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Western Digital My Book Desktop Review

A great desktop HDD for space and speed, but at the sacrifice of portability
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Western Digital My Book Desktop Review
Credit: Aspen Rain Weaver
Price:  $140 List
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Manufacturer:   Western Digital
Aspen Rain Weaver
By Aspen Rain Weaver ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  October 6, 2025
50
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 11
  • Read/Write Performance - 60% 5.5
  • Usability - 30% 5.0
  • Portability - 10% 2.2

Our Verdict

Not everyone plans to move their external hard drive once they set it up, and if you're inclined to keep your drive in one place, then this is your best option. This model is bulky and requires a wall plug to operate, but it is very fast and available in massive storage options. The Western Digital My Book is one of the best HDDs for those seeking a drive to complement their desktop or office setup permanently.
REASONS TO BUY
Easy to use
Auto backup and software included
Multiple high-capacity options available
REASONS TO AVOID
Very bulky
No water or dust resistance
Needs power

Our Analysis and Test Results

western digital my book desktop - if you need ample storage and won't be transporting your drive...
If you need ample storage and won't be transporting your drive often, then the WD Mybook Desktop is one product to consider highly.
Credit: Laura Casner

Read/Write Performance


For HDD-type models, the WD My Book easily has the fastest read/write performance that we observed throughout our testing.


When using it with Windows, its average random data read speed was 1.01 MB per second, and its average sequential read speed was 200.4 MB per second; over 50 MB per second faster than the next HDD.

western digital my book desktop - to get comparable data on multiple systems, we tested using both...
To get comparable data on multiple systems, we tested using both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Credit: Aspen Rain Weaver

When we ran our tests for macOS, the WD My Book outperformed the other HDD types significantly. For random data, its average speed was 0.49 MB per second. This model achieved an impressive 195.34 MB/s for sequential file reading.

western digital my book desktop - our testing on amorphousdiskmark showed the fastest hdd speeds we...
Our testing on AmorphousDiskMark showed the fastest HDD speeds we encountered.
Credit: Aspen Weaver

During the second half of our read and write assessment, we manually timed the transfer of 1GB, 5GB, and 10GB files. Again, we ran all of our tests for macOS as well as Windows to uncover any differences in performance between the two operating systems, and the Western Digital My Book was at the head of the pack for HDD types in both systems.

western digital my book desktop - on our windows system, the my book thrived against its competition.
On our Windows system, the My Book thrived against its competition.

Using Windows, this model could transfer a 1GB file in 12 seconds, a 5GB file in 55 seconds, and a 10GB file in 94 seconds. When we switched to macOS, the times changed to 8 seconds and 37 seconds for 1GB and 5GB files, respectively, while the 10GB file took 73 seconds. For macOS, these times average out to 132.4 MB per second. The average rate we measured using Windows was noticeably slower at 93.2 MB per second.

Usability


Right out of the package, the WD My Book Desktop works seamlessly and interchangeably with both macOS and Windows. It's ready for gaming systems, and as a bonus, we found that it worked great with Android while testing it with our phone. Included with the drive is a Micro-B to USB 3.2 Gen 1 cord.


As far as storage goes, it's hard to top the My Book. This model is available in storage sizes up to an impressive 22TB, making it ideal for media professionals and others who know they have a substantial amount of data to back up.

western digital my book desktop - the my book comes with a micro-b port and ac input on the back...
The My Book comes with a Micro-B port and AC input on the back, requiring power and possibly an adapter to use.
Credit: Laura Casner

That said, the smallest storage capacity offered is 4TB, so if you don't need that much space, the My Book might be overkill, considering the fact that memory is directly linked to price. It also comes with 256-bit encryption to keep your sensitive files under lock and key. This drive includes WD Backup software and is compatible with Apple Time Machine, enabling it to back up your data automatically.

western digital my book desktop - we like how this hard drive looks amongst our daily lives.
We like how this hard drive looks amongst our daily lives.
Credit: Aspen Rain Weaver

Portability


Portability is not a strong suit for the WD My Book. This particular drive was designed to be a permanent fixture in your office. There's no way to avoid the fact that this model is large and heavy. This big boy tips the scales at nearly two pounds — more than three times the weight of any other drive in our review.


Measuring 6.7" x 5.5" x 1.9", it is aptly named. Not only is it the size of a book, but it's also the size of a particularly thick book that would more closely resemble Harry Potter than your standard paperback. We calculated its cubic volume and compared it to the smallest models we've had the opportunity to test. The WD My Book is about 30x the volume of the most compact drives in our review.

The simple fact of the matter is that the My Book is significantly larger and heavier than any other model we reviewed.

The WD My Book lacks shock, impact, water, and dust protection, leaving it immensely vulnerable to mishaps. This drive also requires an AC wall plug, meaning that a laptop cannot power it on its own. If you like to get work done on flights or in coffee shops, this is not the drive for you.

western digital my book desktop - this large capacity desktop drive is excellent for anyone who is...
This large capacity desktop drive is excellent for anyone who is going to utilize it at a home office, workstation, or for long-term data storage.
Credit: Aspen Rain Weaver

Should You Buy The WD My Book Desktop?


Easily beating the competition in terms of storage space, the Western Digital My Book is one of the best external hard drives for those looking to back up a mountain of data — it will even perform automatically. It isn't exactly portable, but this drive's connectivity and compatibility are among the best. It reads and writes data faster than any other HDD in our review, and it features an unobtrusive design suitable for office use. Although it may cost more than other HDDs, the purchase is well worth it in terms of gigabytes per dollar.

What Other Hard Drives Should I Consider?


When it comes to portability, nearly every other model is more suited towards travel, but for a rough and rugged option that is less than half the size of a new iPhone, take a look at the SanDisk Extreme Portable V2 or Samsung T7 Portable. They're both SSD models, offering lightning-fast speeds combined with high-end protection against impact, water, dust, and shock, but at a higher cost. For a more budget-friendly option with similar transfer speeds to the My Book, consider the affordable and speedy Seagate Portable.

Side-by-Side Comparison
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