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Installation:::...

Certainly where WindowsXP was concerned, installation was your proverbial "Plug 'n' Play affair. Within a few seconds windows had detected the drive and installed the necessary drivers for it.

Here's how it appeared in the Device manager.

Performance:::...

Testing was done on a DFI nF3 250Gb equipped with a Gigabyte of GeIL Ultra X and an A64 3400+

I also used a 4200rpm, 30GB Hitachi IC25N030 in both an ICY BOX IB-281U enclosure and a Stardom i201 enclosure for a couple of the tests, the latter of which has proved to be an excellent performer when we reviewed it.

SiSoftware Sandra 2005

Sandra 2005 is the now includes remote analysis, benchmarking and diagnostic features for PCs, servers, PDAs, Smart Phones, small office/home office (SOHO) networks and enterprise networks.

File System Benchmark:::...

File Copy Test:::...

For this test I used the exact same 307MB file that was used when I reviewed the IB-281U and the Stardom i201 external enclosures. This was copied from the main system hard drive and the time to complete to copy times and averaged over 4 runs.

I noted when we reviewed the IB-281U enclosure that something is clearly wrong with the write speeds, but even against the superior Stardom enclosure the Passport leads the way. Here we see the real world advantages to a 5400rpm platter.

The Cost :

Working on the premise that your average 80GB 2.5" hard drive retails for about the £80 mark, and adding to this the cost of a quality enclosure, something that would probably set you back around £20 to £30 for an aluminium or alloy unit, then the Passports's price of just £107 comes in right on target.

• Conclusion

  The 3DVelocity 'Dual Conclusions Concept' Explained: After discussing this concept with users as well as companies and vendors we work with, 3DVelocity have decided that where necessary we shall aim to introduce our 'Dual Conclusions Concept' to sum up our thoughts and impressions on the hardware we review. As the needs of the more experienced users and enthusiasts have increased, it has become more difficult to factor in all the aspects that such a user would find important, while also being fair to products that may lack these high end "bonus" capabilities but which still represent a very good buy for the more traditional and more prevalent mainstream user. The two categories we've used are:

  The Mainstream User ~ The mainstream user is likely to put price, stock performance, value for money, reliability and/or warranty terms ahead of the need for hardware that operates beyond its design specifications. The mainstream user may be a PC novice or may be an experienced user, however their needs are clearly very different to those of the enthusiast, in that they want to buy products that operate efficiently and reliably within their advertised parameters.

  The Enthusiast ~ The enthusiast cares about all the things that the mainstream user cares about but is more likely to accept a weakness in one or more of these things in exchange for some measure of performance or functionality beyond its design brief. For example, a high priced motherboard may be tolerated in exchange for unusually high levels of overclocking ability or alternatively an unusually large heat sink with a very poor fixing mechanism may be considered acceptable if it offers significantly superior cooling in return.

The Mainstream User ~

Despite improvements in hard drive technology, reliability hasn't really seem much of a step up thanks to ever increasing spin speeds and the corresponding wear on the motors and spindle bearings and also the need for smaller and lighter heads to cope with increased data densities (aereal densities), and for this reason there's a lot of sense in the old adage of "backup, backup, backup".

Having this much fast and easy to use storage at your fingertips makes the whole ordeal of backing up your important files far less of a chore, not to mention freeing up all that valuable system storage space to keep your OS ticking along efficiently.

With most moderately large Flash drives costing around £30-£50, it's perhaps worth considering the option of doubling your outlay in return for many tens of times the storage capacity.

	NA

The Enthusiast ~

It'd be nice if it was actually CHEAPER to buy the Digital Passport than it would be to build a similar spec device, but at least it's not more expensive, and on that basis the Passport is probably a superior choice.

It's quiet... if that matters, it doesn't seem to get unusually hot... if you care, and it should survive a reasonably harsh life... if you happen to have butter-fingers.

At just £1.29 per Gigabyte for a very sweet 5400rpm hard drive with a sleek alloy and rubber casing the Digital Passport is very good value for money and deserves a place in your data transport and archiving routine.

	NA

We're always looking for ways to make our reviews fairer. A Right To Reply gives the manufacturer or supplier of the product being reviewed a chance to make public comments on what we've said. They can explain perhaps why they've done the things we were unhappy with or blow their own trumpet over the things we loved. It's easy for us to pick a product apart but sometimes things are done a certain way for very specific reasons.

Should Western Digital decide to exercise their "Right To Reply", we'll publish their comments below: