The Western Digital WD5000C032 500 GB external hard drive gets a big thumbs up!
I purchased this drive a few months ago for backing up my laptops. I wanted a HUGE drive for less than $250 and this one fit the bill. I purchased it from Amazon.com and it arrived a few days later. When I opened the box I was impressed how nice the drive looks. Finished in a black enclosure and adorned with a single light in the front, the drive is attractive and very easy to use.
I recommend this drive because it is durable. Very Durable! I had this drive plugged into my computer and the disk was spinning away when I decided to clean off my desk. Like a moron, I picked the drive up by the USB cable to move it and it fell.
Did it fall on the nice, soft carpet? No. It fell 4 feet and hit the wooden baseboard, bounced into my wooden desk and hit the floor. I cringed as it bounced, and bounced again and was convinced the drive was ruined.
I made the promise to myself that if the drive still worked, I would write a post about it. The drive works fine, I actually have it plugged into my computer right now.
Please do not take this post as an open invite to bounce your own hard drive like a basketball. However, in the world of crappy and undependable computer parts, the Western Digital ‘My Book’ External Hard Drive series has my respect.