives up for myself over a Thunderbolt drive. I need at least 1TB of storage, so I'm looking at a traditional HDD. Therefore, the HDD would be slower than EITHER USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, so there's no benefit to getting Thunderbolt—I'd just be paying 4 times the price.If you're looking for top performance, a great build, small form factor, all at a great price, this can't be beat!

I have to say, this drive has surpassed my expectations. It is well made, compact and doesnt come with any bloatware preinstalled on it trying to get me to use their backup solution or anything else.The drive is just that. A drive. A quick drive with a lot of space.First and foremost I was shocked at how small it was. It is the first portable hard drive I've owned, and I was pleased with the fact that it can fit in the small zip top pocket on my computer backpack that was designed to hold a mouse, and still have room for that mouse. On top of that, if I really needed to, I could stick it in my pocket. It really is that slim.The build quality is top notch, the case doesnt creak or rattle, its smooth to the touch without being so slick that you'd drop it, and it has nice rubber feet to prevent rattling during drive access when it is sitting on your desk.The drive itself is very quick, I managed to transfer a 2 gigabyte ISO file to it in under 20 seconds, the drive averaged around 80 MB/s (peaking at about 100MB/s) on a USB3 interface.If I really *HAD* to nitpick, I'd say that the USB 3.0 cable is a little too rigid, but honestly it doesnt bother me and I like the size of it, despite being only about 1ft long, as it is a perfect size to travel with the drive no matter where I put it.

Great product. Good price. Love the USB 3.0. Love the fact that it doesn't need a power cord. Excellent build quality. Very reliable. I would rate it five stars, except I much prefer the 2TB version for only a few bucks more (I got two of those as well). The 2TB version gets my full five stars.

Good till now from one month.

Have had it for a while now. Speed is good. Quality is good. What else can you say about a hard drive?

Excellent product and prompt delivery.

great

WORTH BUYING!