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We don’t appreciate just how much our electronic devices have to store nowadays. We take hundreds of photos, most of which we will barely look at, videos that we forward on to our friends, apps for absolutely everything, even our most important documents are often scanned and saved digitally.
The problem with this, aside from running the risk of losing everything if the device fails, is that the device begins to run slower and you might be flooded with constant reminders to increase your storage capacity. One of the easiest solutions is an external hard drive. They can be quickly connected to a range of devices and all of your important documents and special memories can be transferred and saved.
We are going to look at how the WD Elements vs My Book Desktop hard drive can help you. We will go over their appearance, storage capacity and functions, and their value for money. We will put all of the information in a comparison chart for quick viewing and then take a closer look at some of the pros and cons of the WD Elements Desktop hard drive and the WD My Book Desktop hard drive.
Let’s begin with what the two WD Desktop hard drives have in common.
WD Elements vs My Book – Similarities
Quick Glance
Storage Capacity
The WD Elements Desktop hard drive and the WD My Book Desktop hard drive come with various storage capacities. You can choose from a 3TB, 4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 10TB, 12TB, and a 14TB. Today, we will be looking at the 8TB hard drive for each. 8TB would allow you to store around 1,600 movies in 1080p format or around 2 million photos.
Connectivity
You can connect the WD Elements Desktop hard drive and the WD My Book hard drive via USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. The USB 2.0 is used for convenient back connection while the USB 3.0 is dedicated to faster file transfer, approximately 10 ties faster than a USB 2.0 connection.
Compatibility
One thing you really must check is the compatibility with your existing systems. The WD Elements Desktop hard drive and the WD My Book Desktop hard drive and ‘plug and play’ for Windows, so this means it is ready to use as soon as you take it out of the box. If you are running on Mac, you will have to reformat the hard drives.
These are the only three similarities that the two Desktop hard drives from WD have. On that note, let’s go over the all-important differences.
Differences Between WD Elements and WD My Book
Appearance
WD has managed to integrate performance with design with all of its hard drives. They are both black and modern in their designs with some differences.
WD Elements Desktop Hard Drive
This is a smooth, sleek design with slightly rounded edges. The logo and model name is at the bottom and there is a small power indicator light, also on the front. It weighs 2.12 pounds and measures 5.5 x 1.9 x 6.7 inches.
WD My Book Desktop Hard Drive
The My Book series has been redesigned with half in shiny black and the base of the units in ridged, matte black. It weighs 2.09 pounds and is 5.31 x 1.89 x 6.53 inches.
The Winner Is- The WD Elements Desktop Hard Drive
Software
With both of the hard drives, you can connect your device and transfer files. But, when a hard drive has additional software, not only do you get more for your money but you will also be able to do more with it.
WD Elements Desktop Hard Drive
It’s rather disappointing that this hard drive comes with no software. You will have to purchase any software you require.
WD My Book Desktop Hard Drive
Now, this hard drive has an amazing range of software. In the first place, you have WD Auto Backup software so you can set a specific date and even time for automatic backups. Then, you have Password Protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption, ensuring all of your files are completely secure. It also comes with Acronis True Image WD Edition for Windows. It is compatible with Dropbox Cloud Services as well as other cloud services and you can connect straight to your social media pages, and it is compatible with Apple Time Machine.
The Winner Is- The WD My Book Desktop Hard Drive
Durability
This is quite an investment and while we don’t recommend dropping desktop hard drives, we do appreciate that there will be the odd bump or two over the years.
The WD Elements Desktop Hard Drive
This is advertised as a durable desktop hard drive but with no specific details.
The WD My Book Desktop Hard Drive
This has been designed for durability, shock tolerance, and long-term reliability.
The Winner Is- The WD My Book Desktop Hard Drive
Value for Money
There a number of things that need to be taken into. There will be the software, the price, and the warranty, but average prices for an 8TB hard drive can range from $100 to $150.
WD Elements Desktop Hard Drive
It is sitting at the higher end of the average, but it does come with a 2-year limited warranty.
WD My Book Desktop Hard Drive
As you would expect, it is more expensive than the WD Elements Desktop hard drive but still within the average. In fact, considering the differences in the hard drives, this comes at an excellent price. The limited warranty is also longer at 3 years.
The Winner Is- The WD My Book Desktop Hard Drive
Read next: WD Easystore vs Elements: Which Western Digital is Better?
Pros and Cons
Just before we offer our final thoughts on the WD Elements Desktop hard drive and the WD My Book Desktop hard drive, these pros and cons might clear up any doubts you might still have.
WD Elements
Pros:
- The read and write transfer speeds are fast
- The lovely design looks great at home or on a workstation
- It is nice and quiet
Cons:
- There have been some issues with the unit failing on occasions
WD My Book
Pros:
- The two vents at the back prevent any kind of heating
- The US cable is longer
- Great value for money
Cons:
- There is no power indicator light
My Book:I can’t agree to the point “The two vents at the back prevent any kind of heating.” My WD MyBook 12TB runs at 45°C or 132°F during a backup That means that the S.M.A.R.T.-System will decrease the calculated Lifetime of the disk. I run it with a very small USB-fan, on the upper vent. it cools it down two the high 30ties (°C).
Thanks for sharing your experience!
What is the difference between the wd easystore external hard drive, the wd my book and the wd elements? is just design? what is better?
Wtf did you even read the article? It explains everything and answers the very question you asked.
Easystore External Drives are sold exclusivly through Best Buy stores. They now use a slower “white label” hard drive to help BB increase their profit margins. Because of this, they are inferior to either an Elements or My Book External Drive.
As far as the difference between the Elements and My Book models, there is an entire article above that goes into considerable detail about the differences between these models which it is recommended you read to get your questions answered.
Here are a couple more cons for the Elements drive: It is entirely shiny black plastic for the front and sides. It doesn’t take long for them to get scratched up and look like crap. I left the clear plastic wrap on the last few I bought.
They are designed to stand upright on your desk. DO NOT do this! The drives are easily knocked over, destroying them! My cat taught me this lesson. I feel dumb for not seeing that one coming.
Thanks for the comment Miles!