WD Easystore vs WD Elements are two of the most sought-after external storage units from Western Digital.
If you’re tired of looking at individual WD Easystore and Elements reviews, you have finally found what you need.
WD Elements is great for gaming consoles and WD Easystore is great for Mac. Easystore costs a bit more but offers dedicated software like WD Backup and WD Discover. It also has a sturdier design and lasts longer as a result.
WD Elements and Easystore are both fully functional on Windows and the drives are shipped with NTFS formatting.
If you want to use it with Mac, you have to reformat it. Each has its advantages and drawbacks, and I will tell you exactly what they are.
WD Elements vs Easystore- Which Is For Whom?
These two fantastic external storage units from Western Digital are not perfectly suited for the same audience. You can easily figure out if you should get one or the other.
Buy WD Elements If-
Buy WD Easystore If-
WD Elements vs Easystore: Head to Head Comparison
features | WD Elements | WD Easystore |
|---|---|---|
Size | 5.31 x 1.89 x 6.53 inches | 5.48 x 1.93 x 6.72 inches |
Weight | 2.09lbs or 0.95kgs | 2.00lbs or 0.90kgs |
Storage capacity | 3 to 14 TB | 4 to 14 TB |
Connectivity | USB 3.0 & USB 2.0 | USB 3.0 & USB 2.0 |
Compatibility | Standard support for Windows needs to be reformatted for Mac | Standard support for Windows needs to be reformatted for Mac |
Software Support | N/A | Dedicated software from WD |
Warranty | 2 Years | 2 Years |
Price |
Read more about WD Elements:
Read more about WD Easystore:
User Experience Overview of WD Easystore vs Elements
Having used the WD Easystore vs WD Elements, users have shared their experiences and opinions about the two external storage solutions. More users have praised the speed in WD Easystore review.
Meanwhile, more users have praised the low-noise in their WD Elements review.
In a WD Easystore review Many users simply outlined their satisfaction, while others nitpicked in areas that might pique your interests.
WD Elements
- The Elements drive is almost silent, so it is great for using in low-noise environments. One user mentioned getting at least 100MBps write speed using the drive.
- One user pointed out that it may need up to 8 seconds to wake up from hibernation if left unused for quite some time.
- It is especially compatible with PlayStation and Xbox, allowing users to store extra games on their consoles.
- It is difficult to use the drive with a laptop on the go – in places without a power outlet because it requires external power.
- Several users have shucked their WD Elements and have found white label drives inside. These drives have the 3rd-pin issue, which can cause a hard disk not to be recognized by the system in certain cases.
WD Easystore
- Users have reported that the drive doesn’t make any noise whatsoever. It also offers consistently higher speeds than the WD Elements drives.
- Your computer may not boot if the drives are connected from the start. Users have suggested connecting the drive after the computer has booted up.
- The drives come with some dedicated software from Western Digital, allowing better compatibility with a variety of systems.
- These units offer more options for power input. But they are still considerably heavy, so it is not too convenient.
- Most users have reported that the drives inside are white-labeled. These have worse performance than red drives, and the usual 3rd-pin issue persists.
Common Features of WD Elements vs Easystore
Looking at the two external storage units, you can see some features they have in common.
You can look at this WD Elements and Easystore review to know which features are common to see if either could serve your needs.
Design
The two external storage drives bear a sleek black look. WD Elements is glossier looking, while WD Easystore is slightly more matte.
WD Easystore may look like a book from the sides because of this design choice.
But keep in mind that both of these drives have HDDs inside. Hence, the exterior is mostly meant for aesthetics.
Many customers choose to shuck the units after purchase, so you can ignore the design segment if you are planning to do the same.
Weight
WD Easystore (2.00lbs) is marginally lighter than WD Elements (2.09lbs). So, if you are really concerned about that additional weight, WD Easystore may be a better option for you.
Storage Capacity
The most popular storage capacity for both of these drives are 8TB. At the time of this writing, both external drivers have up to 14TB storage option.
I suggest not to buy drives above 8TB storage option unless you want to use it as a backup.
Also, use the partition table called GPT to utilize the entirety of these storage units.
If you happen to use MBR instead, you will only have access to 2TB of storage – regardless of how much storage you actually have on the unit.
Connectivity
Both of these external storage drives support USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 for file transfer and connectivity.
However, they do not offer enough transfer speeds to fully utilize the capacity of these storage units, which is especially visible when moving large files.
This could be due to a limitation of the file transfer protocol via USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, the latter of which is considered to be outdated in this day and age.
Warranty
You get a standard 2-years of limited warranty no matter which storage unit you go with. The newer storage units from Western Digital comes with a white-labeled HDD inside. These are not sold separately and also offer less performance than red-labeled HDDs.
Additionally, it would be nearly impossible for you to find out whether you have a red-labeled HDD or a white-labeled HDD without forcefully opening the container, but doing so will void your warranty.
Unique Features of WD Elements vs Easystore
Although there are so many similarities between the two products, you can also find some unique features for either one. Here is an account of these unique features.
WD Elements:
Software
You do not get any dedicated software out of the box with this external storage solution. You can still use publicly available software, whether from Western Digital or third-party vendors.
Still, as those tools are not built specifically for WD Elements, it wouldn’t be uncommon for you to run into issues. For normal activities, the software isn’t necessary either, so keep that in mind.
Compatibility
WD Elements is especially suitable for use with PlayStation and Xbox. You can connect this external storage to your console and easily keep additional games installed.
It also works really well on Windows. It comes formatted to NTFS, so you have to reformat it to use it on Mac.
Performance
If you get the red-labeled HDD inside your WD Elements external storage unit, you can expect an excellent performance that older users have praised.
But in recent times, you are more likely to receive a white-labeled HDD, which offers a close but inexact performance. It is also marginally slower than Easystore.
WD Easystore
Software
With WD Easystore, you receive some dedicated software specifically designed for this external storage unit. The three tools you receive are WD Discovery, WD Backup, and WD Utilities.
The backup tool is especially helpful for copying your large files and folders to the external storage quickly and safely.
Compatibility
WD Easystore is designed to work well on both Windows and Mac. It is not intended for use with consoles, but should theoretically still be possible.
It also comes preformatted with NTFS, so you can quickly use it with your Windows device. Although reformatting is required for Mac, you can expect better compatibility with WD Easystore.
Performance
Similar to WD Elements, WD Easystore is also currently shipping with white-labeled HDDs inside.
If you are planning to be versatile with your use of this storage unit, look into the 3rd-pin issue and consider your options. WD Easystore also performs marginally better than Elements.
Common Pros & Cons of WD Elements vs Easystore
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Unique Pros & Cons of WD Elements
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Unique Pros & Cons of WD Easystore
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Price-Quality Ratio of WD Elements vs Easystore
WD Elements and WD Easystore are almost identically priced. Hence, Easystore is a better value-for-price product because of its additional features.
However, you can find more deals on Amazon if you decide to purchase WD Elements. It’s a far better deal if you can get it for a discount.
Final words:
The external storage solution you should choose depends on your specific needs.
Because there are not many differences, you will not disappoint purchasing either one if you make the purchase knowing all the pros and cons of each storage unit.
If you are willing to spend the extra dime for the dedicated software, which is the primary reason for the increased price, you should get a WD Easystore.
If you feel that you don’t really need any software for your purpose or only want to shuck the unit, get a WD Elements.
Similarly, you should get a WD Elements if you want to use the external storage with a console, but get a WD Easystore if you want to use it with Mac.
So, take a look at the products and see the product reviews with your own eyes. Pick the one that is more suitable to your specific needs.
However, if either seems to be fine for your needs, purchase a WD Easystore.