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Western Digital My Passport 750GB 2.5" USB 3.0 = $86 @ HN

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Western Digital My Passport 750GB 2.5" USB 3.0 = $86 @ HN
Go to Deal
orbital on 05/04/2011 - 16:32 harveynorman.com.au (1562 clicks)
Last edited 05/04/2011 - 20:40

Harvey Norman have it for $86. Mate picked one up this arvo from HN Woden in ACT

Officeworks have it for $129 - http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Technology/Dat…

If you are after further discounts @ OW, comments from fellow OzBers indicate OW stores are out of stock in store, but someone has it on backorder with them with the pricematch @ 5% = $81.70

Specs…

Size = 2.5"

USB 3.0 Plus USB 2.0
A single drive with universal compatibility today and next-generation speed for tomorrow. Use it with USB 2.0 now and step up to USB 3.0 speed when you’re ready.

High Capacity in a Smaller Drive
The Western Digital My Passport Portable Hard Drive features 750GB capacity in this small, stylish design. It is also powered directly from the USB port on your PC. No separate power supply is needed.

Connectivity: USB
Hard Drive Size: 750GB

Computing

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Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman

closed Comments

  • MattyD on 05/04/2011 - 16:33
    +1

    +1. For 2.5in, USB 3.0, 750Gb - $81.70 seems a pretty good price.

  • issh on 05/04/2011 - 16:34
    +2

    wow nice

    but you should really mention HN in the title then OW pricematch in description

    • orbital on 05/04/2011 - 16:39
      +5

      updated, hope that title is a bit better :)

      • issh on 05/04/2011 - 16:44
        +1

        cool!

  • Bensoin on 05/04/2011 - 16:41

    Very nice deal.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/04/2011 - 16:43
    +2

    OW will likely adjust their price by 9am tomorrow, so get in quick if you want the price match.

    • morpheu on 05/04/2011 - 16:48
      +1

      or even sooner! i would phone ahead to check stock and get them to price match over the phone and then put one aside

  • stumo on 05/04/2011 - 16:44

    So internally this is probably a native USB3 bare drive rather than SATA?

    • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 16:51
      +1

      Don't think they have that sort of integration given they haven't been out too long. Unless you were going to take out the drive and put it inside your computer I don't think there is faster FT method (barring Thunderbolt which is not as common and doesn't have any supported drives yet, also I hate apple :b)

      Main thing here is 1 Tb 2.0 or 750Gb 3.0

      • theguyrules on 05/04/2011 - 20:54
        +1

        Gah stupid Thunderbolt, better give me some drives soon and as cheap as this.

  • Matador_OZ on 05/04/2011 - 16:46

    Very tempting

  • anonymoususer on 05/04/2011 - 16:47

    is it better deal than
    - Samsung Story Station 2TB Desktop Hard Drive @ Domayne - $98
    - Seagate Expansion Portable 1TB Hard Drive $79 @ JB
    http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/7712/insanec.jpg

    Im wondering if I should wait for such better deal ?

    • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 16:54

      Hey look everyone

      She didn't ask about Shipping

      Big CHEER

      750Gb isn't the largest of capacities and I would definitely buy the 2Tb one over this, but then again why not both.
      All depends on you needs, if you torrent much then take the 2Tb otherwise for music, few dvd "backups" and games this should be fast and more than enough

      • heatseeker424 on 05/04/2011 - 18:13

        I'd prefer to get two of these.
        Then if one dies, you've at least still got half your stuff.

      • anthony on 05/04/2011 - 18:28

        750Gb isn't the largest of capacities and I would definitely buy the 2Tb one over this,

        This is a 2.5" drive. I do not think there are any 2TB 2.5" drives yet.

        • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 18:42

          Yes thats why I said if you only need 750Gb then get the portable one. Otherwise if you have large amount of data to store then a 2Tb drive with a USB 3.0 Enclosure would still be cheaper.

          I know the difference between a 2 Tb 3.5" and 750Gb 2.5", as I mentioned below as well I'd buy both for two different purposes

      • Broden Jr on 05/04/2011 - 18:41

        Get a larger drive or you'll end up like me and eventually run out of usb ports/sata ports and pci slots (from sata controller cards).

        Then you might have to spend $200+ on something like a NAS.

  • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 16:49
    +4

    WARNING!
    These new 2.5 inch WD drives use a proprietary board with the usb soldered on. This means you cannot remove the drive and use it elsewhere (say ps3 or laptop). Even worse this means it stuffs up (which is common in these drives, google it), you have no way of recovering it yourself by traditional means such as putting it in a new enclosure or into a laptop.

    Read here: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/261537-14-passport-mount…

    I would only by these drives if I was using it to store unimportant data. NO WAY trust your valuable files on these drives!

    • nhutty on 05/04/2011 - 16:53
      +2

      it doesn't deserve for you to negative the deal though, its a good price for a 2.5" USB3.0 drive.

      • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 16:56
        -6

        Negative is to highlight the big issue with these drives.

        you can get a 1tb 2.5" Seagate for $113:
        http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=2.5+1tb+sea…

        This works out slightly cheaper for $/mb. So my negative stands.

        • stumo on 05/04/2011 - 16:57
          +5

          That seagate is USB2, its also gonna use a lot more power being a 3 platter drive, will probably need a Y-lead at a bare minimum. So no.

        • tomsco on 05/04/2011 - 16:58
          +2

          You'd hope something of higher capacity to be cheaper per GB.

        • akanian on 05/04/2011 - 17:07

          Definitely no need to neg the deal, it is pretty sweet regardless. Also, the 2.5inch Seagate expansion portable 1TB drive that you have listed is actually a 15mm thick drive, I have it and it's bloody massive, hardly "portable" and does not fit in any standard enclosure or laptops either.

        • lazed on 05/04/2011 - 17:09

          Yeah, great alternative solution genius, only 40% higher in price, well done finding one that has a similar cost.

    • Matador_OZ on 05/04/2011 - 16:54

      So why neg the deal, just because you don't like the drives?

      • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 16:58
        -6

        I guess you don't get it? I didn't neg because I didn't think it was pretty. Its not an opinion, its a fact.

        Why trust your valuable data with such drives?

        Also as I said you can get a 1TB 2.5" drive and works out around the same price per mb.

        • Matador_OZ on 05/04/2011 - 17:06
          +3

          I guess you get how ozbargain works….
          You + or - a deal on the value compared to other stores.
          Not whether you like it or don't

        • lazed on 05/04/2011 - 17:07
          -1

          If the drive itself dies then it doesn't matter what interface it has. Get a bloody clue.

        • ozhunter on 05/04/2011 - 17:09
          +2

          That drive you linked was usb 2.0, this is usb 3.0

        • Michael15286 on 05/04/2011 - 18:51
          +1

          What I think motlkings is trying to do is alert people to the fact that once the USB port on this drive breaks, is bent, or whatever, you cannot recover the data again (unless you have some mad soldering skills). With the older type external hard drives, if the USB port broke, you could just attach the drive to computer and recover your data. With the more modern models, as soon as the port's broken, the drive is useless. And people who have used these western digital drives long enough will notice that the USB port is usually the first thing to break or malfunction. I myself have had two WD externals fail from the USB. But that's life.

          Good deal regardless.

    • ryang on 05/04/2011 - 17:11
      +1

      Even worse this means it stuffs up (which is common in these drives, google it), you have no way of recovering it yourself by traditional means such as putting it in a new enclosure or into a laptop.

      Actually, you are quite wrong… With the USB board being a part of the drive itself, it is one less piece to fail. So, if the drive does stop working, it will most likely be a failure in the drive anyway, which putting into another device would not rectify.

      You're worrying about something that isn't any more, or less, present in any other drive on the market.

    • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:31
      -3

      Almost got back into positive, hahaha thanks guys :)

    • dyziplen on 05/04/2011 - 18:05

      It doesn't matter if its a native USB drive, or a Sata drive with a USB adapter. ALL DRIVES FAIL, you can't rely on a drive being a standard sata drive being your only backup measure. Frankly with drives being this cheap, make 2-3-4-5-6 copies……… Personally, all my important data are on my PC, and two backup copies on two external drives.

      • camelgrass on 05/04/2011 - 18:18
        +1

        But if something breaks at the connector/adapter/case level, then at least you still have a working drive if it has SATA (as long as the SATA connector doesn't break but that is unlikely, more likely to be the adapter/USB connector that breaks as what happened to motking).

        Once you have the drive out, all you need to buy is a 2.5" case (not a whole new portable drive).

        you can't rely on a drive being a standard sata drive being your only backup measure.

        True, but a lot of people do.

        • dyziplen on 05/04/2011 - 19:03

          Which is why you need to embed the idea that all drive die, and you need to do backups. Not giving people false or unrealistic hope, that somehow data can be recovered by swap out the USB-SATA adapter. Swapping out the adapter may help in some case, but ain't exactly a fix it all cure.

        • camelgrass on 05/04/2011 - 19:31

          Which is why you need to embed the idea that all drive die, and you need to do backups.

          Very true. But it doesn't matter how often you warn people, some will never do backups. The only way they learn is if one day they lose data. I bet if we did a survey of the community today, at least 50% wouldn't have a backup and you're not going to change that.

          Not giving people false or unrealistic hope, that somehow data can be recovered by swap out the USB-SATA adapter.

          No one is suggesting that.

    • abacus on 05/04/2011 - 22:01

      You should always have everything on two separate drives, you can't rely on having it only in one place. (repetition for emphasis).

      • StewBalls on 06/04/2011 - 00:49

        Not just discrete drives either, I backup important data on at least two, if not three, different media types! :)

  • stumo on 05/04/2011 - 16:56

    Ooops, I accidentally pos'd the dudes comment. Its great info for sure, but it isn't neg worthy for the deal.

  • morpheu on 05/04/2011 - 16:59

    he's assuming everyone who buys the drive wants to rip it open and use it in a ps3/laptop! bit presumptuous huh?!

    • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:02
      -2

      haha that is a small downside, did you read the more important info? should read the more important info before you post don't you think?

    • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 17:05
      -3

      specially when it is USB 3.0 which would be as fast or faster( although it would be throttled) than putting it in the PS3/laptop.

      I'd say for 250 Gb less you get USB 3.0 and it's cheaper than 1Tb 2.5 USB2.0 for the gb/$ ratio
      And how many people would back up their stuff on 2.5 drives anyways when 3.5" is much cheaper and easier to source/install. The only place I would put this drive is in my laptop with any unwatched movies, music and other less heavy documents.

      2.5" is not for Pron (unless you're into fetishes)

      • diamondtouch1 on 05/04/2011 - 17:13

        but it has usb 3.0!!! super fast.

        actually, thats a double whammy

  • mrkorrupt on 05/04/2011 - 17:02
    +3

    no he isnt… If said connector dies u cant open it up and save data to your pc cause its hardwired onto the the actual drive.

    • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:06
      +6

      thank you, somebody gets it! :)

      there are at least 5 people who agree with me, I hope my posts stands, if not at least I am able to save some from potentially taking a unnecessary risk with data.

      • stumo on 05/04/2011 - 17:09
        +3

        there are at least 5 people who agree with me

        Make that 3, 2 of us have confirmed that we clicked + by mistake. In my case I clicked + just before you made it an invalid neg on my refresh.

        It is good info, but it will get buried with your crap neg.

      • [Deactivated] on 05/04/2011 - 17:12
        +1

        I think people get it, it's just that "I have information I believe to be important" is not a valid reason to neg.

      • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 17:13

        try to keep a neutral attitude when you do post information like that.
        Yes it is a public forum so you can say/do whatever you want but generally most of us try to go easy on the negs.

        • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:16
          +1

          ok fair enough, I remember there being a clause on neg'ing that if it was a poor service/product you could neg to warn others.

          if it is just a normal comment people might not realise, I guess my posts will stand out now anyway :)

        • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 18:45

          If you hadn't negged you would have had a lot more +ve, which would have stood out. Anyways I applaud you for the information and taking back the neg

      • Evil-Elmo on 05/04/2011 - 17:21

        The information you provided in your post is good. You wouldn't have had such a problem if you'd just posted the comment. The neg to the deal on the other hand, is not, because The deal is still good. Yeah ok, there might be better drives out there, but not at this price point.

      • WhiteEvo6 on 06/04/2011 - 14:29

        I actually agree with your concern, just not the neg you gave the deal. Its only a concern for those of us wanting to use this drive in a PS3 or notebook which is what I "was" going to buy it for so I thankyou for the info.

  • g12345567 on 05/04/2011 - 17:04

    You need to remove the OW price match from the deal as its against the OZ Bargain rules to do so. Just leave the Harvey Norman deal in there as thats what the deal is for. It should still be ok to mention OW price match in the comments.

    • ozhunter on 05/04/2011 - 17:12

      In the description you can link to the pricematch, but not put it as the main link for the deal.

      • orbital on 05/04/2011 - 17:28

        done and edited :)

  • morpheu on 05/04/2011 - 17:07
    +1

    you think that's the only device with that problem? break off the usb connector from a usb drive and you try getting to your important info! same goes for mp3 players with non removable storage, mobile phones, MID/laptops with hardwired storage etc

    • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 17:10

      exactly..yes it is a downside but not enough to be negged. New generation of drives are like that, it is the same with almost every manufacturer of portable HDs.

    • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:13
      +2

      You don't get it. The hard drive is enclosed in a case. Normally a 2.5" external drive uses a traditional 2.5" hard drive that CONNECTS to the enclosure. Therefore if the connector for the enclosure stuffs up you may be able to recover the data if you remove the drive from the enclosure/case and plug it in a pc/laptop.
      A stuffed up enclosure does not = a stuffed up drive.

      In this case it would.

      • stumo on 05/04/2011 - 17:21

        So solder on a new connector. What you are saying would void the warranty either way.

        Most people would take it back for replacement/refund, unless they were silly enough to have this device as their single copy of all their precious family photos etc.

      • ryang on 05/04/2011 - 17:21

        I'll say it again here for you;

        You are losing a potential step that could fail, which = a good thing. There is no SATA -> USB bridge in these devices. The data is sent straight out the USB port. Fewer components = less chance of failure.

        • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:26
          +1

          failure happens at the point of connection. If it gets tugged too hard or dropped, it can fail due the connection. It can fail at the connection point due to other reasons to, google it. I know this because it has happened to me

        • ryang on 05/04/2011 - 17:27

          News @ 11 - Breaking connectors turns out to be a BAD IDEA!

      • ozdavo on 05/04/2011 - 17:24

        This is nothing new… samsung have been doing it for several years now.

      • StarkIndustries on 05/04/2011 - 18:30

        and so what would an alternative be..

  • [Deactivated] on 05/04/2011 - 17:17

    Anyone got pix of what one of these looks like on the inside so I can see what all the fuss is about?

    • issh on 05/04/2011 - 17:22

      uploading….

      • issh on 05/04/2011 - 17:27
        +2

        Full Internals

        VIEW

        not the exact one in this post but same brand

        • [Deactivated] on 05/04/2011 - 17:36
          +1

          That's kinda shifty of them to do that. It would have to be cheaper for them to stick a regular SATA drive into a case but instead they make it so anyone wanting to use it "differently" than they intended it to be cannot do so. I've always been a big fan of WD drives but I won't be buying another passport now that I know this. I'll just buy a 2.5" and put it in an external case.

          Still, good price if you don't mind this sort of douchebaggery.

        • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:47

          yeah I am guessing some designer thought it would be smart to make it look good by making it smaller at the cost of failure risk.

        • anthony on 05/04/2011 - 18:35

          It would have to be cheaper for them to stick a regular SATA drive into a case but

          If they have done it this way then it is probably cheaper.

          There are less components/PCB needed so the cost should be lower.

          They can also make the case smaller which uses less plastic so saves money.
          The same works for the box they package the drive in.

        • camelgrass on 05/04/2011 - 19:42

          They can also make the case smaller which uses less plastic so saves money.

          LOL, really? How much, half a cent?

          There is a removable PCB on the back of the drive.

        • ozdavo on 06/04/2011 - 08:12

          The big(relative)cost saving is not requiring a separated PCB to convert from SATA to USB. Also making the form factor smaller makes it more appealing/marketable is the "mines smaller than yours" point of view.

    • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:23

      hit up the link in my original post. This drive doesn't have a normal sata connection like other hard drives.

  • ryang on 05/04/2011 - 17:24
    +2

    Wait.. Wait… WAIT. The link you posted (http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/261537-14-passport-mount…), is that you that also posted comment/pics? So… You got burnt by a failed drive, cracked it open to try and fix it and in the process realised that WD had foiled your plans?

    Well, I have to lol. You are certainly biased in your facts that's for sure, and definitely explains your stance.

    • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:27

      yeah dude. Try to save someone else the hassle. Not worth the risk of losing data.

      • Matador_OZ on 05/04/2011 - 17:30

        If they were that important, you should keep a few copies…. Hard lesson learnt

        • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:35

          it is! but many computer illiterate people browse this site and would use it to store everything from important documents to precious photos.

          In my case, I used it to back up a laptop before selling it. If only it was another drive I might have been able to recover it by normal means.

      • [Deactivated] on 05/04/2011 - 17:31
        +2

        Anyone storing important data in a single location is not doing it right. Backup drives are for a second or third copy, not the sole copy.

        That said, my sympathies on your broken drive. You could always buy a second one and use it's connector… but of course you'd have to swap it back and forth between the drives to make them ongoing useful and you risk damaging the new one in doing so.

        • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 17:37

          can you do that? that would be a small price to pay compared to data recovery services!

          From the look of it, the connector is part of the whole board which doesn't look like it can be easily swapped out?

        • camelgrass on 05/04/2011 - 17:56
          +1

          Yeah, you can't do that. That's why the timely warnings above re potential data loss if something gets broken.

        • stumo on 05/04/2011 - 18:39

          You can swap boards on identical drives, I've done it, and it even worked, once.

        • camelgrass on 05/04/2011 - 19:35

          Wow, it seems that it's not uncommon for these type of drives to break then. Which part broke?

          That's the thing, you need find an identical board to swap, not as easy as a standard SATA connection.

        • stumo on 05/04/2011 - 20:31
          +1

          @camelgrass
          I didn't do the swap on a USB drive. It was on older laptop IDE drive.

  • backslashio on 05/04/2011 - 17:40
    +1

    I have this. Paid ~$130 some 6 months ago. Very nice although I wish it came in matte. Glossy just attracts fingerprints :(

  • StarkIndustries on 05/04/2011 - 18:03

    I know nothing about technology but what is everyone fussing about ..

  • Crownie on 05/04/2011 - 18:06
    +1

    Good price.
    Bad drive.

    Also, like Seagate, you need to pay extra for a USB 3.0 cable.
    Where can you get this cable from though?
    No one seems to stock it.

    • motlking on 05/04/2011 - 18:10
      +1

      oh, I didn't know it wouldn't come with a usb 3.0 cable. Assumed if you bought a usb 3.0 drive it would come with the matching cable, pretty dodgy.

    • A Banana4scale on 05/04/2011 - 18:52

      now that makes this deal a neg! I do not want to pay separately for a USB 3.0 Cable

    • dkslim on 05/04/2011 - 19:01
      +1

      What a rip, they advertise USB 3 but no USB 3 cable?

    • orbital on 05/04/2011 - 19:40
      +1

      Had a quick look on ebay, approx $3 total delivered from HK for a 1.5 usb 3.0 cable

      • camelgrass on 05/04/2011 - 19:46

        And 3 weeks for delivery?

        • orbital on 05/04/2011 - 19:51
          +1

          ah my post was in reply to someone who said they couldn't find it anywhere :)

    • ShootingStar on 05/04/2011 - 23:23
      +2

      I picked up this drive from Harvey Norman (b/c Officeworks was out of stock). It comes with a USB 3.0 cable, but it is a bit short. It is definitely immediately usable without the need to buy a separate USB 3.0 cable.

      Also note that the drive can be used with a standard USB 2.0 cable (that plugs in to only part of the socket).

    • ozdavo on 06/04/2011 - 08:36
      +1

      USB3.0 cable IS included.

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