What does "SE" stand for in Western Digital Elements SE 500GB USB 2.0

[Kreelor]

Western Digital Elements SE 500GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (WDBABV5000ABK-NESN)

I've tried, but I cannot find out what the "SE" stands for. I'm wondering if it signifies that this particular model is a "lesser" version than maybe another "full version" drive of the same type?

So, what does the "SE" actually stand for? And, is there another version (of this same type of drive) that I could consider?

 

[WyomingKnott]

"Super Expensive?"

More seriously, the SE drives are USB 3.0 ( http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=470 ) and the plain "Elements" drive is USB 2.0 ( http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=480 ). The latter is presented as "affordable," while the former is presented as "fast."

Some of the Elements SE drives are USB 2.0, but have higher capacities than the Elements drives.

 

[Kreelor]

Thank you, WyomingKnott. BTW, I like your definition of the acronym 'SE' as "Super Expensive"! LOL.

Actually, I found this ad on newegg.com; (special price of $54.99 until end of month):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136804&cm_sp=ProductSpotlight-_-22-136-804-_-09202011

Although my computer does not have a USB 3.0 Port, I may buy a computer (someday) that has one. Otherwise, I probably don't need this "SE" version.

Thank you for your reply!

 

[Kreelor]

A side note:

I spent quite a while looking on THG for comparison reviews of 'external hard disk drives,' but couldn't find any at all. I was hoping THG would have done an in-depth review (like they used to do in years past) of such things, so that I might be able to decide on which product (brand name & model) to purchase. I'm now in the dark, relying only on my excellent experiences with the Western Digital brand name. It seems THG is flooded with a frenzy of reviews and comments on SSD drives only. heh heh.

 

[WyomingKnott]

A side note:

I spent quite a while looking on THG for comparison reviews of 'external hard disk drives,' but couldn't find any at all. I was hoping THG would have done an in-depth review (like they used to do in years past) of such things, so that I might be able to decide on which product (brand name & model) to purchase. I'm now in the dark, relying only on my excellent experiences with the Western Digital brand name. It seems THG is flooded with a frenzy of reviews and comments on SSD drives only. heh heh.

Well, there are two reasons for that. Keep in mind that Tom's pays for its content, and tries to get the most eyeballs for the buck.

First, SSDs are more interesting at the moment than external drives.

Second, notice that the HDD charts cut off a couple of years ago. These devices have become commodities, pretty much interchangeable within the same class (size and rotation speed, enterprise-grade vs. consumer). It's pretty difficult to benchmark reliability; you would need hundreds or thousands of drives.

The same pretty much applies to external USB 2.0 drives these days.

 

[Kreelor]

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