My Book Studio 2tb Firewire 800

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Western Digital My Book Studio (2TB) review: Western Digital My Book Studio (2TB)

If you need a FireWire 800 bulldoze, the My Book Studio gives a good amount of grunt, and is about as Maccy equally one tin Mac. At present we just need to wait for Apple tree to pick up USB 3.0, and we can forget about all these disparate interfaces.

Craig Simms

Special to CNET News

Craig was sucked into the endless vortex of tech at an early on age, merely to be spat back out babbling things like "phase-locked-loop crystal oscillators!". Mostly this receives a pat on the head from the listener, followed closely by a question about what laptop they should buy.

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3 min read

You can always tell when you're holding an Apple-based accessory, judging by exactly how much powder-finished aluminium is gracing the exterior. In the case of the new Studio, it'southward not simply silver-coloured plastic, but bodily aluminium, calculation a scrap of heft to the production.

The Practiced

Will easily match your Mac if yous're aesthetically driven. Metal casing gives a feeling of solidity.

The Bad

Bulldoze is not-user-serviceable. Mac focus means no USB 3.0.

The Bottom Line

If yous need a FireWire 800 drive, the My Book Studio gives a good amount of grunt, and is about equally Maccy as 1 can Mac. Now we just need to look for Apple to selection upwardly USB 3.0, and we tin can forget about all these disparate interfaces.

Information technology too ups the Mac ante past including Mac Pro-esque perforations and throwing in a pair of FireWire 800 ports. There's a USB 2.0 port as well, but make no bones almost information technology — information technology's hither for nothing more than than compatibility.

Sequential reads (MBps)

due east-SATA
FireWire 800
USB two.0
USB 3.0

149.5 72.57 23.78 N/A
Hitachi G-Drive (3TB)
127.35 83.33 20.32 N/A
Western Digital My Book Studio Edition 2 (6TB)
N/A 83.59 21.95
Due north/A Western Digital My Book Studio (2TB)
North/A N/A N/A 117.8
Western Digital My Book Essential (3TB)

(Longer bars indicate amend performance)

Sequential writes (MBps)

east-SATA
FireWire 800
USB two.0
USB iii.0

153.10 57.81 22.95 N/A
Hitachi G-Bulldoze (3TB)
98.5 lx.v nineteen.55 Due north/A
Western Digital My Book Studio Edition II (6TB)
N/A 74.43 23.02 N/A
Western Digital My Volume Studio (2TB)
N/A Due north/A N/A 93.82
Western Digital My Book Essential (3TB)

(Longer bars indicate better performance)

512K random reads (MBps)

east-SATA
FireWire 800
USB 2.0
USB 3.0

57.98 xl.91 eighteen.45 N/A
Hitachi G-Drive (3TB)
38.53 34.36 xv.30 N/A
Western Digital My Book Studio Edition Two (6TB)
N/A 37.39 18.69 N/A
Western Digital My Book Studio (2TB)
Northward/A North/A N/A xl.69
Western Digital My Book Essential (3TB)

(Longer bars indicate ameliorate performance)

512K random writes (MBps)

e-SATA
FireWire 800
USB 2.0
USB 3.0

66.81 49.87 22.86 N/A
Hitachi Grand-Drive (3TB)
28.73 29.34 eighteen.62 N/A
Western Digital My Book Studio Edition Ii (6TB)
N/A 54.3 22.56 N/A
Western Digital My Book Studio (2TB)
N/A Due north/A N/A 51.64
Western Digital My Volume Essential (3TB)

(Longer bars signal ameliorate functioning)

4K random reads (MBps)

e-SATA
FireWire 800
USB 2.0
USB 3.0

0.722 0.609 0.663
Hitachi Chiliad-Bulldoze (3TB)
0.467 0.479 0.414
Western Digital My Volume Studio Edition 2 (6TB)
N/A 0.531 0.502
Western Digital My Volume Studio (2TB)
North/A N/A N/A 0.610
Western Digital My Book Essential (3TB)

(Longer bars indicate ameliorate performance)

4K random writes (MBps)

e-SATA
FireWire 800
USB 2.0
USB iii.0

i.735 1.601 1.724
Hitachi G-Drive (3TB)
0.295 0.303 0.310
Western Digital My Volume Studio Edition 2 (6TB)
Due north/A i.212 1.156
Western Digital My Book Studio (2TB)
N/A N/A North/A 0.974
Western Digital My Book Essential (3TB)

(Longer confined indicate improve functioning)

The charts above are beasts of many tells, most clear of which are the performance ceilings of FireWire 800 and USB ii.0, saturated before the drives can accomplish their potential. Once you lot striking the superior due east-SATA, Hitachi's drive breaks away, while Western Digital'south RAID-0 beastie, the Studio Edition Two, does its best to nip at its heels, but suffers when it comes to random reads and writes. The USB three.0-enabled My Volume Essential drive makes an interesting data point, as well: the lesser performance is a potential penalty of converting a SATA drive to USB.

In that location are areas where Hitachi'south Thousand-Drive takes the lead on the Studio, but this is likely a side effect of actress storage density meaning extra speed.

If you need a FireWire 800 drive, the My Book Studio gives a good amount of grunt, and is almost equally Maccy as one tin can Mac. At present we just need to wait for Apple to pick up USB 3.0, and nosotros tin can forget about all these disparate interfaces.